Registering a marriage performed in the United States with Venezuela

Status as of October 3, 2026: Venezuela and the United States agreed to re-establish diplomatic and consular relations on March 5, 2026 (Venezuelan Foreign Ministry communiqué and US State Department statement). Even so, no Venezuelan consulate in the US is listed or announced as providing services: on September 12, 2026, Venezuela’s state broadcaster Radio Nacional de Venezuela (RNV) reported that the New York consulate looks renovated but that the authorities “have not yet issued an official statement setting the date of formal opening to the public or the activation of the appointment system” (our translation). The Foreign Ministry’s (MPPRE) official consulate list, checked October 3, 2026, has 25 offices and none in the United States.

A marriage performed in the United States is recorded in Venezuela through the registro de matrimonio (marriage registration). Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry (MPPRE) describes it as a document that certifies the registration, before the diplomatic mission, of a marriage celebrated before a foreign authority, “el cual será inserto en el territorio nacional ante el Consejo Nacional Electoral (CNE)” — which is then inserted in Venezuela with the National Electoral Council. The procedure is free, according to the MPPRE catalog checked October 3, 2026. The key condition: the US certificate must be apostilled and, where needed, translated into Spanish by a public interpreter. Until consulates in the US reopen, registration depends on a Venezuelan mission outside the country, and you need to confirm first that the office will accept you.

Versión en español

Cost, timing and who handles it

ItemDetailSource
Marriage registration“Este trámite es gratuito” (free)MPPRE, description 15 (checked October 3, 2026)
Later certified copy of the consular marriage extractCarries a consular fee; “debe ser consultado en la Representación Diplomática o Consular” (check with the mission)MPPRE, description 2
Who receives itThe diplomatic mission; then inserted with the CNE in VenezuelaMPPRE, description 15
Processing timeNot published on the pages checked October 3, 2026—
Consulates in the USNone listed or announced as serving the public as of October 3, 2026RNV (September 12, 2026); MPPRE consulate list

Documents the MPPRE asks for

DocumentQuantity
Marriage certificate issued by the foreign authority, apostilled or legalized and translated into Spanish by a public interpreter, where applicableOne (1) certified copy and two (2) plain copies
Cédula or passport of the spousesOriginal and three (3) plain copies
Birth record, Gaceta Oficial or naturalization certificate of the Venezuelan spouse(s) (if you do not have the birth record, you may give its registration details)Three (3) plain copies
ID document of the foreign spouse, if applicableOriginal and three (3) plain copies

Source: MPPRE — Registro de Matrimonio, checked October 3, 2026.

If you are missing your Venezuelan birth record, see how to request a Venezuelan birth certificate from the US.

Apostilling the US certificate

Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry explains that the Hague Apostille applies between the states party to the Convention of October 5, 1961, that Venezuela’s approving law was published in 1998 and took effect in 1999, and that “por regla general, salvo que alguna norma exima de esta obligación, todo documento público extranjero debe ser legalizado o apostillado para tener validez en Venezuela” (as a general rule, unless some norm exempts it from this obligation, every foreign public document must be legalized or apostilled to be valid in Venezuela). It also states that “la legalización o la apostilla no caducan” (legalizations and apostilles do not expire). The US marriage certificate is therefore apostilled in the United States: see how to apostille a US document. To get the certified copy, see vital records by state.

Where to file while no Venezuelan consulate in the US is open

  • A Venezuelan mission outside the United States. Registration is made “ante la misión diplomática” (before the diplomatic mission), according to the MPPRE. The consular section in France, for example, offers consular registration to people residing in France, Monaco or Andorra, and the MPPRE catalog says that “para la realización de cualquier trámite ante esta Embajada deberá estar inscrito en el Registro Consular” (to carry out any procedure at the embassy you must be enrolled in the Consular Registry). No page consulted on October 3, 2026 says whether an office outside the US accepts applicants who live in the United States: confirm with that office before you travel.
  • In Venezuela. The list of SAREN electronic documents (tramites.saren.gob.ve) published by the embassy in France includes “Inserción acta de matrimonio (emitida por Registro Civil/otros entes civiles)”, which shows that this document exists and is issued by the Civil Registry or other civil bodies. The pages consulted do not describe the direct insertion procedure in Venezuela; ask the Civil Registry.

Step by step

  1. Request a certified copy of the marriage certificate from the US authority that issued it.
  2. Apostille it in the United States.
  3. Translate it into Spanish if the certificate is in English: the MPPRE asks for a translation “por un intérprete público, si fuere el caso” (by a public interpreter, where applicable). Confirm with the office which translators it accepts.
  4. Make the copies in the table: one certified copy and two copies of the certificate; original and three copies of each ID; three copies of the Venezuelan spouse’s birth record.
  5. Confirm the office that will receive the file and whether it requires prior consular registration.
  6. File the package. The mission registers the marriage and the record is inserted in Venezuela with the CNE.

After registration

  • Certified copy of the consular extract. The MPPRE describes the “Certificación de Copia Fotostática del Extracto de Matrimonio Consular”: it requires an ID, an authenticated authorization or power of attorney if applicable, a copy or the details of the record, and proof of payment of the consular fee, whose amount “debe ser consultado en la Representación Diplomática o Consular.”
  • Venezuelan marriage certificate. The US State Department’s Venezuela civil-documents page (checked October 3, 2026) says the Acta de Matrimonio is issued by the Civil Registry or the CNE, is obtained at the Registro Civil or online on the SAREN website, and has no fee.

What Venezuelan marriage law says, according to the State Department

The MPPRE registration page does not address these points; the State Department’s Venezuela civil-documents page summarizes them:

  • The Venezuelan Civil Code provides for civil marriage only between a woman and a man, and “Same-sex marriage is not legally recognized in Venezuela.”
  • Venezuela legally recognizes registered de facto unions (“concubinato”), which do not give the parties the same rights as a civil marriage.

Official sources

Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes. Requirements are set by Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry (MPPRE) and can change without notice. Verify directly with the Venezuelan diplomatic mission that will receive your file. Not legal advice.