Can Venezuelans Travel to the U.S.? Visas, Passports, Flights

Venezuelans can travel to the U.S., but every traveler needs a visa. Venezuela is not part of the Visa Waiver Program, so there is no ESTA or visa-free option, and the U.S. Embassy in Caracas has been closed since March 2019. For most trips, the B-1/B-2 visitor visa is the path, and it has to be applied for at a U.S. embassy in another country. About 37% of Venezuelan B-visa applications were refused in fiscal year 2024, so the process deserves careful preparation.

Expired Venezuelan Passports Still Work

Getting a new passport from the Venezuelan government has been difficult for years, but an expired Venezuelan passport does not automatically block U.S. travel. U.S. Customs and Border Protection recognizes a ten-year extension on Venezuelan passports issued before June 25, 2024, consistent with a decree from Venezuela’s National Assembly.¹ The extension runs ten years beyond the printed expiration date, or ten years beyond the last prórroga, whichever comes later. A passport printed to expire in 2020 is treated as valid until 2030.

The standard rule still applies that the passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your planned stay, but that six-month window is calculated from the extended date, not the printed one.² The extension is honored both at U.S. ports of entry and for visa processing at U.S. embassies.

Where to Apply Since Caracas Is Closed

The U.S. Embassy in Caracas suspended all consular services in March 2019, and no visa interviews take place inside Venezuela.³ Venezuelans have to travel to another country for the interview.

For nonimmigrant visas like the B-1/B-2, Venezuelans can apply at any U.S. embassy or consulate worldwide. Bogotá, Colombia is the most commonly used post, and the U.S. Embassy there also handles immigrant visa processing for Venezuelan nationals.⁴ Consular officers are generally more receptive to applicants who apply from a country where they have established legal residence, rather than one they are just passing through, so the choice of post matters.

Applying for the B-1/B-2 Visitor Visa

The B-1 covers business travel, the B-2 covers tourism, and the combined B-1/B-2 covers both.² The process has four practical steps.

Complete the DS-160 online through the State Department’s Consular Electronic Application Center. It is required for all nonimmigrant visa categories.⁵
Pay the $185 nonimmigrant visa application fee. Venezuelan nationals owe no additional reciprocity fee for B-category visas.⁶
Schedule and attend an interview. Bring your passport, the DS-160 confirmation with barcode, the fee receipt, and a passport-sized photo.
Bring supporting documents that show financial stability and ties to your country of residence: bank statements, property records, employment letters, business registrations.⁷

The Hardest Part Is Proving You Will Come Back

Under U.S. immigration law, every visa applicant is presumed to be an intending immigrant until they prove otherwise. The consular officer has to be satisfied that you have a residence abroad you do not intend to abandon, that the trip has a specific and limited purpose, and that you can cover your expenses without working illegally in the United States.⁷

This is where Venezuelan applicants face particular difficulty. The economic and political conditions that push people to leave are the same conditions that make it harder to demonstrate compelling reasons to return. In fiscal year 2024, roughly 37% of Venezuelan B-visa applications were refused, well above the global average.⁸

Some things that help: apply from a country where you have legal residence, bring evidence of assets or income there, prepare a specific itinerary with hotel bookings and return flights, and be ready to explain clearly why you are visiting and when you plan to leave. Vague answers about “tourism” with no concrete plans raise concerns. Offering to leave a spouse or child behind as a guarantee is not accepted; the Foreign Affairs Manual explicitly warns officers against treating that as proof of intent to return.⁷

Programs That No Longer Offer a Way In

Two pathways that previously helped Venezuelans have been shut down, and relying on outdated information about either can lead to expensive mistakes.

The CHNV humanitarian parole program, which since 2023 had let Venezuelans enter with a U.S.-based sponsor filing Form I-134A, was paused on January 20, 2025 and formally terminated by the Department of Homeland Security on March 25, 2025. Venezuelans already in the U.S. under CHNV parole had their status terminated on April 24, 2025 unless the Secretary of Homeland Security made an individual determination otherwise.⁹ The CBP One app’s scheduling function was also removed on January 20, 2025.¹⁰

Temporary Protected Status for Venezuela has also ended. The Supreme Court allowed termination of the 2023 designation to take immediate effect on October 3, 2025, and the 2021 designation was separately terminated effective November 7, 2025. A narrow carve-out through court orders allows TPS beneficiaries who received employment authorization documents with an October 2, 2026 expiration on or before February 5, 2025 to continue working through that date, but litigation is ongoing.¹¹ Neither program is a route for anyone planning new travel.

Flights and Routing

The Department of Transportation suspended all direct commercial flights between the United States and Venezuela in May 2019, citing safety and security concerns identified by DHS.¹² That order was rescinded in early 2025, and U.S. airlines have received approval to resume direct service, but availability remains limited as carriers rebuild routes. Connecting through Colombia, Panama, or Mexico is still the more reliable option for now.

The Visa Is Not the Last Step

A valid visa gets you to a U.S. port of entry. It does not guarantee entry. A CBP officer makes the admission decision based on your documents, your answers, and any records in the system.¹³ Expect questions about the purpose and length of the visit, along with digital fingerprints and a photograph.

If something raises concerns, whether inconsistencies in your account, a prior overstay, or a flagged record, you can be sent to secondary inspection for a longer interview. Officers may also search electronic devices.¹³ Separately, federal law lists categories that make a person inadmissible regardless of visa status, including certain health conditions, criminal convictions involving dishonesty or drugs, security concerns, and prior immigration violations such as overstays or removals.¹⁴ Waivers exist for some of these grounds but are not automatic. Anyone with a criminal record or past immigration issues should talk to an immigration attorney before booking, because learning about inadmissibility at the airport is much worse than learning about it in a lawyer’s office.

1
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Venezuela: Extension of Passport Validity
2
U.S. Department of State. Visitor Visa
3
U.S. Embassy in Venezuela. Visa Services Notice
4
U.S. Department of State. U.S. Embassy Bogota, Colombia
5
U.S. Department of State. DS-160: Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application
6
U.S. Department of State. U.S. Visa Reciprocity and Civil Documents by Country – Venezuela
7
Foreign Affairs Manual. 9 FAM 402.2 – Tourists and Business Visitors
8
U.S. Department of State. FY24 Adjusted Refusal Rates
9
Federal Register. Termination of Parole Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans
10
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. CBP Removes Scheduling Functionality in CBP One App
11
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Temporary Protected Status Designated Country: Venezuela
12
Federal Register. Suspension of All Direct Commercial Passenger and Cargo Flights Between the United States and Venezuela
13
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Immigration Inspection Program
14
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1182 – Inadmissible Aliens