Venezuela
Phone Code
+58
Capital
Caracas
Population
28 Million
Native Name
Venezuela
Region
Americas
South America
Timezone
Venezuelan Standard Time
UTC-04:00
On This Page
Venezuela is the northernmost country of South America, fronting the Caribbean Sea and bordered by Colombia, Brazil and Guyana, with Caracas as its capital. It spans an unusually wide range of landscapes, from Andean peaks and Caribbean coral archipelagos to the sandstone tepui plateaus of the Gran Sabana and the world's highest waterfall, Angel Falls. Entry rules vary by nationality and arrival method: most Western and Latin American visitors receive a free 90-day tourist card on arrival by air, US citizens need an advance visa in all cases, and overland or sea arrivals follow a stricter regime that should be confirmed with a Venezuelan consulate before travelling. Travel today is operated almost entirely on guided itineraries with experienced Venezuelan agencies.
Visa Requirements for Venezuela
Venezuela's visa policy depends on your nationality and on whether you arrive by air or overland/sea — the two most important practical distinctions. Citizens of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Nordic and Baltic countries, the rest of the Schengen area, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) members and most Latin American countries (including Mercosur) receive a 90-day tourist card (Tarjeta de Ingreso) free of charge on arrival by air at Caracas Maiquetía 'Simón Bolívar' International Airport (CCS) and other international airports — the card is filled in and stamped at immigration on landing. Overland and sea entries — from Colombia, Brazil, Guyana or the Caribbean — follow a different and stricter regime than arrival by air: the on-arrival tourist card must not be assumed at land borders, and the conditions that apply to your document and your specific crossing should be confirmed with a Venezuelan consulate before travelling. Citizens of the United States are a distinct case: a tourist visa must be obtained in advance, and because Venezuelan consular services in the United States are currently suspended, US citizens normally apply through the Venezuelan Embassy in Mexico City (or another accredited Venezuelan consulate abroad) — the US State Department warns that arriving without a valid visa carries a serious risk of detention. Passport must be valid at least six months from the date of entry with two blank pages. Venezuelan dual nationals (US-Venezuelan, Spanish-Venezuelan, Italian-Venezuelan and others) are required by Venezuelan law to enter and leave Venezuela using a Venezuelan passport regardless of which other passport they hold; arriving without a Venezuelan passport can lead to detention or refused departure. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required if you have travelled in (or transited more than 12 hours through) Brazil or other yellow-fever endemic countries. Tourist cards can be extended for an additional 90 days at SAIME immigration offices in country before expiration. Work, study, journalism, NGO and volunteer activity all require a pre-arranged visa from a Venezuelan consulate abroad — entering on a tourist card and then engaging in work or journalism is treated seriously. Always verify the current rules for your specific nationality and entry method on the official SAIME portal or with a Venezuelan consulate before booking.
Common Visa Types
90-Day Tourist Card on Arrival (by Air)
Tourism, family visit and short-term business meetings for citizens of the UK, Ireland, the entire Schengen area, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, CARICOM and most Latin American countries arriving by air at an international airport.
Tourist Visa (Required for US Citizens & Overland Entry)
US citizens (in all cases). For overland and sea arrivals from Colombia, Brazil or Guyana the on-arrival tourist card must not be assumed — the land regime is stricter than the air regime, and the requirement for your document and specific crossing should be confirmed with a Venezuelan consulate before travel.
Work, Study, Journalism & Volunteer Visa
Pre-arranged visa required for any work activity (paid or unpaid), journalism and filmmaking, NGO and volunteer work, study programmes and internships — entering on a tourist card and then working or reporting is treated seriously.
Mercosur & Andean Citizen ID Entry
Citizens of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay travelling for tourism or family visits under Mercosur and Andean Community agreements — most can enter on a national identity card without a passport.
