Caracas operational briefing for business travellers, journalists and NGO staff. Start with the three steps below, then use the reference sections for hotels, transport, medical and security.
Pick your passport country to confirm whether you need a visa and how to apply. US citizens use the official Cancillería Digital e-visa portal — not a US-based consulate.
Open the visa checkerFree traveller-registration with your foreign ministry. Lets your government locate you in a crisis and pushes real-time security alerts to your phone throughout the trip.
Pick your country's programBilingual one-page card to fold into your passport — hospital and embassy addresses a taxi driver can read, plus your blood type and home contact. Saved locally; reprint anytime.
Personalize & print
Already know you need a visa?
Open the full Venezuela visa application guide →
Applying on the e-visa portal?
Embassy Application Instructions →
Pick the program for your nationality and enrol before you fly. Other countries: ask your foreign ministry's consular section whether they operate a registration system — most G20 countries do, and enrolment is always free.
Register with your embassy before you fly via your foreign ministry's traveller-registration system (US: STEP; UK: FCDO; Canada: ROCA). All numbers below are in international dialling format.
The hotels below are international or long-established Venezuelan properties in safer neighbourhoods (Las Mercedes, La Castellana, Altamira, El Rosal, Chuao). Their concierges arrange airport transfers, which is the single most important logistics call you make on this trip.
All entries are well-established restaurants in safer central-east neighbourhoods. Reservations are advised for dinner; valet parking is the norm. We deliberately do not list late-night venues outside these zones.
Public hospitals are heavily under-resourced and visitors should plan around the private clinics below. Confirm direct billing with your travel-medical insurer (e.g. International SOS) before you fly.
The single most important rule: never take a street taxi, especially not at SVMI airport. Always pre-arrange transport. The default option for almost every business traveller is to book the airport transfer through the hotel's reservation desk before flying.
For protective services in Caracas (executive transport with vetted drivers, residential security, journey management, evacuation), engage one of the established international security firms below rather than contracting a local protective-services vendor cold. They maintain the vetted local relationships you need.
Cellular roaming on US carriers is unreliable; plan around an eSIM activated before you board, plus a VPN configured in advance.
Three Venezuelan carriers: Movistar (best urban 4G in Caracas), Digitel (better in eastern Venezuela), Movilnet (state-owned, widest rural coverage). All require local ID at activation; foreigners should buy and activate at the carrier's official Caracas store, not at the airport, with passport in hand.
Airalo and Holafly both sell Venezuela eSIM data plans that activate before you board. Speeds are slower than a local SIM but you skip the in-country activation step entirely. Confirm your phone is carrier-unlocked.
All listed hotels offer Wi-Fi included. Speeds vary by neighbourhood; Las Mercedes and Altamira generally have the most reliable urban fibre. A travel router with a VPN preconfigured is a good practice.
Many news sites, payment platforms and some social platforms are intermittently blocked or throttled in Venezuela. Configure a reputable VPN (ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Mullvad, ProtonVPN) before arrival; doing it after landing is unreliable.
Most US carriers do not offer Venezuela roaming or only at very high rates. Verizon and AT&T users in particular should not assume cellular roaming will work. Plan around an eSIM or local SIM.
Caracas runs on US dollar cash and informal Zelle transfers. Bring small denominations and don't rely on ATMs.
US dollar cash is widely accepted across Caracas (hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, taxis). Bring small denominations ($1, $5, $10, $20). Notes must be undamaged and post-2009 series — older or torn bills are regularly refused.
Carry a small amount of Bs. cash for street-level micro-purchases and tips. Hotel concierges can usually convert $20-50 in USD into Bs. at the parallel rate.
Foreign-issued credit and debit cards work inconsistently. Visa is more reliable than Mastercard or Amex. Many merchants prefer Zelle (US-based dollar transfer) from a US bank account; if you have a US Zelle account, set it up before travel — it functions as the informal default cashless rail.
ATM withdrawals in Bs. are constrained by tiny daily limits and frequent cash-out conditions. Treat ATMs as a last resort, not a planned source of funds.
Two reference rates matter: the BCV official rate (Bs./USD) and the parallel-market rate (typically 25-35% higher). Most cash transactions use the parallel rate. Caracas Research's homepage publishes both rates daily — check before negotiating. See live rates →
Work this list end-to-end at least two weeks before departure.
