Entry Requirements & Customs

Entry Requirements -- You need a valid passport to enter Venezuela. Upon arrival, citizens and residents of the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand who enter by air or cruise ship are issued a free tourist card valid for 90 days. You can extend your tourist card for up to 60 days at the Caracas office of the national immigration agency, Dirección de Identificación y Extranjería (DIEX; tel. 0212/483-2070; www.onidex.gov.ve). In theory, you can apply for two consecutive extensions. The extensions cost between $20 and $25, depending on the length of time you apply for.

Common advice is that you should make photocopies of your passport and stamped tourist card and keep them in a separate, safe place, while carrying the originals with you. I personally recommend that unless you need your passport for a bank transaction, you should keep it and other valuables in a hotel safe and carry a photocopy of the first page of your passport with you. Note that you will have to present your tourist card upon departure.

If you plan to enter Venezuela by sea or land, it is advisable to try to obtain a tourist card or visa in advance from your nearest Venezuelan embassy or consulate, although, in practice, this is usually not necessary. Tourist cards are free, although I've heard reports that you may face an arbitrary charge of between $3 and $10 at some of the border crossings along the Colombian and Brazil borders. You will be charged between $30 and $40 for a tourist visa depending on the processing fees and policies of your local embassy or consulate.

Venezuela requires children under 18 traveling alone, with one parent, or with a third party to present a copy of their birth certificate and written, notarized authorization by the absent parent(s) or legal guardian granting permission to travel alone, with one parent, or with a third party. For more details, contact your embassy or consulate.

Venezuelan Embassy Locations -- In the U.S.: 1099 30th St. NW, Washington, DC 20007 (tel. 202/342-2214; fax 202/342-6820; www.embavenez-us.org)

In Canada: 32 Range Rd., Ottawa, ON KIN 8J4 (tel. 613/235-5151; fax 613/235-3205; www.misionvenezuela.org)

In the U.K.: 1 Cromwell Rd., London SW7 2HW (tel. 020/7581-2776; fax 020/7589-8887; www.venezlon.demon.co.uk)

In Australia & New Zealand: 7 Culgoa Circuit, O'Malley, Canberra, ACT 2606 (tel. 02/6290-2967; fax 02/6290-2911; www.venezuela-emb.org.au)

Customs -- You may bring in to Venezuela all reasonable manner of electronic devices and items for personal use (including cameras, personal stereos, and laptop computers). Officially, you may bring in up to $1,000 worth of miscellaneous merchandise -- tobacco, liquor, chocolate, and the like. However, this is only loosely enforced. The guiding rule is to try to not attract the interest of immigration officials. Once their interest is piqued, they could decide to give you a hard time, if the mood strikes.