Curated by Vinod Kumar Jain & Amit Jain · All Frontier Global · free, no login · reviewed 2026-07-05
Andes, Caribbean coast and the world's highest waterfall
Official figures, each with its source and the date it was read — the key-facts panel above is rounded and undated.
Population 28,516,896 (2025) — World Bank's own series shows a decade of decline: 30,765,720 in 2016 to 28,516,896 in 2025 (about -7.3%). The live page's rounded 28,800,000 is close but not reconciled to this exact series.
GNI per capita US$3,860 (Atlas method, 2025); World Bank income classification: lower middle income
GDP US$99.66 billion (current US$, 2025), down from US$120.57 billion in 2024 — Nominal GDP fell roughly 17% year-on-year (2024: US$120,566,112,397; 2025: US$99,661,244,155).
India-Venezuela trade, officially stated: US$678.94 million total in FY2025-26 (Indian exports US$210.02 million; imports from Venezuela US$468.92 million) - down from US$1,863.70 million total in FY2024-25 — Export composition: mineral fuels/oils, pharmaceutical products, cotton, nuclear reactors/boilers. Import composition: mineral fuels/oils, iron & steel, aluminium.
Sourced notes — every figure above, with where it was read and when.
Trade agreements (5): Venezuela's Mercosur membership remains suspended since 2016 and it withdrew from the Andean Community in 2006, leaving it with few active trade agreements; India has no FTA with Venezuela, and current trade is limited mainly to crude oil purchases under standard commercial terms.
Passport strength: visa-free/VOA to ~130 destinations. Decent coverage but Schengen visa increasingly difficult to obtain; Latin American access good.
India × Venezuela hub ↗ All countries factsheet
Indian passport holders need a visa to enter Venezuela, but given the current security situation and limited consular services, travel is strongly discouraged for tourism; most other nationalities also face visa requirements or are advised against non-essential travel.
e-Visa: yes · Visa on arrival: Varies by nationality
Whether you need one: Indian ordinary-passport holders require a visa to enter Venezuela. India's own mission in Caracas states this plainly and describes only a consular application route, with no online channel mentioned.
When the requirement applies: Indian holders of Diplomatic, Official, and Service passports are visa-exempt; the exemption does not extend to ordinary passports (Embassy of India, Caracas).
How you apply: Consular - applications are lodged at the Venezuelan Embassy responsible for the jurisdiction where the applicant legally resides (Embassy of India, Caracas). No e-visa or visa-on-arrival channel is described on any official page reachable this session.
Source freshness: Embassy of India, Caracas exemption page carries no visible last-updated date; its diplomatic/official/service exemption references an underlying 2005 bilateral agreement. No Venezuelan-government page could be reached this session (SAIME's foreigner-permanence page and Venezuela's own embassy in India both failed to load) to independently date-check or supplement the requirement.
Sourced notes — every figure above, with where it was read and when.
Caracas has a metro system, but given ongoing instability, most travelers who do visit rely on pre-arranged private drivers or hotel transport rather than public buses or hailing taxis on the street.
Car vs taxi: Self-driving is not advisable given road safety and security concerns; any travel within Venezuela should be arranged through a trusted local operator with a vetted private driver rather than independent car rental or street taxis.
Money: The Venezuelan bolívar (VES) has suffered severe hyperinflation, and the US dollar is used informally alongside it for many transactions; cash dollars in small denominations are the most practical currency to carry.
SIM & data: Movistar and Digitel are the main providers, but SIM registration can be bureaucratic for tourists, and given the current travel advisories, most visitors rely on international roaming or hotel WiFi rather than local SIMs.
Tipping: 10% is customary in restaurants where hyperinflation hasn't already prompted informal dollarized pricing; tipping in US dollars or via digital payment is increasingly common given the unstable bolívar.
Etiquette: Venezuelans are warm and expressive, typically greeting with a cheek kiss between women or a handshake among men; discussing politics with strangers should be approached carefully given the sensitive domestic situation.
Food: Arepas (grilled corn cakes split and filled with cheese, meat, or beans) are the everyday staple, alongside pabellón criollo, the shredded beef, rice, black bean, and plantain national dish.
Say hello: Spanish — “Hola” · thanks “Gracias” · how much? “¿Cuánto cuesta?”
Venezuela faces a severe safety and humanitarian crisis with very high crime rates, and most governments including India advise against all but essential travel; visiting requires significant caution, local knowledge, and ideally a trusted local contact or fixer.
For nomads: Limited nomad infrastructure due to economic crisis; internet unreliable; not recommended for digital nomads at this time.
Education: Exchange rates highly volatile; costs approximate based on parallel market rates.
