MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Venezuela facilitates travel to Mercosur and associate members’ citizens

Valid national IDs will be sufficient

Citizens from Mercosur full members and some associate countries will be allowed to travel to Venezuela with no need of a passport, simply with their national ID, as of next Thursday announced Venezuela’s Identification and Foreigners office.

“As of next Thursday we have the capacity to receive all those citizens from Mercosur countries with the mere presentation of their national IDs”, said Dante Rivas head of the Identification office during a meeting of Mercosur and associate members migration delegates.

The countries to benefit are Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay plus associate members Bolivia and Chile.

“The citizens of these countries will be able to travel to Venezuela with their valid IDs, without the need of passports”, said Rivas.

“We’re getting in touch with the IDs of the different countries so we can proceed to enforce the regulation” he added.

Rivas said that Venezuela expects reciprocity in the “short term” from Mercosur members and associates.

The decision begins the implementation of a partial agreement on “Travel documents for citizens of Mercosur and associate members”.

Mercosur full members are Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, with Venezuela in the process of incorporation. However final approval depends on the Paraguayan senate, the only country which still has to take a vote on the matter.

The weakened government of Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo so far has been unable to garner sufficient votes in support of Venezuela’s incorporation.

Senate president Miguel Carrizosa has repeatedly stated that the Senate will hold by its position as long as Venezuela is ruled by President Hugo Chavez.