Venezuela
VENVenezuela, located on the northern coast of South America, has been in the grip of a severe political and humanitarian crisis since the mid-2010s. Under Nicolás Maduro's government, hyperinflation, economic collapse, and widespread food and medicine shortages have driven more than 7.7 million people to emigrate — one of the largest displacement crises in the Western Hemisphere.
Infrastructure and public services remain severely degraded. The passport ranks poorly globally, offering visa-free access to around 106 destinations. Naturalisation requires 10 years of lawful residence. Dual citizenship is permitted. Despite its rich oil reserves and natural beauty — including Angel Falls and the Orinoco Delta — Venezuela is not a practical destination for foreign residents under current conditions.
- Naturalisation
- 10 years
- Tax system
- Residence Based
- Currency
- Venezuelan Bolívar (VES)
- Dual citizenship
- Allowed
- Capital
- Caracas
- Region
- americas
- Population
- 28,300,000
- Cost-of-living
- 18 /100
Passport Rank
#96
Visa-Free
106
destinations
Visa-free travel
A Venezuela passport has visa-free access to 106 destinations. See the full Venezuela passport breakdown →
Passports that enter Venezuela without a prior visa (73)
Visa-free, visa on arrival, or on an eTA.
Community-sourced (passport-index, synced 2026-08-18) — verify with the embassy before travel.
Immigrating to Canada from Venezuela
Current IRCC processing times for Venezuela nationals, by application type.
| Visitor visa (outside Canada) | 35 days |
| Super visa | No processing time available |
| Study permit | No processing time available |
| Work permit | No processing time available |
| Sponsor a dependent child | No processing time available |
| Adopted child (citizenship) | Not enough data |
| Government-assisted refugees | Not enough data |
| Privately sponsored refugees | sponsor: Not enough data / refugee: Not enough data |
Your application may take longer than the times shown here. They’re not a maximum or a guarantee.
As of 2026-09-22 (IRCC). See all Canada processing times →
Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada — “Check processing times”. This is a copy of the version available at https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/check-processing-times.html. Reproduced under the Government of Canada’s non-commercial reproduction terms; not endorsed by or affiliated with IRCC.
Sources & last verified
Government of Canada — non-commercial reproduction (canada.ca Terms and conditions)
Country Details
- Capital
- Caracas
- Currency
- Venezuelan Bolívar (VES)
- Languages
- Spanish
- Population
- 28,300,000
- Tax System
- Residence Based
- Dual Citizenship
- Allowed
- Naturalisation
- 10 years
- Schengen / EU
- No
- Climate
- Tropical; hot and humid in the lowlands, cooler in the Andean highlands; dry season roughly December to April
- English Proficiency Rank
- #71
- GDP per capita
- $3,495
- Life expectancy
- 72.67 yrs
- Population growth
- 0.39%/yr
GDP per capita, life expectancy, and population growth: World Bank (2025).
Indices
Cost of Living
18
Safety
14
Healthcare
22
Quality of Life
20
Tax Summary
- Tax System
- Residence Based
- Territorial Taxation
- No — worldwide income taxed for residents
- Naturalisation
- 10 years of legal residency
- Dual Citizenship
- Allowed
Cost of Living by City
← scroll the table →
| City | Rent 1BR centre | Rent outside | Groceries | Utilities | Transit pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caracas | — | — | — | — | — |
| Maracaibo | — | — | — | — | — |
| Valencia | — | — | — | — | — |
Monthly USD figures. Typical central 1-bedroom rent, grocery basket for one, household utilities, monthly transit pass.
