A new travel advisory for Venezuela replaced the old one on May 12, 2025 and the present advisory is more severe in its rules and restrictions than the previous one. The new advisory by US government not only discourages Americans from traveling to Venezuela, it also mentions that in case people do travel there, they should make a will before leaving, which is quite an extreme measure to take.
While the US government is asking its citizens not to travel to Venezuela, American citizens there are also asked to come back immediately. Regarding the same, the official website mentions, “Do not travel to or remain in Venezuela due to the high risk of wrongful detention, torture in detention, t—rrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, and poor health infrastructure. All U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents in Venezuela are strongly advised to depart immediately.”
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As The Travel reported, “Local police are now cracking down on anti-regime protests, often with the use of tear gas and rubber bullets. The situation in the country is quickly deteriorating, and shortages of gas, water, electricity, and medicine are becoming common.”
Another concerning thing is that the Venezuelan government is capable of cancelling resident permits and visas without any reason and they can even imprison people arbitrarily. There have been instances where an American citizen has been taken into custody and detained for over five years without following any legal process. During this period, these prisoners were not allowed to talk to their families, organizations, or friends, from whom they could have sought help.
The Travel Advisory for Venezuela has been reissued to emphasize the extreme danger to U.S. citizens living in or traveling to Venezuela. Do not travel to or remain in Venezuela due to the high risk of wrongful detention, torture in detention, terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary… pic.twitter.com/nOLnmiCLjM
— Texas Tower (@txtpassportvisa) May 13, 2025
As per the U.S. Department of State, “The U.S. government is not generally informed of the detention of U.S. citizens in Venezuela nor is it permitted to visit U.S. national detainees in Venezuela.” Such words from the government show how bad the situation is in Venezuela and how risky it would be for American citizens to travel there at the moment.
The advisory also mentions that those travelling to Venezuela shall “prepare a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney.” It further asks to “develop a communication plan with family and/or an employer or host organization. A plan should include a “proof of life” protocol with loved ones so that if you are taken hostage, detained, and/or tortured, your loved ones will know specific questions (and answers) to ask the hostage-takers to confirm you are still alive.”
It should be noted here that the U.S. government has made it absolutely clear that they will not be able to help any American if they travel to Venezuela. The U.S. government has suspended operations at its Embassy in Caracas and therefore the chances of receiving any assistance there from the government is zero.
The U.S. government made their stance on this extra clear, as they said, “The U.S. government has no ability to provide emergency services or consular assistance to U.S. citizens in Venezuela.” Therefore, it is best to not have any travel plans to Venezuela or to cancel if any plan is already in place.
