General Info

[Jinxx]

This is what I did, I gave a french bootle of red wine to the guy who introduce me to his amiga at BNC. You known well Venezuela, you need good relation.
But all thing is legal, at BNC is legal to open a bank account to a foreigner with a foreign passeport. I owne a legal account on my name with a tourist visa on my passeport. Most important document to provide to BNC was my RIF.

My BNC account is exactly working like a local account, with wired transfert activated throught internet and linking to my local phone for receving confirmation code. Of course I owne a tarjeta to paid everything. And my cedula is my european passeport number.

What is a RIF? Is that the Venezuelan equivalent of a US social security number? How did you obtain your RIF?

Good on you that your account is fully functional, unlike mine.

[Trevor2522]

According to information from the Exchange Agreement No. 36 published in Official Gazette, No. 40,881, published on April 11,2016: every foreign tourist, who stays for more than 1 night and does not have a Venezuelan work visa, is in the obligation to pay for services to the hotel, with a credit card or foreign debit. The amount will be traded according to the complementary exchange rate Dicom BsF. 11.311 (eleven point three). https://dolartoday.com US $1 = BS. (BSF) 112,800 . The minimum monthly wage at that rate comes to $2.50 .

This law negates the advantage of using black market exchange rates, or cash, for tourists. I see it applies for 'more than 1 night'. Without local contacts, a tourist would need to pre-book a room by card in order to show immigration they have somewhere to stay. Once checked-in, I expect some hotels will accept cash or bank transfers at nearer the realistic black-market rate. Any advice on how to handle this issue for a good hotel like the J W Marriott in Caracas? Going in green, without contacts, is going to expose the newbie tourist to security issues, cash shortages and money exchange at the terrible official rate.

Someone suggested that competition from Venezolanas in Colombia had depressed the commercial rates for sex there, especially in border areas like Cucuta. Is it worth the compromise, given the safer environment?

[Haitek]

I have an account with BDV Banco De Venezuela, but it's almost useless. With my account I can only deposit cash or checks and use it at punto de ventas or ATM's. I cannot use online banking or send / receive transferencias. The bank told me that since I don't have a Venezuelan cedula that I cannot "afiiliar" my online banking to my cell phone number.

How does it work with your BNC account? Are you able to use online banking and send / receive electronic transferencias? If you can that's a big plus, even though an account with Banesco or Mercantil would be even better.

One thing that I noticed in Vzla is that when dealing with banks, cell phone stores / providers, real estate people is that if you ask 10 different people the same question you will get 10 different answers. From what I understand supposedly the only reason I was allowed to open an account with BDV was because I knew somebody who's cousin was the branch manager at the bank and he personally gave the order to open my account even though a foreigner cannot open an account with them. I'd gone into a Banesco branch to try to open an account and was told that it's impossible for anyone without a Venezuelan cedula to open an account with them, same scenario with Banco Mercantil.

My BNC account is exactly working like a local account, with wired transfert activated throught internet and linking to my local phone for receving confirmation code. Of course I owne a tarjeta to paid everything. And my cedula is my european passeport number.

[Haitek]

The only way is by greasing the hand of a manager.

This is what I did, I gave a french bootle of red wine to the guy who introduce me to his amiga at BNC. You known well Venezuela, you need good relation.
But all thing is legal, at BNC is legal to open a bank account to a foreigner with a foreign passeport. I owne a legal account on my name with a tourist visa on my passeport. Most important document to provide to BNC was my RIF.

[Jinxx]

Even EU passport holders, Canadians etc. Officially need a visa for land entry. 90 days are only granted gratis at airports of entry. It depends how well the official concerned knows the law. US citizens resident in Colombia, holding a cedula, may be treated leniently but, officially, also need a visa.

Does the Venezuelan consulate in Cucuta issue visas to Westerners on application? Or their embassy in Bogota within a short timeframe? If flying domestic from San Antonio (?) or El Vigia to Caracas, are passports checked for visas, or just as security ID? For a country short on foreign reserves, they're hardly going the right way to encourage tourism, or showing a friendly face to the world. Thanks.

I hold both US and non-US passport and I was able to enter via Cucuta-San Antonio. As soon as I crossed the border bridge I went to the migracion office and showed them my non-US passport and they gave me the 90 day stamp with no problem. I then took a bus to Caracas, and at a military checkpoint I was thoroughly searched and questioned by the "guardia civil" which was a scary ordeal. I highly recommend not taking to a bus to Caracas if you enter via land, better to fly.

The first time I tried to enter the same way via land entry they wouldn't stamp my US passport which was all I had at the time. But there is nothing to stop you from entering the country without the stamp. I then took a bus from San Antonio to San Cristobal. We passed a checkpoint but the soldier did not board the bus to check everyone individually. If they would've checked me and saw that I was in the country illegally I probably would've been screwed. On this trip I only went as far as San Cristobal, stayed for a week, then took a bus back to San Antonio then crossed back to Colombia. If you try this don't bother getting the exit stamp from Colombia migracion because you will have a problem when you return to Colombia for the entry stamp and they see that you don't have an entry or exit stamp from Venezuela. I had to bribe the Colombian migracion official to give me the entry stamp. Now I don't know if your passport would be checked for a visa when taking a domestic flight, but I wouldn't be brave enough to try it.

