Venezuela has always been high on our list for future destinations. However due to the very difficult process of getting a tourist visa for the country, we had left this visit to one of our last 20 countries in the world. And now with only 20 left, we needed to figure out how to get a Venezuela Visa and fast.
If you happen to be from the USA, Canada or from any of the other countries that require a tourist visa for Venezuela then this post is for you! Many Venezuelan embassies closed down in 2019 causing a further issue with getting a visa.
Please keep in mind that we are not lawyers or immigration experts. We are just fellow travelers who want to share our experience to help others.
Who needs a Tourist Visa for Venezuela
Currently, citizens of the EU plus those of 43 other countries do not require a tourist visa to enter Venezuela. However, Canadians, USA and Chinese citizens do.
3 Ways to get a Tourist Visa for Venezuela
We know of 3 different ways to get a tourist visa for Venezuela.
- Mexico City: This is a complicated process which can take months, in person visits and may not result in an actual visa. Visas are only valid for 3 months from this embassy.
- Bogota, Colombia: This embassy just started issuing tourist visas for Venezuela. The process takes 2-3 weeks (even for US citizens).
- Panama City: This is the most straight forward way to receive a tourist visa (even for US citizens). We will focus on this process because it is the easiest and allows people to submit documents in advance via email. Visas issued here are for a full year and are multiple entry.
PRO TIP – How to Get a Venezuelan Visa
This post contains all the relevant information about how to get a Venezuela visa, however, information for how to get a Venezuela visa in Panama City, Mexico City and Bogota Colombia does change. For this, there is a private Facebook Group called Venezuela Visa Support which helped us immensely. You may consider joining this group for further details. In addition, you can reach out to us for additional details in the comments as we have been through the process.
How to Get a Venezuela Visa in Panama City
Contact Information
This Embassy does actually respond to messages through What’s App, email and does post their hours and additional information on their Instagram Account.
- Instagram Account: Venezuela Embassy in Panama City
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone Number: +507 3978960/+507 3978961
- WhatsApp Number: +507 66794194
Address and Hours of Operation
Address for Embassy in Panama City: 5th Floor, PH Plaza Canaima, Av. Samuel Lewis, Panama City. It is in the El Cangrejo section of Panama City (the Central Business District). This is a tall white building with fountains in the front. There is a Venezuelan flag hanging out of the 5th floor window.
Appointments are not required. The hours of operation are Monday – Friday 08:00 – 15:00 (although they actually close at 16:00, but you need to be in the door before 15:00).
Required Documents
Venezuela Visa Application Form
Process of How to Get a Venezuela Visa
As a Canadian Citizen
We decided to stay in a hotel a few blocks from the Embassy. There are many options here. One of the closest is the Holiday Inn Panama Distrito Financiero.
Our arrival date was right after a public holiday and the Embassy did not open the day after the holiday either. Luckily we had given ourselves a few days. We walked into the building and explained to the security guard that we are here for the Venezuela Embassy. The elevator took us to the 5th floor (the embassy occupies the full floor).
On the left of the door is a booth. Ask for the application for the tourist visa, or bring it with you. There are chairs to sit and fill out the form. Once done proceed through the embassy to the back and turn left. There you will find a number of Taquillos (ticket windows). There were a few people before us and we waited our turn.
The friendly clerk behind the window reviewed our paperwork, reading the Spanish translated letters and seemed satisfied with the documents. She asked us to walk over to the cashier booth to pay the $50 USD per visa (cash only). We returned with our receipts and were told to come back in 2 hours to pick up our completed passports.
As far as embassies go, and we have been to a lot of them, this was the most pleasant and straight forward experience that we had ever had.
As a USA Citizen
As a USA Citizen, the process is slightly more complicated and does take a few weeks. However, it is much easier than the procedure in Mexico City. You would start with sending all of the listed documents to this email: [email protected] You can follow up with an email or a What’s App message. The embassy is quite efficient at responding to questions.
If additional documents are required, they will let you know. Once the visa is ready, they will email you. You may be asked to pay in advance or once you arrive. Some people, fly in to Panama City in the morning and fly to Venezuela a few hours later after picking up their visa from the embassy.
Wrap up – How to Get a Venezuela Visa
Through our travels to 177 countries, we have faced some difficult travel visa destinations! Some of the most difficult ones so far have been Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Sudan. And although we had to fly to Panama first to get our Venezuela visa, the process was quite straightforward and pleasant.
Have you had any trouble with getting tourist visas? Do you have any questions about this process? Please do let us know in the comments and we will do our best to assist you!