Important Travel Information
Venezuela offers one of South America's most concentrated landscape variety packages — Caribbean archipelago, Andean peaks, sandstone tepui plateaus, Amazonian rainforest, llanos plains and desert dunes, all inside a single country — and travellers come for that variety on guided circuits with experienced Venezuelan operators. The Canaima/Salto Ángel circuit is the flagship: a short charter flight into Canaima National Park, followed by a day-long dugout-canoe trip to the base of the world's highest waterfall. The Mount Roraima trek, the inspiration for Conan Doyle's Lost World, is a six-to-eight-day round trip up a flat-topped sandstone tepui in the Gran Sabana. The Andes around Mérida hold Venezuela's highest peaks and the world's longest and highest cable car system, while Los Roques National Park's coral archipelago and Margarita Island cover the Caribbean side. Inland, the Llanos plains deliver one of Latin America's best wildlife-viewing experiences, with capybara, anaconda and scarlet ibis concentrated around ranch-based reserves. Cuisine — arepa, pabellón criollo, cachapa, hallaca — is a constant pleasure on the road. Travel today runs almost entirely on guided itineraries; independent overland travel is challenging, and most visitors check their home-country advisory and book a structured trip.
Discover Venezuela
Venezuela's tourism circuit runs almost entirely through established local operators rather than independent backpacking, and that's a structural feature of how the country's key sites work logistically rather than a preference — Canaima, Los Roques and the Roraima trek are all only reachable through licensed charter flights, boat operators or guides in the first place, so a structured itinerary isn't really optional for most of the flagship destinations. Reputable operators handle permits, light-aircraft bookings and the day-to-day logistics that would be difficult to arrange independently, and most first-time visitors book a multi-stop itinerary combining two or three regions — commonly Canaima plus one of Los Roques, Mérida or the Llanos — through a single agency rather than piecing together each leg separately. Checking a home country's current travel advisory before booking, and building the trip around a specialist operator's specific local knowledge, is the standard approach most visitors and agencies themselves recommend.
Ways to Experience This Destination
Canaima National Park (UNESCO World Heritage) holds Salto Ángel — at 979 m the world's highest uninterrupted waterfall — descending from Auyán-tepui in the Gran Sabana. Trips begin with a one-hour Cessna or chartered flight from Caracas (or Ciudad Bolívar / Puerto Ordaz) to Canaima Camp on the Laguna de Canaima with its red-sand beaches and seven-cascade waterfall, followed by a day-long motorised dugout (curiara) up the Carrao and Churún rivers to the base of the falls. Best in the rainy season (May to November) when waterfalls are at maximum flow; classic 3–4 day trip on a guided package.
Mount Roraima, a 2,810-m flat-topped sandstone tepui on the Venezuela-Brazil-Guyana tripoint, is one of South America's most distinctive treks — the inspiration for Conan Doyle's The Lost World and a model for Pixar's Up. The 6–8 day round-trip starts from Paraitepuy de Roraima in the Gran Sabana, near Santa Elena de Uairén, and climbs the only walkable route up the iconic south-west ramp. Endemic plants (carnivorous Heliamphora, the Roraima black frog), cloud forest, surreal eroded sandstone formations and natural rock-pool jacuzzis on the summit. Guided trekking only.
The Andean state of Mérida holds Venezuela's highest peaks (Pico Bolívar at 4,978 m, Pico Humboldt 4,940 m, Pico Espejo 4,765 m) and the longest and highest cable car system in the world — the Mukumbarí, 12.5 km from Mérida city to the Pico Espejo summit, in four sections. The historic mountain town of Mérida itself, with the Universidad de los Andes and a tradition of dulce de leche, ice cream (Heladería Coromoto holds the Guinness record for most flavours) and trout-fishing-trout-and-fishing villages along the trans-Andean road, is the base for trekking, paragliding from Pico La Aguada and visits to the Sierra Nevada and Sierra de la Culata national parks.
Los Roques National Park, a coral archipelago of around 350 islets and cays 168 km north of La Guaira, is Venezuela's classic Caribbean destination. Light aircraft (40 minutes from Caracas) land on the airstrip at Gran Roque, the only inhabited island, where small posada-style guesthouses replace large resorts. Days are spent on day trips by peñero (small boat) to deserted white-sand cays — Madrisquí, Crasquí, Cayo de Agua, Francisquí — with snorkelling on shallow reefs, world-class bonefish and tarpon flats fishing, kite-surfing on the consistent trade winds and seafood-and-rum lunches on the cays.