I think the main problem with foreign tourism is the money situation. If a tourist exchanges money at the LEGAL money exchange then Venezuela is prohibitively expensive. The only way to manage is to use the black market exchange rate which is technically illegal. I think the government is using the fixed exchange rate to intentionally impoverish it's own people and force them to be more dependent on the government for access to dollars / foreign commerce. It's a control tactic. You might say well that doesn't make sense since it cuts off foreign investment and tourism revenue. Well the current president is a FORMER BUS DRIVER WHO DIDN'T EVEN GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL. Maduro is only following the dictator playbook laid out by the Cuban, Russian, Chinese, and N. Korean dictatorship governments. He is more concerned with holding on to power than he is with serving the best interests of the nation.

[Trevor2522]

You can cross the border without visa, passport or anything but you will be an illegal alien and subject to arrest or have to bribe your way out of trouble. If you cross at Cucuta / San Antonio crossing you can take a bus and you SHOULD be able to make it to San Cristobal without a problem, that is if you don't get checked at a police checkpoint. I've done it but would NEVER try it again. But if you try to go further into the interior of Venezuela you will definitely come to a police / military checkpoint where you will be checked for visa / passport. If you have a passport other than US then you have no problem, you don't need a visa. Only US passport holders need the visa.

Unless you are a crazy thrillseeker type it's NOT worth it. Just go to the chica clubs in Cucuta, they're full of hot Venezolanas.

Even EU passport holders, Canadians etc. Officially need a visa for land entry. 90 days are only granted gratis at airports of entry. It depends how well the official concerned knows the law. US citizens resident in Colombia, holding a cedula, may be treated leniently but, officially, also need a visa.

Does the Venezuelan consulate in Cucuta issue visas to Westerners on application? Or their embassy in Bogota within a short timeframe? If flying domestic from San Antonio (?) or El Vigia to Caracas, are passports checked for visas, or just as security ID? For a country short on foreign reserves, they're hardly going the right way to encourage tourism, or showing a friendly face to the world. Thanks.

[MaraCucho]

Did you try with Banco Nacional de Credito?
I have a tourist visa and I owne a account at BNC, and I known other tourists guys who have a bank account at BNC.

Absolutely. I actually spent three days in Caracas exclusively going to every bank I could find (Venezuela, Mercantil, Provincial, Banesco, Bancrecer, Bancaribe, Nacional de Credito, Venezolano de Credito, Caroni, Banplus, Del Sur, etc) and the answer was always the same. A foreigner with a tourist visa can't open a local bank account in bolivares, it's the current regulation. The only way is by greasing the hand of a manager.

[Jinxx]

Did you try with Banco Nacional de Credito?
I have a tourist visa and I owne a account at BNC, and I known other tourists guys who have a bank account at BNC.

I have an account with BDV Banco De Venezuela, but it's almost useless. With my account I can only deposit cash or checks and use it at punto de ventas or ATM's. I cannot use online banking or send / receive transferencias. The bank told me that since I don't have a Venezuelan cedula that I cannot "afiiliar" my online banking to my cell phone number.

How does it work with your BNC account? Are you able to use online banking and send / receive electronic transferencias? If you can that's a big plus, even though an account with Banesco or Mercantil would be even better.

One thing that I noticed in Vzla is that when dealing with banks, cell phone stores / providers, real estate people is that if you ask 10 different people the same question you will get 10 different answers. From what I understand supposedly the only reason I was allowed to open an account with BDV was because I knew somebody who's cousin was the branch manager at the bank and he personally gave the order to open my account even though a foreigner cannot open an account with them. I'd gone into a Banesco branch to try to open an account and was told that it's impossible for anyone without a Venezuelan cedula to open an account with them, same scenario with Banco Mercantil.

[Haitek]

That issue I have been mentioning in past posts about a debit card account that I tried to open to a forum member, ended up in total failure. Said forum memeber will probably make his own post, but basically he paid for something that isn't usable and caused him a lot of troubles, and I must take responsability for that. I fully admit that I am not reliable for these sort of things, so please refrain from asking me to help in Venezuela.

Did you try with Banco Nacional de Credito?
I have a tourist visa and I owne a account at BNC, and I known other tourists guys who have a bank account at BNC.

[Mfins]

Are you kidding me? Americans who are not employed by the US government should wait until the regime changes before even thinking about going to Venezuela. BTW Korpu, I have been watching televen and venevision news casts that are uploaded to youtube for the past two years and have not seen any evidence against the guy from Utah. You refer to an automatic machine gun and a grenade, what is an automatic machine gun? How would one get the grenade to Venezuela from Utah? Venezuela is not a place for any north Americans to travel to for quite some time. Oil.

