The American Citizens Services Section will be closed on October 10th and October 12th in obser-
vance of Columbus Day and Día de Resistencia Indígena, and on October 27th for staff training.
For Appointments: Columbus Day
From Venezuela:
Columbus Day is the annual U.S. commemo-
0-800-847-3388
ration of explorer Christopher Columbus'
From the United States: landing in the New World (at San Salvador
1-877-274-6682 Island, also known as Waitling Island, today
part of the British Bahamas) on October 12,
Hours of Operation: 1492. Columbus was not the first European
Passport Services:* to cross the Atlantic successfully. Viking sail-
ors are believed to have established a short-
Monday—Friday
lived settlement in Newfoundland sometime
8:00—10:30 AM
in the 11th century, and scholars have ar-
gued for a number of other possible pre-
------------------
Columbian landings. Columbus, however, initiated the lasting encounter between Europeans
Notarial Services:* and the indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere.
Every business day
except Wednesday A number of nations celebrate this encounter with annual holidays: among them are Discov-
1:00—2:00 PM ery Day in The Bahamas and Colombia, Día de la Hispanidad (Hispanic Day) in Spain, and
Día de la Raza (Day of the Race) in much of Latin America. In 1971, Congress moved the
------------------ U.S. holiday from October 12 to the second Monday in October to afford workers a long holi-
Federal Benefits Unit: day weekend. In the United States, Columbus Day is typically a celebration of Italian and
Wednesdays Italian-American cultural heritage, Columbus generally being considered a native of Genoa,
1:00—3:00 PM Italy.
In the late 15th century, Portuguese sailors dominated the effort to establish a sea route be-
tween Europe and India by circumnavigating Africa. It was with an eye toward outflanking the
* May require appoint- Portuguese that Isabella I of Spain authorized an expedition in which Columbus would sail
ment; visit west from Spain, aiming for India. This, of course, presumed that the world was round. Many
caracas.usembassy.gov educated people already understood this; Columbus' achievement rests instead in his suc-
for more information. cess in persuading Isabella to finance a dangerous and speculative expedition.
Columbus set sail with 90 men in August 1492 on three ships: the Santa Maria, the Nina and
the Pinta. After sailing west for five weeks, the expedition reached land on October 12. Co-
lumbus believed he had found a new route to India, hence the use of the word Indians to
describe the peoples he met.
Columbus would make three subsequent voyages and would die believing he had found a
new route to India and Asia, and not, in fact, the gateway to North and South America.
(continued pg 2.)
US Embassy Caracas Newsletter October 2011 Volume 2, Issue 10 Page 2
(Columbus
Day, cont.
Where to Obtain Vital Records
from pg 1)
Were you born in the U.S.?
Italian immi- Married or divorced in the U.S.?
grants were
the first to Need a copy of a U.S. death certificate?
celebrate the
Certified copies of these vital records can only be
holiday annu-
obtained directly from the state where the
ally in U.S.
birth/death/marriage occurred. The Embassy is
cities where
In early morning fog, a replica of one of Chris- they had set-
not able to provide certified copies of any of these
topher Columbus' ships, Nina, departs Mays- documents.
ville, Kentucky, where it was on tour.
tled in large
numbers, in To help you find the contact information for the
part as a celebration of their heritage, since Columbus is state office that you need, the Center for Disease
considered Italian. Both New York (1866) and San Francisco Control has compiled a list of all state vital re-
(1868) claim the first such celebration. In 1937, President cords office contact information. You can find the
Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Columbus Day a national state office you need here:
holiday, then held every October 12.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.htm
Many localities, including Berkeley, California, have replaced
Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day to honor the
original inhabitants of the islands where Columbus landed.
South Dakota renamed the holiday Native American Day,
Apostille for Venezuelan
and Alabama celebrates a combination Columbus Day and Documents
American Indian Heritage Day. Hawaii calls it Discovery
Day. Venezuela implemented the Hague Convention
on Legalization in March 1999, therefore public
U.S. federal government offices close on Columbus Day, as documents issued in Venezuela with an
do most banks. Schools typically remain open, as do most "Apostille" granted by the Venezuelan Foreign
American businesses. New York City, Denver and many Ministry are acceptable in the United States with-
other cities continue to host festive Columbus Day parades, out further action by the Embassy.
more than 500 years since the historic appearance of three The Embassy does not authenticate copies of
ships off the coast of a small Caribbean island.
Venezuelan public documents such as birth cer-
The exhibitions 1492: An Ongoing Voyage and Exploring the
tificates, passports, marriage certificates, school
Early Americas are available on the Library of Congress
transcripts, etc. You must obtain an “Apostille”
Web site. from the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry.
What can ACS do for you?
Address:
American Citizen Services offers the following services:
Passport Services Calle F con Calle Suapure,
Consular Report of Birth Abroad Urb. Colinas de Valle Arriba, Caracas, Venezuela
Notarial Services
Federal Benefits Services
Absentee Voting Overseas Information Telephone: [58](212) 975-6411
Death Certificates Fax: [58](212)907-8199
And much more
American Citizen Services:
Please visit caracas.usembassy.gov for a complete list of ACSVenezuela@State.gov
our services and information on how to make an appoint- Federal Benefits Unit: FBUVenezuela@State.gov
US Embassy Caracas Newsletter October 2011 Volume 2, Issue 10 Page 3
Consular Agent in Maracaibo
The U.S. Embassy in Caracas maintains a Consular Agency in Maracaibo to provide services to the
American citizen community in that area.
The Consular Agent:
Accepts applications for U.S. passport renewals for passports expired less than 10 years
Accepts documentation related to loss of nationality cases
Provides emergency assistance to American citizens in the consular district, including prison vis-
its, welfare and whereabouts searches and hospitalization/death cases
Notarizes documents
Please note that all fees payments to the Consular Agency in Maracaibo must be made by certified
check in local currency from Banco Provincial. The check must be payable to U.S. Disbursing Officer.
The Consular Agency does not provide visa services of any type.
The U.S. Consular Agency in Maracaibo is located at:
Centro Venezolano Americano de Zulia (CEVAZ)
Calle 63 #3E-60
Maracaibo, Zulia
Tel: [+58] (0261) 2000600 (0261) 7180843 and 7180845
About ACS
The State Department's Office of American Citizen Services and Crisis Management (ACS) is here to assist you
and your family whenever and wherever we can. We work with our overseas embassies and consulates to pro-
vide emergency services to Americans abroad. We can help send money overseas to assist U.S. citizens, repa-
triate the remains of loved ones who have died, assist victims of crime, and help U.S. citizens who are de-
tained in foreign prisons. ACS also administers a repatriation loan program to bring home destitute Americans.
We operate a 24-hour Duty Officer Program.
We also work on task forces convened to deal with natural or man-made disasters.
CONTACT OVERSEAS CITIZENS SERVICES:
From within the U.S. 1-888-407-4747
From outside the U.S. 1-202-501-4444
The American Citizens Services Section will be closed on October 10th and October 12th in obser-
vance of Columbus Day and Día de Resistencia Indígena, and on October 27th for staff training.