Healthcare: Healthcare system under significant strain; private care limited and conditions unstable.
Places Angel Falls (Salto Ángel) (Waterfall) · Canaima Lagoon (Lagoon) · Mount Roraima (Tepui)
Places Mukumbarí Cable Car (Cable car) · Plaza Bolívar (Historic square) · Sierra Nevada National Park (National park)
Places Warairarepano (El Ávila) (Mountain) · Plaza Bolívar (Historic square) · Museo de Bellas Artes (Art museum)
Places Roraima Tepui Trek (Mountain Hike) · Carrao River Adventure (River Tour) · Orinoco River Basin (River Delta)
Places Catedral de San Cristóbal (Cathedral) · Parque Zoológico de San Cristóbal (Zoo) · Mercado Principal (Market)
City notes from Amit's own travels — the interactive travelogue holds the full record
ofac-humanitarian-exemption-framework
OFAC Venezuela sanctions framework (Executive Orders 13692, 13808, 13827, 13835, 13850, 13857, 13884) covers PDVSA + financial-sector + Maduro-administration counterparties. General License humanitarian-exemption framework allows pharma, food-security, and limited oil-trade resumption (post-2022 Chevron License).
India implication: Indian-pharma + agricultural exports access Venezuela-market via OFAC General License humanitarian-exemption; Indian-refiner crude-procurement contingent on OFAC General License windows.
Outlook: Humanitarian-exemption framework durable; commercial-expansion strictly contingent on OFAC framework evolution + Venezuelan economic-stabilisation.
bolivar-hyperinflation-currency-collapse
Venezuelan Bolivar Soberano currency has experienced severe hyperinflation cycles (peak 65,000% annually 2018; current ~150% annually 2025) + multiple currency-redenominations (Bolivar Fuerte 2008 → Bolivar Soberano 2018 → Bolivar Digital 2021). USD-denominated parallel-economy + dollarisation 70%+ of transactions.
India implication: Indian exporters face severe payment-cycle uncertainty; receivables denominated in USD or rupees through OFAC-compliant channels; Venezuelan-Bolivar receivables avoided.
Outlook: Currency-collapse framework durable through 2026-30; Indian-exporter exposure structurally limited to OFAC-compliant USD/rupee-channels.
OPEC (founded September 1960 · HQ Vienna) features 12 members. Venezuela founding member with Saudi Arabia + Iran + Iraq + Kuwait. OPEC+ framework adds Russia + 9 non-OPEC producers. OPEC quota-allocation framework + production-discipline cycles. Venezuelan PDVSA production-decline (1.6M bbl/day vs 3M peak) caps OPEC relevance.
India: Indian-refiner crude-procurement portfolio framework absorbs OPEC quota-cycles + Venezuelan capacity-erosion + sanctions-context. Saudi-Iraq-UAE OPEC anchors compensate Venezuelan-supply gaps.
Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC · founded 2010) features 33 Latin-American + Caribbean states. Venezuela full CELAC member. Mercosur (Argentina + Brazil + Paraguay + Uruguay) suspended Venezuela December 2016 under democratic-clause framework. India-Mercosur PTA framework excludes Venezuela.
India: India accesses CELAC framework dialogue + India-Mercosur PTA (excludes suspended Venezuela). Venezuelan-Indian trade operates outside Mercosur preferential framework, under WTO MFN + OFAC humanitarian-exemption frameworks.
HS-27 covers crude oil + extra-heavy crude + bitumen. Venezuelan Orinoco-Belt extra-heavy crude (Merey blend) was India's 4th-5th largest crude supplier pre-2019 (~6-7% of Indian imports). OFAC sanctions 2019+ restricted PDVSA + bilateral flow. 2022+ Chevron OFAC License allowed limited resumption.
India position: Indian-refiner Venezuelan-crude procurement near-zero post-2019 OFAC framework; Chevron License post-2022 enabled limited resumption (Reliance + IOC); alternative-sourcing portfolio compensates.
HS-30 covers pharma + finished formulations. Indian-pharma exports anchor humanitarian-exempt framework. Venezuelan INHRR (National Institute of Hygiene) registration framework. PAHO + WHO humanitarian-procurement framework. Bolivar hyperinflation cycles affect bilateral-payment cycles.
India position: Indian-pharma exporters access Venezuelan-market via humanitarian-exempt framework + PAHO/WHO procurement + INHRR registration. Anti-infective + cardio + diabetes therapy-areas anchor.
