Friday, September 21, 2018

Venezuela's Passport Office Is Breaking Down

The Independent: 'I'm stuck here': The desperate search for a passport in Venezuela

UN says 2.3 million people have left the country since 2015, but those without a passport are unable to escape

After a year struggling to make ends meet under Venezuela’s crushing hyperinflation, Jennyfer and her boyfriend decided to flee the country. Everything was ready, except a small but important detail: Jennyfer’s passport.

It is now five months since Jennyfer Avero applied for her travel document. But, until today, the 23-year-old craftswoman from Caracas hasn’t anything about the state of her request.

Last month, her boyfriend Javier left for Ecuador, becoming part of one of the biggest exoduses in Latin American history. And in the meantime, Jennyfer continues to wait, hoping she will join him soon.

“I have no alternative,” she says. “I wouldn’t like to leave without a passport.”

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I had this problem when the Soviet Union fractured and I needed a Russian passport to travel abroad. To say that the entire system became dysfunctional and disorganized during that time is an understatement. It took me months to finally get my passport (plus a bribe), but the stress that I had to go through during that time still gives me migraines. As for Venezuela .... the situation is worse. These people are starving .... but they still want to do everything properly before they leave.

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