Venezuela

Is Venezuela safe to visit?

Not for most travellers in 2026. Venezuela is in an uncertain political transition, the coast around Caracas is still recovering from twin earthquakes that killed more than 6,500 people in June, and the UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to the whole country. We score Venezuela 41, below Colombia (45) and above Ecuador (36).

The US State Department rates Venezuela Level 3 (reconsider travel), with seven Level 4 areas. That is a step down from the do-not-travel level it carried for years, and the US Embassy in Caracas resumed operations in March 2026. But it offers only emergency services to US citizens, and even less help outside the capital.

What happened in Venezuela in 2026?

Two events reshaped the country in 2026.

On 3 January 2026, US forces struck targets around Caracas and seized President Nicolás Maduro, who was flown to New York and arraigned on narco-terrorism charges, as the Global Peace IndexGlobal Peace IndexAn annual ranking of 163 countries by how peaceful they are, based on conflict, crime, militarisation and political instability.More in the glossary 2026 records. Venezuelan authorities declared a "state of external commotion". Maduro's vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, became interim president. According to AP, the six-month mandate the supreme court gave her has expired, and when she told the UN General Assembly in September that there would be elections, she gave no date. The UK says it does not accept the legitimacy of the current administration.

On 24 June 2026, two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck less than a minute apart near the coast. By 24 August the interim government counted 6,509 deaths, most of them in La Guaira state, where at least 190 buildings collapsed. La Guaira was declared a disaster zone under military control, and Maiquetía airport only reopened, with limited capacity, on 1 September.

Detention and the political risk

Arbitrary detention is the risk that sets Venezuela apart from its neighbours. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says some foreigners, including Europeans, have been detained and accused of terrorism, and that border and airport officials have held visitors for hours or days, sometimes without letting them contact family or their embassy. Political prisoners have been released in several waves since January, the latest after Rodríguez met President Trump in New York in September. A Venezuelan rights group, Justicia, Encuentro y Perdón, still counted about 450 political prisoners on 25 September 2026, 20 of them foreigners.

Practical rules follow from this. Carry ID or a copy of your passport and entry stamp at all times. Do not photograph military sites, airports or the presidential palace. Stay away from rallies; the FCDO says security forces use tear gas and rubber bullets to break them up.

Where not to go

The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary advises against all travel to:

• Zulia state, including Maracaibo
• within 80 km of the Colombian border, and within 40 km of the Brazilian and Guyanese borders
• the Orinoco Mining Arc in Bolívar state, south of the Orinoco river
• Delta Amacuro south of the Orinoco

The US do-not-travel list covers the Colombian border region, Amazonas, Apure, Táchira and Guárico states, Aragua outside Maracay, and rural Bolívar, citing crime, kidnapping and armed groups. The US also points to Tren de Aragua and the Cartel de los Soles, both designated as terrorist organisations, and to armed groups in the border areas. The US warning on rural Bolívar also covers Canaima National Park and Angel Falls.

Crime, roads and the airport

Violent crime has fallen from its peak. The UNODC figure in the World Bank series dropped from 41 homicides per 100,000Homicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary in 2019 to 12.6 in 2022. Newer numbers do not exist: InSight Crime says the government did not answer its request for 2025 data and independent monitors have been shutting down. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary still describes armed robbery, mugging and carjacking as common in parts of the country, sometimes with extreme violence.

The airport road is the classic trap. The FCDO says travellers have been targeted in the terminals, car park and on the drive into Caracas, especially at night. Arrange a pick-up, never accept a lift offered in the arrivals hall and do not get into a taxi that already has passengers.

Driving is a real risk too. WHO estimatesWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary 13.2 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, a third of its 2019 estimate of 39, so treat both figures with caution. Roads are poorly maintained, fuel shortages are common outside Caracas, and police and National Guard checkpoints sometimes ask for bribes.

Health care and shortages

The US calls Venezuela's health system in a state of severe crisis, with critical shortages of medicines, broken equipment and remote hospitals that often lack running water and power. Private clinics in big cities handle routine care but also run short of supplies, and the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says complex treatment may need evacuation. Malaria prevention is recommended, and dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever and oropouche are common. Power cuts are frequent, can be nationwide and take down mobile and internet networks with them.

How to stay safe in Venezuela

• Check your insurance: travelling against FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary advice can invalidate it.
• Bring all the medicine you need for the trip plus extra in case flights are cancelled.
• Carry US dollars in small notes; petrol stations rarely give change.
• Book hotel taxis or a known driver for every journey, and do not travel between cities after dark.
• Keep a personal emergency plan that does not depend on your embassy.
• Call 911 for an ambulance.

How we scored it

Conflict (28) and health (30) are the weakest factors: an unresolved political transition with large no-go areas and detentions of foreigners, and a hospital system short of almost everything. Violent crime (45) is middling but rests on 2022 data, which is why confidence is low. Road safety (60) uses WHO's 2021 estimate of 13.2 deaths per 100,000, much lower than its 2019 figure.