Venezuelan oil-trade normalisation pathway anchored in OFAC General License framework cycles (Chevron License October 2022 + Reliance License April 2023 + cycles). Indian-refiner Reliance + IOC + BPCL Maya/Merey crude-procurement gradual-resumption. PDVSA production-trajectory + reservoir-management cycles. Maduro-Biden-Trump bilateral framework dynamics.
India angle: OFAC General License framework + Indian-refiner Maya/Merey resumption
Venezuelan humanitarian-trade corridor anchored in OFAC humanitarian-exemption framework + PAHO (Pan American Health Organisation) + WHO + UN-OCHA procurement cycles. Indian-pharma majors (Cipla + Sun + Aurobindo + Lupin + Cadila + Dr Reddy's) anchor humanitarian-exempt anti-infective + cardio + diabetes therapy supply.
India angle: PAHO + WHO procurement + Indian-pharma humanitarian-exempt anchor
India’s role: Indian heavy-crude refining-capacity (Reliance Jamnagar + Nayara Vadinar) absorbs Venezuelan grades via OFAC-general-licence-permitted windows; sanctions-discount preserves Indian-refiner margin advantage.
Venezuela→India crude-oil trade is sanctions-constrained but periodically active · heavy-crude + extra-heavy-crude flow at sanctions-discount rates to Reliance Jamnagar + Nayara Vadinar refineries · OFAC general-licence cycles drive flow on/off pattern.
India’s role: Indian downstream petrochemical + chemicals + fertilizer industries absorb Venezuelan-origin sanctions-discount feedstock; OFAC-compliance + counterparty-due-diligence framework navigated via Indian-bank vetting.
Venezuela→India petrochemical-derivative + sanctions-discount-feedstock flow supplements crude-oil corridor · refined products + petrochemical intermediates + sulphur + petcoke flow at sanctions-discount rates during OFAC-permitted cycles.
Indian passport holders need a visa to enter Venezuela, but given the current security situation and limited consular services, travel is strongly discouraged for tourism; most other nationalities also face visa requirements or are advised against non-essential travel.
Venezuela uses the Venezuelan bolívar (VES). Capital: Caracas.
Venezuela's Mercosur membership remains suspended since 2016 and it withdrew from the Andean Community in 2006, leaving it with few active trade agreements; India has no FTA with Venezuela, and current trade is limited mainly to crude oil purchases under standard commercial terms.
Venezuela faces a severe safety and humanitarian crisis with very high crime rates, and most governments including India advise against all but essential travel; visiting requires significant caution, local knowledge, and ideally a trusted local contact or fixer.
Officially stated two-way trade was US$678.94 million in FY2025-26 - Indian exports of US$210.02 million (mineral fuels/oils, pharmaceuticals, cotton) against US$468.92 million of imports from Venezuela, dominated by mineral fuels and oils. That is down sharply from US$1,863.70 million in FY2024-25. Two Indian companies anchor the physical oil relationship: ONGC Videsh (40% of the San Cristobal field joint venture) and Reliance Industries, which renewed its OFAC licence for a 15-year PDVSA crude-supply contract in February 2026 (MEA bilateral brief, May 2026).
Yes, for ordinary passports. India's own mission in Caracas states that ordinary Indian passport holders require a visa, applied for at the Venezuelan Embassy covering their place of legal residence; Diplomatic, Official and Service passport holders are exempt. Neither the fee nor the processing duration could be officially confirmed this session, and no evidence of an online e-visa channel was found despite what the site's summary chip currently shows.
No. Venezuela has been an ALADI member since 12 August 1980, but that membership carries no India-specific tariff preference. Its MERCOSUR membership - the bloc through which India has explored preferences with other members such as Uruguay - has been suspended since 5 August 2017 under the Ushuaia Protocol, with no reinstatement date set as of the Secretariat's most recent update (15 January 2026).
Patchy. The World Bank still publishes current population (28,516,896 in 2025) and GDP (US$99.66 billion in 2025, down from US$120.57 billion in 2024) for Venezuela, but its consumer-price-inflation series for the country stops after 2016. The central bank's site was only intermittently reachable this session - its homepage returned a cached inflation snapshot dated September 2024 rather than a live 2026 figure, and its dedicated inflation and press-release pages could not be fetched at all.
Yes, on a modest scale. The India-UNDP Development Partnership Fund approved a US$976,500 grant for Venezuela in February 2025 (inaugurated September 2025), India's ITEC programme used 29 of 30 allotted training slots in FY2024-25 and 17 more in FY2025-26 so far, and two Venezuelan students are on postgraduate scholarships at the University of Delhi (MEA bilateral brief, May 2026).
Sourced notes — every figure above, with where it was read and when.
Developed by Amit Jain at allfrontierglobal.com
Neighbouring profiles in the same UN M49 region.
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