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Travel safety profile · Latin America & the Caribbean

Is Venezuela Safe to Visit in 2026?

81 / 100

Very High Risk

Economic collapse. Kidnapping, armed robbery widespread. Reviewed 24 April 2026 How we score

Live alerts in Venezuela Get the iOS app

⚠ Active conflict / rapidly changing situation

Our static profile may lag events. Always verify against the latest FCDO advisory before travel.

What Warnely Is Tracking

Real-time incidents pulled from the Warnely pipeline. The dashboard renders a richer feed.

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Official Travel Advisories

UK FCDO

See travel advice

Check current advice.

View full advisory →

US State Department

Check current level

Check current advisory.

View full advisory →

Venezuela compared to your home country

Venezuela's composite Warnely risk score is 81/100 (Extreme Risk). Here is how that compares to common home countries for English-speaking travellers. Append ?home=GB (or US, AU, CA, DE) to the URL to pin your home.

United Kingdom 22/100

Venezuela is materially riskier than United Kingdom (3.7× riskier on the Warnely index).

United States 35/100

Venezuela is materially riskier than United States (2.3× riskier on the Warnely index).

Australia 14/100

Venezuela is materially riskier than Australia (5.8× riskier on the Warnely index).

Canada 15/100

Venezuela is materially riskier than Canada (5.4× riskier on the Warnely index).

Germany 20/100

Venezuela is materially riskier than Germany (4.0× riskier on the Warnely index).

Lower scores are safer. Each home country's score is its own composite on the same 0-100 scale. See methodology.

Risk Breakdown

This is the static baseline rating across six dimensions. The Warnely dashboard adds a live 30-day signal alongside.

Crime4/5

Check FCDO/State Dept for current assessment.

Natural Disasters2/5

Check local conditions.

Health2/5

Consult travel clinic before departure.

Terrorism3/5

Check current advisories.

Civil Unrest3/5

Monitor local situation.

Infrastructure3/5

Check transport options.

Quick Facts

Plug type	A/B
Voltage	120V/60Hz
Time zone	UTC-4
Driving side	Right
Tap water	Unsafe

Essential Phrases Spanish

Hello	Hola OH-lah
Thank you	Gracias GRAH-thyas (Spain) / GRAH-syas (LatAm)
Yes / No	Sí / No SEE / NOH
Sorry / Excuse me	Perdón pehr-DOHN
Help!	¡Ayuda! ah-YOO-dah

Visa & Entry

Type	Visa required (embassy)
Length	Varies
Cost	Varies by nationality

Visa required for most nationalities. Crisis context limits travel; check FCDO advisory.

Verify on IATA Travel Centre →

Summary: Complex. Check embassy.

Passport: Valid 6+ months.

Customs: Strict on electronics and cash declarations.

Prohibited: Drones effectively banned. Drug laws extremely strict. Photography of military/police/oil infrastructure forbidden.

Practical Tips

Check travel advisories DAILY – situation changes rapidly
Do not carry or display valuables; express kidnappings common
Bolívar (local currency) is hyperinflated – USD is de facto currency in many places
Power cuts and water shortages common – book hotels with generators
Angel Falls can be visited via Canaima but requires substantial logistics and armed guide in some areas

Common Scams & Practical Risks

Distraction theft: Someone spills something on you while accomplice steals bag. Stay alert.
Fake police: Ask for identification. Offer to go to nearest station.

Solo & Women’s Safety

Solo Travellers

Established backpacker trails. Spanish/Portuguese essential.

Women’s Safety Exercise Caution

Catcalling common but rarely threatening. Standard city precautions.

LGBTQ+ Travellers

Legal status	Legal, no recognition
Social climate	Mixed

Legal; no recognition; no anti-discrimination. Caracas had scene pre-crisis; PDA inadvisable now.

Verify current law on Equaldex →

Drug Laws

Severity	Severe (long sentences)
Cannabis	Severe penalties

Possession 4–10yrs. Crisis context; consular support limited.

