Overview
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs formally introduced an electronic visa and a physical and virtual emergency passport as components of the new Sistema de Administración Migratoria Integral (e-SAMI).
- The emergency passport is designed to replace the long-used salvoconducto and to grant holders the same travel rights normally given by an ordinary passport.
- The government says digitization will shorten waiting times, increase transparency in consular services, and reduce reliance on paid intermediaries known as tramitadores.
- Rollout is in an early, phased stage with consulates participating in training and a prior pilot having been carried out; full deployment depends on technical readiness across the consular network.
- The platform was developed with technical cooperation from the Inter-American Development Bank and fits a wider regional push to modernize migration and consular services through digital tools.