On May 21, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs activated the Special Automated Registry of Non-Domiciled Non-Governmental Organizations (REGONG, in Spanish), a platform in which all foreign NGOs must register in order to continue their activities in the country. REGONG arises from a joint resolution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Relations, Justice and Peace issued in October 2020, but only now became effective.

Some of the items that NGOs must inform at the time of registration are: their name, place of incorporation, address in Venezuela, objectives, activities they carry out in the country; internal governance and local representation. The information will be later verified by the Office of Multilateral Issues and Integration to verify “the reliability” of the data provided. 

Registration in the RENONG may be rejected “for reasons of public order and sovereignty”, leaving the door open to arbitrary decisions by the authorities when reviewing applications.