Travel & safety — Venezuela

Venezuela is a medium-income country with a large and important petroleum sector.

Venezuela’s political leadership maintains an anti-U.S. government discourse, and its political climate is highly polarized and fluid.

Violent crime is a serious problem, and the capital city of Caracas has one of the highest per capita homicide rates in the world.

Kidnappings, assaults, and robberies occur throughout the country; no areas are safe.

Scheduled air service and all-weather roads connect major cities and most regions of the country.

Venezuela’s tourism infrastructure varies in quality according to location and price.

Violent crime in Venezuela is pervasive, both in the capital, Caracas, and in the interior.

The country’s overall per capita murder rate is cited as one of the top five in the world.

According to the non-governmental organization, Venezuelan Violence Observatory (VVO), there were 21,692 homicides in 2012, a rate of 73 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, among the highest in the region.

This number is up from VVO’s reported rate of 67 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2011.

In Caracas, the rates were even higher, with VVO reporting a rate of 122 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in the Capital District.

According to the Venezuelan National Counter Kidnapping Commission official statistics have shown alarming increases in reported kidnappings throughout the country since the commission's founding in 2006.

According to Venezuelan government statistics, 583 kidnappings were officially reported to officials.

Police sources indicate that as many as 80% of kidnappings go unreported, meaning that the official figure of 583 kidnappings in 2012 is likely much lower than actual numbers.

Armed robberies take place throughout Caracas and other cities, including in areas generally presumed safe and frequented by tourists.

Well-armed criminal gangs operate widely, often setting up fake police checkpoints.

Only a very small percentage of crimes results in trials and convictions.

VVO estimates that less than 10% of homicides result in prosecutions.

It names impunity as one of the major factors for the increase in crime.

Maiquetía International Airport: Travel to and from Maiquetía Airport, the international airport serving Caracas, can be dangerous.

Both arriving and departing travelers, including foreigners, have been victims of personal property theft and muggings in the airport.

The Embassy has received multiple, credible reports that individuals wearing what appear to be official uniforms or other credentials are involved in facilitating or perpetrating these crimes.

For this reason, U.S. citizen travelers should be wary of all strangers, even those in official uniform or carrying official identification, and should not pack valuable items or documents in checked luggage.

Valuable documents and personal items should be kept in carry-on luggage; numerous travelers have reported valuable gifts and other items being stolen from their checked luggage, especially around the holiday season.

The Embassy has also received several, credible reports of victims of “express kidnappings” occurring at the door of the airport, in which individuals are kidnapped and taken to make purchases or to withdraw as much money as possible from ATMs, often at gunpoint.

Furthermore, there are known drug trafficking groups working from the airport.

Travelers should not accept packages from anyone and should keep their luggage with them at all times.

The Embassy also has received reports of uniformed airport officials attempting to extort money from travelers, including U.S. citizens, as they go through the normal check-in and boarding process for departing flights.

Other information provided by U.S. citizens and U.S. government officials indicates that uniformed individuals have approached travelers immediately upon entering the terminal when exiting Venezuela through Maiquetía Airport.

These uniformed individuals reportedly may ask travelers where they are traveling and then escort them to a separate area to inspect their bags for illegal drugs or money.

In certain cases U.S. citizens have reported that they were forced to sign documents in Spanish that they did not understand.

Travelers should not sign documents that they do not understand, but if they feel they must, they should sign “I do not understand this document” or “I cannot read the above statement” as part of their signature.

The road between Maiquetía Airport and Caracas is particularly dangerous.

Visitors traveling this route at night have been kidnapped and held captive for ransom in roadside huts that line th

Venezuela and its capital, Caracas, have among the highest per capita murder rates in the world.

According to the VVO, a rate of 122 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in the Capital District and a rate of 100 per 100,000 inhabitants in the state of Miranda, which incorporates most of the greater Caracas metropolitan area, were recorded in 2012.As noted above, the vast majority of murders and other violent crimes go unsolved.

Armed criminal gangs often operate with impunity throughout the urban areas.

Poor neighborhoods that cover the hills around Caracas are extremely dangerous.

These "barrios" are seldom patrolled by police and should be avoided.

They are off limits to U.S.

Embassy employees.Armed robberies are common in urban and tourist areas throughout Venezuela, even areas presumed safe and visited by tourists.

Crimes committed against travelers are usually economic crimes, such as theft and armed robbery.

