Venezuela Travel Guide
Visa summary
247 passport nationalities researched for entry into Venezuela.
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Guide
Venezuela's entry rules split sharply by nationality and how you arrive. The foreign ministry publishes a list of roughly 40 countries whose citizens can enter by air for tourism, covering every EU member state, the UK, Australia, Japan, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico among others, and British citizens specifically receive a tourist card on arrival if flying in, though arriving overland or by sea can mean needing a visa arranged beforehand even for an otherwise exempt nationality. US citizens have needed a visa since March 2015 and Canadians since July 2019, and there are no direct flights between the US and Venezuela, suspended since 2019, which makes the visa question almost academic for American travelers given the routing problem alone.
The tourist stay is 90 days, extendable once for a further 90, and a passport needs at least 6 months of validity beyond arrival. Yellow fever vaccination is specifically required for anyone arriving from or transiting more than 12 hours through Brazil, not a blanket rule for every visitor.
Border crossings
- Maiquetía, Caracas's main airport
The primary international gateway, where the roughly 40 country visa free by air list is checked, along with the tourist card issued to eligible arrivals like British citizens.
- Overland and sea arrivals face different rules
Even a nationality that is visa free by air can need a visa in advance for a land or sea entry, worth confirming specifically for your planned route rather than assuming the air rule applies everywhere.
Transit routes
- Check the by-air list carefully, and separately from any land route you might take
The exemption is specifically tied to arriving by air for many nationalities, not a general visa free status.
- Read the Level 4 advisory before finalizing any plans
Crime, civil unrest, and the risk of arbitrary detention are all cited, and US consular support inside the country is described as very limited.
Entry point notes
- US and Canadian citizens need a visa, and face a routing problem too
With no direct US to Venezuela flights since 2019, an American traveler needs both the visa and a workable connecting itinerary.
- Yellow fever proof depends on a Brazil connection specifically
Only travelers arriving from or transiting more than 12 hours through Brazil need to show it.