Ecuador sends diplomats to Venezuela to aid citizens after earthquake

Ecuador's government announced on July 2, 2026, the dispatch of a team of officials from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility to Venezuela. This exceptional measure, effective for 30 days, aims to bolster the support and protection offered to Ecuadorian citizens living in the country amidst the emergency caused by a devastating earthquake.

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This action seeks to strengthen the attention and protection of Ecuadorian citizens residing in that country, in the context of the emergency caused by the earthquake.

The team of diplomats will travel to Caracas on July 3, 2026, via a humanitarian assistance flight provided by the Ecuadorian Air Force (FAE). Their mission is to strengthen the consular services available to Ecuadorians in Venezuela, particularly in the wake of the natural disaster. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has informed the Swiss Embassy in Caracas, which represents Ecuador's interests in Venezuela since diplomatic relations were severed in 2024, about this deployment.

Operating from the Ecuadorian Interests Section in Caracas, the dispatched officials will focus on making the office fully functional and restoring comprehensive consular attention. Services will include the issuance of ordinary and emergency passports, registration of births, marriages, and deaths, notarization, general consular assistance, and coordination of assisted returns for citizens needing to go back to Ecuador.

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The personnel will travel to Caracas on Friday, July 3, 2026, on a humanitarian assistance flight provided by the Ecuadorian Air Force (FAE).

Since the earthquake emergency began, Ecuador's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility has been actively responding to the needs of its affected citizens. Actions taken include forming a group of 356 Ecuadorian citizens and coordinating the assisted return of 18 individuals. In collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP), the ministry has also facilitated the distribution of monetary assistance cards and food and hygiene kits to those who have returned.

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The officials will offer their services from the Ecuadorian Interests Section in Caracas. There, they will carry out the necessary procedures to make the office fully operational and re-establish consular services.

This deployment underscores Ecuador's commitment to ensuring timely consular services and effective protection for its residents in Venezuela during this critical period. The initiative is a direct response to the humanitarian crisis triggered by the earthquake, aiming to provide tangible support to a vulnerable population.

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Since the beginning of the emergency caused by the earthquake in Venezuela, it has maintained a permanent response to attend to affected Ecuadorians.