Venezuela
Last update 05 April 2023Diplomatic missions
Risk index
Level 4: Termination warning throughout the country (except in case of extreme necessity)
4
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Bolivar Republic of Venezuela
The Republic of Bulgaria does not have an embassy in Venezuela. The embassy covering for Venezuela is in Brazil.
Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Brasilia, Brazil
Address: SEN Av. das Nações, Qd. 801, Lt.08, CEP 70432-900, Brasília DF
telephone: +55 61 3223 6193; +55 61 3223 9849
fax: +55 61 3323 3285
office hours: 09.00 - 17.00 h
e-mail: [email protected]
website: www.mfa.bg/embassies/brazil
General information
General Information
Crime and security:
The level of crime in the country is extremely high. There is a big risk of theft and armed assaults on the street. Several hundred crimes are registered weekly. The number of burglaries, car thefts, kidnappings, as well as death accidents due to homicide and car accidents is very high.
The safety of citizens is critically endangered in large cities such as Caracas, Valencia, Maracaibo, Maracay, and others, at the international airport in Caracas and its surroundings, and at the beaches. Risk areas: there are no risk-free areas. It is advisable to avoid visiting areas that are 80 km from the border with Colombia – the states of Zulia, Tachira, Apure and Amasonas where there is a high risk of kidnapping.
It is absolutely forbidden to take pictures of the presidential palace "Miraflores", military facilities and special purpose airports.
Dual Citizenship: Venezuelan Citizenship Act requires each holder of a dual citizenship to use their Venezuelan identity documents upon entry, stay and exit from the country.
Healthcare:
It is recommended to drink bottled water and avoid the consumption of food sold by hawkers. Travelers are recommended to hold a valid international medical insurance.
There are no mandatory vaccinations. It is recommended to have a yellow fever vaccine made 10 days before entering the country in accordance with the International Sanitary Regulation of WHO. There is a risk of malaria in some rural areas. Dengue fever is endemic in Latin America and the Caribbean, and can occur throughout the year.
Customs requirements:
Drugs are illegal. Venezuelan law provides for punishment of 15 to 25 years in prison for the use and smuggling of drugs. A person consuming or possessing drugs may be sentenced with a punishment imposed on drug traffickers and drug manufacturers. Conditions in prisons are extremely severe.
Requests or proposals from any person to carry any baggage (packages, luggage, electrical appliances, food products, beverages, cosmetics, etc.), irrespective of the reason, should not be accepted.
Before departure to the airport the passengers are advised to check thoroughly their luggage and verify its content.
The import of diary and meat products is prohibited.
The import of two bottles of liquor per person is permitted.
Road traffic:
Venezuela has a well developed infrastructure of highways and bridges, well maintained in the past. In the recent years, because of the major layoffs, different programs for recovery of the crumbling roads have been developed. The bus network in the towns and villages throughout the country is very well developed. Regular police checks are carried out in Venezuela. It is advisable to drive slowly and stop for police inspections.
Travel to and from the International Airport Mayketiya (Caracas):
- Insecurity at the international airport in Caracas and its surroundings is considerable. The route from the airport to the city of Caracas is dangerous, there are cases of armed robbery.
- It is recommended along the way from the airport to the city of Caracas to avoid traveling after dark, especially between 11:00 p.m. and 04:00 a.m.
- In case of arrival and departure late at night or early in the morning, it is advisable to stay at a hotel near the airport. Offers for transportation should not be accepted in the arrivals hall. It is advisable to use only taxis that are clearly marked with yellow license plates and parked at the official taxi stand at the exit in front of the arrivals hall.
- There have been cases of assaults on tourists by fake taxi drivers. It is advisable meeting at the airport to be organized by the hotel or by an agent of a licensed travel agency, as a last resort.
- Since 2008 the National Guard carries out random checks for drugs and airport security. Sometimes passengers are asked for baggage check or X-ray examination in a local hospital.
- This is a routine security procedure, but sometimes it hampers the departure of inspected passengers. For international flights departing passengers are advised to arrive at the airport at least three hours before departure in order to have enough time for security procedures.
Travel by air within the country:
Visit to tourist destinations in Venezuela can often involve flying a small plane.
The level of security of flights with specific airlines must be verified through a travel agency in advance and preferred companies should be the ones operating new aircrafts.
International airport tax (upon leaving the country) - 190.00 VEF.
Fee for domestic flights (including Caracas - o. Margarita) - 38.00 VEF.
Local currency:
Bolivar fuerte (VEF)
4.30 VEF = 1 USD (official exchange rate)
The unofficial currency exchange is criminalized and punished by imprisonment.
There is state control over the foreign exchange. The only currency allowed for all payments in the country is the Bolivar fuerte/ Bs.F. /.
Payments in foreign currencies are prohibited by law. Banks in the country are not allowed to open accounts for local and foreign individuals and legal entities in a currency other than bolivars.
Bank transfers in foreign currency abroad are illegal, except in specific cases governed by law, for which special permission is required by the currency authority CADIVI.
Offers for lucrative foreign currency exchange at the international airport coming from strangers should not be accepted. It is recommended currency to be exchanged at official exchange offices, banks or hotels.
Travel papers and visas
Upon entry to Venezuela passport valid for at least 6 months after the date of arrival must be presented to migration authorities.
Upon entry a questionnaire shall be completed, which is usually distributed to passengers during the flight by the airline staff.
Bulgarian citizens are not required to have visa for a stay of up to 3 months / 90 days /. For a longer stay, professional activities, training, etc. before departure it is mandatory to make visa arrangements at the embassy of Venezuela in Sofia.
Permanent residents can extend their residence permit in the main office of the Foreign Office with the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry "SAIME", telephone: + 212483 20 70; + 212483 35 81; +212483 27 06.
Practical advice
Competitive service
Certification and Legalization
Bulgaria and Venezuela are parties under the Hague Convention on the abolishment of the requirement for legalization of foreign public documents dated 1961. Thus, the documents/deeds comprised in each of the two countries shall be provided with a seal – “Apostille” of the relevant Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as translated and verified under the relevant order, to serve in front of the competent authorities of the other country.
Emergency Travel Document.
In case of emergency (lost passport) Bulgarian citizens may seek assistance locally by the diplomatic mission of any EU Member State for the issuance of an Emergency Travel Document.
Issuance of Bulgarian identity documents
Since the beginning of 2012 biometric data systems were installed in the embassies of Bulgaria in Argentina and Brazil, which allows for acceptance of applications for issuance of new passports.
Every Bulgarian citizen residing in Venezuela can apply for a passport, identity card, driving license or temporary passport in the two embassies referred to above.
Upon issuance of the first ID card birth certificate must be presented. In case of loss, theft or destruction of an ID card and / or passport, a police report must be presented as an evidence of these circumstances.
For the issuance of a temporary passport of children born abroad, the local birth certificate of a child must be certified by "apostille" and both parents must be present. For issuance of a temporary passport to return to Bulgaria in case of lost / stolen documents, a police report containing the facts (theft, robbery, forcible removal, etc.) must be presented.