Venezuela Tourist Visa for US Citizens
Yes, you need one. US citizens apply online for Venezuela's tourist e-visa before they travel, and approved visas arrive by email. Below: what the Visa Desk has verified about the process, each point with its source and date, and the free tools to do it.
Updated monthly. Last reviewed ; next review by November 26, 2026. Each visa rule below shows its own verification date.
Do US citizens need a visa?
Yes. The US Embassy in Caracas: “Visas are required for U.S. citizens to travel to Venezuela. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela has introduced a new method for applying for electronic visas… Approved applicants will receive their visas electronically via email.”
Sources: U.S. Embassy Caracas: Electronic Visa Application Process Update (Apr 6, 2026; read Oct 26, 2026) · EY: Venezuela introduces electronic visas for US nationals (Apr 14, 2026)
Where and how you apply
The only place to apply online
The e-visa is applied for on Cancillería Digital (cancilleriadigital.mppre.gob.ve), reached from mppre.gob.ve. The application form is the "Planilla de solicitud de visas".
Official source: mppre.gob.ve · verified Sep 25, 2026
E-visa online, sticker visa at consulates
The e-visa is only available online. Consulates issue a separate sticker visa through their own process.
Reported by applicants: ve.usembassy.gov · verified Sep 25, 2026
Your passport
Passport must have at least 6 months left to register
MPPRE’s requirements list (September 2026) and the June 2026 manuals ask for a passport valid for at least six months. The February registration manual added that the expiry date must be at least 6 months away to complete the registration.
Official source: mppre.gob.ve · verified Oct 6, 2026
Passport validity and blank pages
The passport must be valid for 6 or more months and have 2 blank pages.
Official source: Applicant reports collected by the Visa Desk · verified Sep 25, 2026
Identity card number for applicants without one
The portal asks for a national identity card number, which US and Canadian applicants do not have.
Reported by applicants: mppre.gob.ve · verified Sep 25, 2026
What it costs and how to pay
How much the government fee is
Applicants consistently report a fee of USD 60 per application (three reports, 24 September to 12 October 2026), charged again on every new application. One September 2026 guide said USD 180, and no official source states the fee.
Reported by applicants: Applicant reports collected by the Visa Desk · verified Oct 17, 2026
The card processing fee on top of the government fee
On top of the government fee, the portal payment carries a card processing fee of about USD 3, as recorded in the Visa Desk walkthrough of the payment step (October 2026). No official source states it, and the exact amount is only confirmed in the portal at the payment step.
Reported by applicants: Applicant reports collected by the Visa Desk · verified Oct 24, 2026
Which cards work for the portal payment
US and Canadian big-bank cards were reported working (Chase, Bank of America and TD Visa cards; Zinli also worked). Wise and Revolut cards were declined again. One applicant had Visa cards from four European and Middle East banks blocked as a "high-risk site" and paid with a Mastercard: the bank's fraud filter, not the card network, seems to decide.
Reported by applicants: Applicant reports collected by the Visa Desk · verified Oct 17, 2026
How long it takes
How long approval takes
The June 2026 tourist and business manuals state that the trámite will be approved and signed in approximately 72 hours ("aproximadamente 72 horas"). In 15 first-hand reports from 16 September to 15 October 2026, approval took 2 to 23 days, with a median of 6; four took 18 days or more. Applications corrected and resubmitted after a rejection were often approved within 1 to 4 days. Live figures are on the Wait times page.
Official source: mppre.gob.ve · verified Oct 17, 2026
Where the rejection reason arrives
The reason for a rejection arrives by email, not in the portal. The portal only shows the status.
Reported by applicants: Applicant reports collected by the Visa Desk · verified Sep 25, 2026
How long the visa lasts
How long the tourist visa is valid
The approved tourist e-visa has been reported as valid for one year from approval, with multiple entries. A group organiser says tourist visas issued since March 2026 also limit your total stay to 90 days within that year; another member said there was no limit, then withdrew it. Not yet confirmed by an official source.
Reported by applicants: Applicant reports collected by the Visa Desk · verified Oct 17, 2026
Children with a Venezuelan parent
A child with one Venezuelan parent can use a tourist visa
A US-passport child with one Venezuelan parent can enter on a tourist visa. Reports conflict on the "Datos filiatorios" section: one family was rejected after uploading the birth certificate there again and approved after uploading the parents' passports instead; another family put the birth certificate there and had both children approved.
Reported by applicants: mppre.gob.ve · verified Oct 17, 2026
Free Visa Desk tools
- Start your e-visa case →
Six questions give you a checklist of documents and portal steps for your situation and an apply-by date. No account needed.
- How to apply, step by step →
The Cancillería Digital portal, screen by screen.
- What differs for a US passport →
The identity-card field, the cards US applicants report working, and children with a Venezuelan parent.
- Passport name check →
Your passport lines split into the portal’s name and ID fields.
- Wait times now →
Days to approval from applicant reports, by month.
- Cost and paying again →
The fee, the processing fee, and what happens when you reapply.
Questions
- Do US citizens need a visa for Venezuela?
- Yes. The US Embassy in Caracas says visas are required for US citizens to travel to Venezuela. Venezuela’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs takes applications online, and approved visas arrive by email.
- Where do US citizens apply for the Venezuela tourist visa?
- The e-visa is applied for on Cancillería Digital (cancilleriadigital.mppre.gob.ve), reached from mppre.gob.ve. The application form is the "Planilla de solicitud de visas".
- How much does the Venezuela tourist e-visa cost?
- Applicants consistently report a fee of USD 60 per application (three reports, 24 September to 12 October 2026), charged again on every new application. One September 2026 guide said USD 180, and no official source states the fee. On top of the government fee, the portal payment carries a card processing fee of about USD 3, as recorded in the Visa Desk walkthrough of the payment step (October 2026). No official source states it, and the exact amount is only confirmed in the portal at the payment step.
- How long does approval take?
- The June 2026 tourist and business manuals state that the trámite will be approved and signed in approximately 72 hours ("aproximadamente 72 horas"). In 15 first-hand reports from 16 September to 15 October 2026, approval took 2 to 23 days, with a median of 6; four took 18 days or more. Applications corrected and resubmitted after a rejection were often approved within 1 to 4 days. Live figures are on the Wait times page.
- How long is the tourist visa valid?
- The approved tourist e-visa has been reported as valid for one year from approval, with multiple entries. A group organiser says tourist visas issued since March 2026 also limit your total stay to 90 days within that year; another member said there was no limit, then withdrew it. Not yet confirmed by an official source.
- How long must my US passport be valid?
- MPPRE’s requirements list (September 2026) and the June 2026 manuals ask for a passport valid for at least six months. The February registration manual added that the expiry date must be at least 6 months away to complete the registration.
Answers after the first are the Visa Desk rules shown above, with their sources and verification dates.
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