Isla de Margarita, the largest island of Venezuela's Nueva Esparta state in the Caribbean, has been the country's main beach resort destination since the 1970s. Playa El Agua and Playa Parguito on the east coast are the long sandy headline beaches; Playa Pampatar and Juangriego the historic coastal towns; the historic state capital La Asunción with the Castillo de Santa Rosa fortress sits inland. Reached by domestic flight from Caracas to General Santiago Mariño International Airport (PMV) or by Conferry from Puerto La Cruz; a long-standing duty-free shopping destination for Venezuelans and Caribbean cruise passengers.
The Llanos — the vast tropical grassland plains that cover central Venezuela between the Andes and the Orinoco — host one of Latin America's most concentrated wildlife experiences. The Hato El Cedral, Hato Piñero and Hato El Frío cattle ranches in Apure and Cojedes states open as nature reserves with game-drive style boat and 4x4 outings: capybara, anaconda, spectacled caiman, giant anteater, scarlet ibis, jabiru stork and the freshwater Orinoco crocodile. Best in the dry season (December to April) when wildlife concentrates around shrinking water holes. Pair with the Médanos de Coro sand dunes and the Coro UNESCO historic old town on the Caribbean north coast.
Money & Currency
Venezuelan Bolívar (VES)
Currency code: VES
Practical Money Tips
The bolívar and the US dollar: how visitors actually pay
Venezuela's official currency is the bolívar (VES), but the practical currency of the visitor economy is the US dollar: tours, guesthouses, transfers and most restaurants on the tourism circuit quote and settle in USD cash, and this is the assumption to build a budget around. Prices for everyday local purchases may be posted in bolívares, with the equivalent accepted in dollars at the day's rate — confirm the rate being applied before agreeing, and treat any bolívar amounts you receive as change to spend promptly rather than hold. Check current conditions with your tour operator or accommodation shortly before travelling, since payment practice on the ground evolves.
ATMs are not a plan
Do not build any part of a Venezuela budget around withdrawing cash after arrival. International ATM access is effectively unavailable to visitors, and machines that exist serve domestic cards in bolívares. The working assumption is simple: the money you bring in cash is the money you have for the trip. Plan the full budget in advance, split it between secure places (money belt, hotel safe, separate bags), and carry only what a given day needs.
Cards: assume they will not work
Foreign credit and debit cards are not a reliable way to pay anywhere in the country, including hotels in the capital. A card is worth carrying only as a deep backup for an eventual departure change or airline counter, never as a payment plan. Book and pay for as much as possible before arrival — flights, tours and accommodation arranged through operators that accept international payment abroad — so that in-country spending stays small and cash-shaped.
Bring US dollars in small, clean notes
Bring the whole in-country budget in USD cash, weighted heavily toward small denominations — tens, fives and ones — because change for large bills is scarce and a torn, marked or worn note can be refused outright. Crisp, undamaged bills are the standard. Divide the cash across your luggage and companions rather than one wallet, keep a dummy day-wallet with a small amount, and hand over exact or near-exact amounts wherever you can. Digital wallets, mobile payment apps and international transfers do not serve visitors — cash is the system.
Note: Always check current exchange rates before traveling. Currency exchange is available at airports, banks, and authorized money changers.
Embassies in Venezuela
These foreign embassies and consulates are based here. Choose a mission to open its in-depth guide and contact details.
Key origin countries
Accredited missions for Venezuela
Yes, in all cases. Unlike many other nationalities who receive a free tourist card on arrival by air, US citizens must obtain a tourist visa in advance — normally through the Venezuelan Embassy in Mexico City, since Venezuelan consular services in the US are currently suspended.
Not for arrival by air. UK, Irish and Schengen-area citizens, along with several other nationalities, receive a free 90-day tourist card issued at immigration on landing at an international airport. Entering overland or by sea is a different case: the land regime is stricter than the air regime, an advance visa may be required depending on your document and crossing, and the on-arrival card must not be assumed — confirm with a Venezuelan consulate before travelling.
For the flagship destinations, effectively yes — Canaima/Salto Ángel, Los Roques and the Mount Roraima trek are only reachable through licensed charter flights, boat operators or guides, so a structured itinerary through a Venezuelan tour operator is the standard and most practical route rather than a preference.
This overview comes from Visaja's worldwide missions database (visaja.com), checked against official government sources; for binding answers, the mission itself always has the final word.