Climate
Caracas
Rainfall range: 10–110 mm/month · Daylight 11.5h (winter) to 12.5h (summer)
Visa Categories & Immigration Authority
Major Visa Categories
- Tourist
- Business
- Investor
- Resident Visa
- Family
- Student
- Authority
- Servicio Administrativo de Identificación, Migración y Extranjería (SAIME)
- Official Portal
- www.saime.gob.ve
- Phone
- +58 212 408 1111
- info@saime.gob.ve
Naturalisation Details
- Residence Years
- 10
- Language Test
- Yes (Spanish)
- Civic Test
- No
- Oath Required
- Yes
- Dual Allowed
- Yes
- Fee
- $300
- Processing
- ~18 months
Safety
GPI Rank
#142
Global Peace Index ranking (lower is safer)
Common Risks
- ⚠Express kidnapping (secuestro exprés): criminals force victims into vehicles, drain ATM accounts, and release them — particularly common on the Maiquetía Airport–Caracas highway at night
- ⚠Airport extortion and fake currency exchange: scammers pose as money changers or uniformed officials demanding unofficial fees or signing undisclosed documents; ATM skimming also reported
- ⚠Virtual kidnapping phone scams: callers claim a family member has been abducted and demand immediate wire transfer — no actual abduction; targets diaspora families and foreign contacts
Examples of areas to avoid: Petare (east Caracas) — one of the most dangerous urban barrios in Latin America, controlled by competing criminal gangs (pranatos); Venezuela's overall intentional homicide rate is approximately 40–60 per 100,000, Cota 905 / Dimensión 905 (southwest Caracas) — former gang stronghold, still volatile with ongoing clashes between armed groups and security forces, 23 de Enero (west Caracas) — politicised barrio with frequent confrontations between colectivos and security forces; unpredictable closures
Regulators & official sources
Bodies that regulate immigration advice in Venezuela, and the official sources indexed for it by Visa Atlas. Descriptions are verbatim; each links to its source.
Ministerio del Poder Popular para Relaciones Exteriores
MPPREForeign ministry responsible for consular policy and Cancilleria Digital electronic visa access.
Embassy of Venezuela in France - Consular Section
CONSULADO-FROfficial Venezuelan consular section publishing current visa category guidance, standard filing procedure and electronic-visa route descriptions.
Related Guides
Related on The Citizenship Desk
Visa routes
Official visa and residence routes for Venezuela, indexed from Visa Atlas. Each links to its government source. This is a licensed external index, distinct from our own curated visa guides.
Residence
Migration Records and Corrections
ResidenceSAIME procedure set for migration movements, entry/exit stamp certification and migration-error handling.
Re-entry Visa
ResidenceVenezuelan re-entry visa for residents or transeunte holders whose status expired abroad within specific absence limits.
Religious Visa
ResidenceVenezuelan religious visa for religious activity supported by the relevant institution.
Rentista Visa
ResidenceVenezuelan rentista visa for non-migrants living from lawful foreign income or pension.
Short-term / business
Business Visa
Short-term / businessConsular Venezuelan business visa for non-migrant commercial, financial or other legal lucrative business activity.
Electronic Tourist Visa
Short-term / businessElectronic tourist visa for recreation, health or non-profit activities in Venezuela.
Electronic Transeunte Business Visa
Short-term / businessElectronic Venezuelan business authorization for invited missions, technical assistance and similar short assignments.
Work (sponsored)
Labor Visa
Work (sponsored)Employer-authorized Venezuelan labor visa for foreign workers and qualifying family members.
Family
Venezuelan Family Visa
FamilyFamily visa for spouses, minor children and parents with a verified Venezuelan family link.
Study
Student or Internship Visa
StudyVenezuelan student/internship visa for higher, technical, university, specialization or internship activity.
Investor
Investor Visa
InvestorAuthority-check pathway for Venezuelan investment-related visa planning where current category authorization must be confirmed before filing.
Entrepreneur
Entrepreneur or Industrial Visa
EntrepreneurVenezuelan entrepreneur/industrial consular visa category for qualifying business or industrial applicants.
Sources & last verified
Route index from Visa Atlas (CC BY 4.0), as of 2026-09-12. Each route links to its official government source.
Sources & last verified
- Last verified