Venezuela’s appetite for cryptocurrency appears to remain open as recent media reports have shown that the Venezuelan government is testing the acceptance of bitcoin in issuing passports and other official papers to Venezuelan citizens residing outside the country.

Although the government of “Nicolas Maduro” has not issued an official statement regarding this new measure, the Bitcoin payment option may be a reaction to the recent difficulties faced by Venezuela in processing international payments, especially in light of the challenges and economic sanctions imposed by the United States government on Venezuela.

This new measure first surfaced as rumors of a bitcoin payment option for passports late yesterday, on Reddit.

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where the user shared”iguano80Image in the ‘r/Bitcoin subreddit’ of a passport payment processing service that offered bitcoin as a payment option.

Whereas, payment by credit card is temporarily held due to the effects of penalties.

Earlier yesterday, Sunacrip Press president Marpolis Linares stated via Twitter that the bitcoin payment option is not actually “functional” and denied the service’s reports of accepting bitcoin as false.

rejection Linares came in my denial on a report from the Latin American crypto news site “Criptonoticias”, the latter who referred to the news and verified the option by requesting a passport through the Venezuelan consulate in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and attached photos of the Bitcoin payment option.

I personally checked it and it is absolutely correct. # VenezuelaImmigration Department, accepted # bitcoin for payments. Renew your passport or request an extension. BTC dollars pic.twitter.com/bMpVM4NQcA

– Lovera 😎 ⚡₿ (BTClovera) June 24, 2020

It appears that the option is not open to anyone inside Venezuela, as Venezuelans inside Venezuela use the only acceptable payment option which is the bolivar – the official fiat currency – and the petro, the state-backed cryptocurrency.

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However, several users in different countries confirmed via social media that the Bitcoin payment option appeared on the passport application website from outside Venezuelan territory yesterday morning.

But it didn’t take long before the confirmation of Linares’ comments on Twitter that the Venezuelan government might have simply been testing the process disappeared.

The adoption of cryptocurrencies in Venezuela has gradually become a political strategy by the Maduro government as a way to circumvent the effects of economic sanctions.

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The Venezuelan government has already enabled petro payments in various public services, including paying for gasoline.

The Venezuelan National Public Bank is also adjusting its infrastructure to include cryptocurrency services, and the Maduro government recently admitted storing bitcoin and ethereum as part of its international reserves.

With the intensification of sanctions and the increase in economic wars between countries, it appears that Bitcoin and other alternative cryptocurrencies may become the refuge for punished governments and individuals.

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