When a relative dies with a bank account in Venezuela, a Texas family has to show the bank proof of the death and proof of who the heirs are — in a form Venezuela accepts. What makes Venezuela different right now is that there are no Venezuelan consulates operating in the United States, so the consular legalization route is simply not available. The apostille route is the only path, which actually simplifies the decision even as it puts more weight on getting the documents right.
What an apostille is
An apostille is a certificate that authenticates a public document — a notary's signature, a court seal, a registrar's certification — so it will be accepted by authorities in another country. For countries in the Hague Apostille Convention, the apostille is the finish line. For countries outside it, the same Texas certificate is the first step in a short legalization chain.
Does an apostille work in Venezuela?
Yes, and it is your only option from the United States. Venezuela accepts apostilles, and because Venezuelan consulates in the U.S. have not been operating since January 2023, a Texas document destined for Venezuela must be apostilled by the Texas Secretary of State — you cannot fall back on consular legalization or on a Venezuelan consul to execute documents.
How the Texas Secretary of State apostille works
Texas apostilles come from a single office: the Secretary of State's Authentications Unit in Austin. There is no county-clerk step — a document notarized by any Texas notary, in any of the 254 counties, goes straight to the state. Since October 2023 Texas issues one Universal Apostille (Form 2102) that works for every destination, whether or not the country belongs to the Hague Apostille Convention.
The state fee is $15 per document. Mailed requests can take up to 25 business days; in-person and appointment service in Austin is same-day for up to 10 documents, and a bulk drop-box handles larger batches in 24–48 hours. There is no online submission — every request is handled by mail or in person. Certified copies of vital records (birth, death, marriage, divorce) must be less than five years old.
Federal documents — FBI background checks, USCIS naturalization certificates, IRS letters — cannot be apostilled by Texas; they go to the U.S. Department of State. We confirm the correct authority before anything is filed, so your documents are never rejected on a technicality.