State Dept renews Venezuela 'Do Not Travel' alert
The U.S. State Department on Dec. 3, 2025 reissued its Level 4 'Do Not Travel' advisory for Venezuela without changes, citing pervasive violent crime, terrorism, arbitrary detention, and severely limited health care and consular support, and urging all U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents in the country to depart immediately. The advisory warns of kidnappings, wrongful detentions with reports of torture, risks at Maiquetía airport (unregulated taxis/ATMs), and danger in border areas where Colombian terrorist groups operate; it notes the U.S. has had no embassy in Venezuela since 2019 and that DOT restricts U.S.–Venezuela flights.
📌 Key Facts
- Advisory reissued Dec. 3, 2025; Level 4 'Do Not Travel' for Venezuela
- U.S. urges all citizens and LPRs in Venezuela to depart immediately; 'no safe way to travel' to the country
- No U.S. embassy/consular services since 2019; warnings include violent crime, arbitrary detention/torture reports, and risks at Maiquetía airport
📊 Relevant Data
In 2023, Venezuela recorded 6,973 violent deaths, equivalent to a rate of 26.8 per 100,000 inhabitants.
Violence in Venezuela Annual Report 2023 — Venezuelan Observatory of Violence
In 2023, the poverty rate in Venezuela was 51.9% according to the ENCOVI definition.
Venezuela: A 2025 Snapshot — Americas Quarterly
Between January 2014 and October 2023, 15,805 persons were arrested for political reasons in Venezuela, with 275 political prisoners remaining in custody as of December 2023.
2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Venezuela — United States Department of State
In the first six months of 2023, there were 355 presumed extrajudicial killings in security operations in Venezuela.
2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Venezuela — United States Department of State