Venezuela entry requirements, by passport

Vaccinations

• No mandatory vaccines for entering Venezuela. The yellow fever vaccine is recommended for travellers over 9 months of age, except those limiting their trip to Caracas, Valencia, Margarita Island, the states of Aragua, Carabobo, Miranda, Vargas, Yaracuy, Falcón and Lara, or the Capital District. Some countries require the certificate from travellers who have previously been in risk areas of Venezuela.

Customs limits

Cash

From US$10,000 (or the equivalent in another foreign currency) in banknotes, coins or bank cheques in foreign currency, the amount must be declared on entry or exit, under Central Bank of Venezuela Resolution 05-11-01; the declaration is lodged with the designated exchange authority and with SENIAT. The rule doesn't prohibit carrying that amount, it only requires declaring it.

Alcohol

SENIAT doesn't publish a specific litre limit. Alcohol and tobacco for personal use fall within the general allowance for new items of personal use or consumption, duty-free up to US$1,000 per person. If a foreign tourist exceeds that figure, the excess goes through the ordinary import procedure; the reduced tariff between US$1,001 and US$2,000 is for passengers who are Venezuelan nationals or residents. Every traveller fills in and signs Form 82 (Customs Baggage Registration and Declaration).

Tobacco

Same criterion as alcohol: it counts towards the general value-based allowance (up to US$1,000 duty-free per person), with no maximum number of cigarettes or cigars published by SENIAT.

Overstay penalties

Per official sources (SAIME, Ministry of People's Power for Foreign Affairs), a tourist who exceeds the authorised 90-day stay without having requested the extension under Art. 9 of the Foreigners Law is subject to deportation. No specific, officially verified monetary fine amount was found for this scenario.

Grounds for refusal

• Arriving with a passport that does not have at least six months of validity, issued by a competent authority.
• Arriving with less than ninety days of passport validity counted from the moment of entry into Venezuelan territory: it is an additional requirement to the previous one and is checked at the border.
• Needing a visa for your nationality and not holding a valid one at the moment of entry.
• On the stay itself: a tourist may remain up to ninety days, extendable by an equal period at the discretion of the competent body. Once it runs out you must leave the country, on pain of deportation.

What to do if you are refused entry →