Incidents occur during daylight hours as well as at night.

Many criminals are armed with guns or knives and will use force.

Jewelry of all sorts, even inexpensive but flashy jewelry, and expensive electronics attract the attention of thieves.

Travelers are advised to leave jewelry items, including expensive-looking wristwatches, at home.

Gangs of thieves will often surround their victims and use a chokehold to disable them, even in crowded market areas where there is little or no police presence.

Theft from hotel rooms and safe deposit boxes is a problem, and theft of unattended valuables on the beach and from cars parked near isolated areas or on city streets is a common occurrence.

A guarded garage or locked trunk is not a guarantee against theft.

Pickpockets concentrate in and around crowded bus and subway stations in downtown Caracas.

Subway escalators are favored sites for "bump and rob" petty thefts by roving bands of young criminals.

Many of these criminals are well dressed to allay suspicion and to blend in with crowds using the subways during rush hour.

Travelers should not display money or valuables.

Kidnappings: Kidnappings, including "express kidnappings" in which victims are seized in an attempt to get quick cash in exchange for their release, are a serious problem.

One common practice is for kidnappers to follow potential victims into building garages and kidnap them at gunpoint, although the majority of kidnappings occur while traveling in vehicles.

Kidnappings of U.S. citizens and other foreign nationals from homes, hotels, unauthorized taxis and the airport terminal do occur, and are more frequently being reported to the embassy.

As a recent example, in March 2012, a U.S. citizen, currently residing in Caracas was traveling home in his vehicle when he was overtaken and then blocked by a single vehicle.

Several armed men exited the blocking vehicle and forced the victim out of his car and into a separate vehicle.

The kidnappers held the victim while driving throughout Caracas conducting other kidnappings and robberies.

The victim was eventually released unharmed.“Virtual kidnappings,” in which scam surveys are conducted to collect contact information on minors, which is then used to call parents for ransoms without the children being taken, and “inside kidnappings,” in which domestic employees are being paid large sums of money for keys and information in order to enter and kidnap children for ransom, have also been reported to the embassy.

U.S. citizens should be alert to their surroundings and take necessary precautions.

The Embassy also has received reports of robberies during nighttime and early morning hours on the highways around and leading to Caracas.

Reports have specifically involved cars being forced off the La Guaira highway leading from Caracas to the Maiquetía International Airport, and the "Regional del Centro" highway leading from Caracas to Maracay/Valencia.

Once the victims are stopped on the side of the road they are robbed.

The Embassy recommends avoiding driving at night and in the e

While you are traveling in Venezuela, you are subject to its laws even if you are a U.S. citizen.

Foreign laws and legal systems can be vastly different than our own.

In some places you may be taken in for questioning if you don’t have your passport with you.

For example, in Venezuela it is illegal to take pictures of sensitive installations to include the presidential palace, military bases, government buildings, and airports.

Just as in the United States, driving under the influence can land you immediately in jail.

Criminal penalties will vary however.

There are also acts that might be legal in the country you visit, but still illegal in the United States.

You can be prosecuted under U.S. law if you buy pirated goods.

Engaging in sexual conduct with children or using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is a crime prosecutable in the United States.

Drug trafficking is a serious problem in Venezuela and treated as such by Venezuelan authorities.

Convicted traffickers receive lengthy prison sentences, usually eight to ten years.

If you do something illegal in Venezuela, your U.S. passport won’t help.

It’s very important to know what’s legal and what’s not where you are going.

Security within Venezuela’s prisons is lax to nonexistent.

Prison populations are largely under the control of prison gangs with little or no interference from prison authorities.

Drugs and weapons are freely available, and prison authorities generally do not provide even basic protections and amenities, including food, so individual prisoners must deal with gang leaders through payments or other mechanisms just to survive.

Additionally, the

Medical care at private hospitals and clinics in Caracas and other major cities is generally good.

Public, government-funded hospitals and clinics generally provide a lower level of care and basic supplies at public facilities may be in short supply or unavailable.

Cash payment is usually required in advance of the provision of medical services at private facilities, although some facilities will accept credit cards.

Patients who cannot provide advance payment may be referred to a public hospital for treatment.

Private companies that require the patient to be a subscriber to the service or provide cash payment in advance generally provide the most effective ambulance services.

Public ambulance service is unreliable.