Most Western nationalities (US, UK, EU) need a tourist or business visa obtained in advance. There is no visa-on-arrival. Use our Visa Requirements tool to check the current rules for your passport. Open the tool →
Many standard travel-insurance policies exclude Venezuela. Confirm in writing that your policy covers (a) medical evacuation, (b) kidnap & ransom, and (c) trip-cancellation due to civil unrest. Consider an International SOS or Falck Global Assistance membership.
Carry a paper photocopy + a digital copy in encrypted cloud storage. Leave a third copy with a contact at home. The Venezuelan National Guard does spot-check documents at internal checkpoints.
Free, takes 5 minutes. Once enrolled, your government can locate and contact you in a crisis and pushes real-time security alerts. US: STEP. UK: GOV.UK email alerts. Canada: ROCA. Most G20 countries operate equivalent programs — see the full list at the top of this page. Jump to the registration section ↓
Book your inbound airport transfer in writing through your hotel before you board. Do NOT plan to find a taxi at SVMI. The first night's hotel should be confirmed and prepaid.
If you have a US bank account, activate Zelle before travel. Bring at least $200-500 USD in small undamaged notes per week.
Choose ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Mullvad or ProtonVPN. Install on phone and laptop, sign in, and confirm it works before you board.
Download Caracas in Google Maps for offline use, plus a backup map app (Maps.me or Organic Maps). Cell service can be patchy.
Recommended (and sometimes required for onward travel from Venezuela to Brazil, Suriname or Guyana). Carry the WHO yellow card.
Print a pocket card with: hotel name + phone, your embassy's after-hours line, your insurer's 24/7 number, an in-country fixer or driver's contact, and a domestic emergency contact. In Spanish if possible.
These are the on-the-ground rules that experienced visitors, diplomats and journalists treat as non-negotiable.
Las Mercedes, La Castellana, Altamira, El Rosal, Chacao, Los Palos Grandes, Campo Alegre and Country Club are the safer business neighbourhoods. Avoid Petare, Catia, 23 de Enero, El Valle, Antímano and any informal hillside (cerro / barrio) area. Even daytime visits to those zones should only happen with experienced local security support.
Pre-arrange every car. Express kidnapping (secuestro express) — where a victim is forced to withdraw money from ATMs — most often starts with an unlicensed street taxi.
The threat profile worsens significantly after dusk. Build your schedule so all moves between hotel ↔ meeting ↔ airport happen between roughly 07:00 and 18:00.
No visible jewellery, expensive watches, branded laptop bags or DSLR cameras in public. Keep phones in pockets, not in hands. Tourist-photographer behaviour attracts attention.
Keep $20-40 in a decoy wallet to hand over in a robbery. Real passport and main funds in a money belt or hotel safe.
Distribute cash across multiple pockets, the hotel safe, and your bag. Never carry your entire bankroll on you.
Venezuelan National Guard (GNB) and PNB checkpoints are common, especially on routes to/from the airport. Be polite, present passport + visa, do not photograph or film, and do not negotiate or argue.
Includes Miraflores, the Asamblea Nacional, military bases, PDVSA facilities, the National Guard, and any uniformed personnel. Photographing these can lead to detention.
Crowd events can turn violent with little warning. Even peaceful marches have been broken up with tear gas. Stay clear.
Share your daily itinerary with a trusted contact at home. Check in by message at least twice a day. If you go silent, they should know who to call (your embassy + your security firm).
Save these to your phone before you fly. In a serious incident, call your embassy first, then your security/medical assistance provider, then local emergency services.
| Service | Number |
|---|---|
| Police (PNB) — emergencies | 911 |
| Police (PNB) — non-emergency | 171 |
| Fire / Bomberos | 171 |
| Ambulance (public) | 911 |
| Civil Protection (Protección Civil) | 0800-PCIVIL (0800-72-4845) |
| Sebin / National Guard tip line (avoid contacting unless required) | 0800-CONATEL |
| US citizens overseas emergency (24/7) | +1 202 501-4444 (or via STEP enrolment) |
| UK FCDO crisis line | +44 20 7008-5000 |
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Sources: US State Department Travel Advisory and OSAC Caracas Crime & Safety Report; UK FCDO Foreign Travel Advice; MPPRE consular directory; embassy and hotel websites cited above. Information is for planning purposes only and does not constitute travel, legal or security advice.
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