Verify on UK FCDO →

Emergency Numbers

police

911

ambulance

911

fire

911

tourist

112

If you decide to travel to Venezuela

A practical checklist that applies to any trip. Each item links to the part of this guide where the specifics live.

1

Check the live advisory Read the UK FCDO and US State Department pages within a week of departure. Advisories change. View current FCDO advisory →
2

Register your trip US citizens: enrol with STEP. UK citizens: register your itinerary with the nearest British embassy. Both enable consular contact in an emergency.
3

Save the local emergency numbers Police: 911. Ambulance: 911. Pin them in your phone's emergency-contacts screen so they're reachable from a locked phone.
4

Insurance with medical evacuation Travel insurance with a medical-evacuation limit of £10m or more. Cheap policies usually exclude or cap medevac, the single most expensive thing that goes wrong abroad. See the medevac entry in the glossary for what to check.
5

Confirm vaccinations and prescriptions Visit a travel clinic 4-6 weeks before departure for any routine vaccinations and country-specific recommendations. Check any prescription medication against the destination's import rules.
6

Set up a check-in routine before you go Agree a daily or every-other-day check-in time with a contact at home, plus a fallback channel if your primary one fails (WhatsApp goes down in countries that block it). The family communication plan covers the specifics.

Find every foreign embassy and consulate in Venezuela in the Warnely embassy directory →

Medical evacuation cost (pre-insurance)

Venezuela sits in Band C on Warnely's medevac cost dataset. The figures below are typical pre-insurance ranges in USD, calibrated against published bands from Global Rescue, MedJet, Allianz, and insurance-industry whitepapers.

Long-haul air ambulance

Typical $80,000 to $180,000

Long-haul fixed-wing repatriation typical, often multiple legs and specialised crew. Travel insurance with a meaningful medevac limit is not optional for trips to this band.

For the full methodology, the four-band table, and the downloadable CSV, see /methodology/medevac. Sanity-check your travel insurance limit against the high end of this band before booking.

Embed this score

Drop the Venezuela Warnely badge on a blog post, country page, or briefing. The image is served straight from the Warnely API and updates whenever the score changes.

HTML

<a href="https://warnely.com/guides/is-venezuela-safe"><img src="https://warnely.com/embed/venezuela/badge.svg" alt="Venezuela Warnely risk badge" width="360" height="44"></a>

Full embed options including Markdown and iframe variants: /embed/venezuela.

Data version v2 · Last reviewed 24 April 2026 · Next review by 23 July 2026 · methodology · Found something out of date? Tell us.

Common questions about Venezuela

Is Venezuela safe for tourists in 2026?

Economic collapse. Kidnapping, armed robbery widespread. Warnely's overall safety assessment for Venezuela is Extreme Risk (81/100), very high risk. Always check the latest UK FCDO and US State Department advisories before booking.

What's the crime risk in Venezuela?

Check FCDO/State Dept for current assessment. Crime category score: 4/5 (extreme).

Are there health risks travelling to Venezuela?

Consult travel clinic before departure. Health category score: 2/5. Consult a travel clinic 4-6 weeks before departure for recommended vaccinations.

Is Venezuela safe for solo female travellers?

Exercise Caution. Catcalling common but rarely threatening. Standard city precautions.

When is the best time to visit Venezuela?

Dry Season (Dec-Apr). Warm/dry (24-32°C), best for Angel Falls access, Los Roques beaches, Mérida.

What are the drug laws in Venezuela?

Drug penalties: Severe (long sentences). Cannabis: Severe penalties. Possession 4–10yrs. Crisis context; consular support limited.

Do I need a visa to visit Venezuela?

Visa required (embassy). Stay length: Varies. Visa required for most nationalities. Crisis context limits travel; check FCDO advisory.

Is the tap water safe to drink in Venezuela?

Tap water in Venezuela is not safe to drink – use bottled or filtered water. Most travellers should stick to bottled or filtered water for cooking, drinking and ice.

What do governments say about travel to Venezuela?

UK FCDO: See travel advice. US State Dept: Check current level. Read the full advisories on the relevant government sites – links are inside the Official Travel Advisories section above.