Venezuela tourist visa (T): requirements

Venezuela's foreign service describes the tourist visa (T) as the visa granted to foreigners who enter the country for recreation or leisure, for health reasons, or for activities that do not involve remuneration or profit. Its requirements are to be a foreign national, to be a non-migrant, to be a national of a country that has no visa suppression with Venezuela, to hold a passport valid for six months and to pay the consular fee.

The published page does not list which countries have visa suppression, so ask the Venezuelan embassy or consulate responsible for you whether your nationality needs the tourist visa before booking.

The consular page asks for the original passport valid for at least six months, a document proving residence in the country of origin, two recent colour ID-size photos taken from the front, a bank letter showing the account opening date, number and balance, an employment letter stating length of service, position and salary, and proof of real estate, commercial, business or industrial property.

Applicants also provide a photocopy of the return ticket, of an onward ticket out of Venezuela or of the itinerary, a medical certificate issued by the health authority of the country of origin, a hotel booking or a letter of invitation, and proof that the consular fee has been paid.

Inside Venezuela, the Administrative Service of Identification, Migration and Foreigners (SAIME) handles the tourist extension (prórroga de turista). It asks for a letter explaining the reasons addressed to SAIME's Director General, a land or air ticket to a destination outside Venezuela, copies of the entry and exit stamps of the current year and payment of the corresponding fees. The applicant must not have spent more than 90 days in the national territory.

Apply to the Venezuelan embassy or consulate responsible for your place of residence. The published requirements do not state the amount of the consular fee or a processing time, so ask the mission for both, and for any extra documents it requires, before you apply. A tourist who needs more time in Venezuela asks SAIME for an extension.