U.S. citizens should be aware that due to the currency restrictions in effect in Venezuela they might find it difficult to receive wire transfers from abroad, whether through a bank or Western Union.

Such wire transfers cannot be used reliably as a source of emergency funds.

U.S. citizens traveling to Venezuela may also find it difficult to obtain certain prescription drugs, particularly name brands, and should ensure that they have sufficient quantities of all medications for the duration of their stay.

Dengue fever is common in Venezuela, as it is in other tropical and subtropical parts of the world.

Also called "breakbone fever" due to the muscle and bone pain it causes, dengue fever is a mosquito-borne viral illness.

There is no vaccine available for prevention, and there is no specific treatment available.

However, it is usually a self-limited illness.

Typical symptoms are fever, pain behind the eyes, and body aches.

More serious cases involving bleeding and shock do occur; the fatality rate is one or two per ten thousand cases.

Seek medical care if you believe you are seriously ill, as supportive care greatly reduces the risk of dying.

Avoiding mosquito bites by using insect repellant or clothing to cover skin is the best prevention.

Chagas disease also occurs in Venezuela and in other parts of South America.

Chagas is a parasitic disease carried by the triatomine insect or "kissing bug" or "chipo," as it is called in Venezuela.

It is difficult to treat and can cause permanent heart damage and lead to death.

The Pan American Health Organization estimates that 1,500 new cases of the illness are recorded in Venezuela each year and that 789 people die from the disease every year.

It is uncommon for travelers to contract Chagas disease, but those staying in older adobe and thatch buildings or sleeping out in the open are at risk.

In Venezuela, Chagas disease occurs mostly in the rural states of Trujillo, Lara, Portuguesa, and Barinas, but cases have been reported throughout the entire country and sporadic outbreaks occur in Caracas.

It can be transmitted either through the bite of the "chipo" or through ingestion of food contaminated with the insect's feces.

Outbreaks in Caracas have been traced to non-commercially prepared fruit juices.

Symptoms vary and are often undetectable, but when symptoms occur they often include fever, fatigue, body aches, diarrhea, and vomiting.

Those experiencing these symptoms should seek medical care immediately.

Avoiding insect bites by using insect repellant or clothing to cover skin is the best prevention.

Malaria is present throughout the states of Amazonas, Bolivar, and Delta Amacuro, and rural areas of certain municipalities within the states of Sucre and Monagas.

Chemoprophylaxis with atovaquone/proguanil, doxycycline, or mefloquine is recommended in addition to insect precautions.

Leishmaniasis, another insect-borne parasitic disease, is present in some areas.

Insect precautions are recommended.

Schistosomiasis, a water-borne parasite that penetrates intact skin, is present in some areas.

Avoiding contact with fresh water in pools, streams, and lakes is recommended.

While in Venezuela, U.S. citizens will encounter road conditions that differ significantly from those in the United States.

Driving regulations in Venezuela are similar to those in the United States, although many drivers do not obey them.

Defensive driving is a necessity.

Motorcyclists often weave in and out of lanes and cars, so caution is advised.

Child car seats and seatbelts are not required and are seldom available in rental cars and taxis.

Some Caracas municipalities have outlawed the use of hand held cell phones while driving.

Outside the major cities, night driving can be dangerous because of unmarked road damage or repairs in progress, unlighted vehicles, and livestock.

Even in urban areas, road damage is often marked by a pile of rocks or sticks left by passersby near or in the pothole or crevice, without flares or other devices to highlight the danger.

Severe flooding, construction projects, traffic accidents, and other such disruptive occurrences can shut down primary and secondary roads for unexpectedly long periods of time, and detours are often not well-marked or easy to follow.

Traffic jams are common within Caracas during most of the day and are frequently exploited by criminals.

Armed motorcycle gangs often operate in traffic jams and tend to escape easily.

Cases of armed robbery by motorcyclists and theft of other motorcycles have increased and may result in death if the victim does not comply.

Stops at National Guard and local police checkpoints are mandatory.

Drivers should follow all National Guard instructions and be prepared to show vehicle and insurance papers and passports.

Vehicles may be searched.

Inexpensive bus service is available to most destinations throughout the country, but the high incidence of criminal activity on public transportation makes bus travel inadvisable.

Peak holiday travel occurs during summer and winter school breaks and major civil and religious holidays, including Carnival, Easter, Christmas, and New Year's holidays.

Lengthy delays due to road congestion are common during these peak periods.