I understand your concern but, what are the real odds of having an issue in Ven. Other than minor things like pick pocket, chica over charging you, etc.

My guess is one in ten thousand american's visiting Venezuela actually run into a bigger issue. Theft by knife, hotel room robbed, etc.

And I would say probably one in 300,000 or more to run into something as serious as the guy from Utah is in or some other serious politically driven issue.

If I walk down the ghetto in any North American major city on a Saturday night my odds of running into problems are much greater.

So, use the same common sense there as you would here. Stay in the safer / nicer areas, don't be flashy, obey local laws, be respectful. If you do this the chances of running into problems in Venezuela is incredibly low.

However, I respect yours and other peoples right to feel safe and if going to a touristy country like the Bahamas, or a cruise etc feels safer I completely understand.

Or maybe even if there is a one in 300,000 chance you could get in trouble even those odds aren't worth it.. I certainly respect that.

[Jasoonnn]

Places like stripclubs, escort agencies, and "spa estudios" will happily take your dollars. But if you want to go to a shopping mall and start paying and buying stuff using american currency, the vendors and shops can't take your cash openly because it's against the law. Keyword here is "openly", ask discreetly.

Also, the shortage of cash here is so bad, the few people that have bolivares are in a position to abuse and do whatever they want. Right now if you want to exchange dollars in physical bolivares bills, the rate is 50 K bolivares for 1 dollar. To make a comparision, working with bank transfers will net you a minumum of 80 K for 1 dollar, and you can get better rates.

And getting a local bank account in bolivares for a tourist is not impossible, you just have to find the right person and pay. Some warning here: I was setting up a tourist with a bank account, but unfortunately after paying over 9 million bolivares the bank people did a terrible job at it and the account was not usable. After several days of fighting (once those people have the cash on their pockets, there is little motivation for them to get things done fast) they promised to finally get it fixed this Monday. But the tourist leaves this Monday too. Damn.

I was in Margarita a couple of weeks ago, and was getting about 90% of the DolarToday rate via Transfer (paid in USD cash or PayPal). To receive BVF efectivo, I was paying about 30% on top to get it, for example, once paid 1.32 Million BVF for 1 million cash. And another time, paid $20 USD for 1.3 million BVF cash (big bills).

[Jinxx]

I have heard quite a few stories that if you cross the border by land, you can either give a small bribe or cross with just a passport. Of course once in Venezuela if the police check your passport and you do not have a visa then it could mean big trouble. I'm not encouraging anyone to try this but, I am wondering if anyone has heard (as I have) that US citizens have been successful in passing over the border by land without a visa.

You can cross the border without visa, passport or anything but you will be an illegal alien and subject to arrest or have to bribe your way out of trouble. If you cross at Cucuta / San Antonio crossing you can take a bus and you SHOULD be able to make it to San Cristobal without a problem, that is if you don't get checked at a police checkpoint. I've done it but would NEVER try it again. But if you try to go further into the interior of Venezuela you will definitely come to a police / military checkpoint where you will be checked for visa / passport. If you have a passport other than US then you have no problem, you don't need a visa. Only US passport holders need the visa.

Unless you are a crazy thrillseeker type it's NOT worth it. Just go to the chica clubs in Cucuta, they're full of hot Venezolanas.

[Oil Stain]

I will not recommend anyone going to Vzla without a visa, especially if you are from the USA. You may be considered CIA and find yourself in a ton of trouble. Even with the Visa, customs still try to verify the visa. Wait and get your visa before travelling there. With proper planning, you will have a vacation of your dreams. Inexpensive five star hotels, gorgeous chicas, inexpensive meals, and transportation relative to the dollar.

Are you kidding me? Americans who are not employed by the US government should wait until the regime changes before even thinking about going to Venezuela. BTW Korpu, I have been watching televen and venevision news casts that are uploaded to youtube for the past two years and have not seen any evidence against the guy from Utah. You refer to an automatic machine gun and a grenade, what is an automatic machine gun? How would one get the grenade to Venezuela from Utah? Venezuela is not a place for any north Americans to travel to for quite some time. Oil.

[Tommy310]

I live in the US but I have a Mexican passport as I am not yet a citizen. It says I don't need a Visa, anything I am missing. Planning a trip mid 2018.

[Korpu]

This seemed like good information. I did everything exactly the way suggested here. So in a few weeks I'll find out if I succeeded.

SFC VNZ Consulate office was very friendly. Your mileage may vary.

http://liveandletsfly.boardingarea.c...for-venezuela/

I might cross over by land with or without the Tourist Visa. (You only live once).

I will not recommend anyone going to Vzla without a visa, especially if you are from the USA. You may be considered CIA and find yourself in a ton of trouble. Even with the Visa, customs still try to verify the visa. Wait and get your visa before travelling there. With proper planning, you will have a vacation of your dreams. Inexpensive five star hotels, gorgeous chicas, inexpensive meals, and transportation relative to the dollar.