United States Embassy in Caracas

U.S. Embassy Caracas suspended operations in March 2019, and the United States now operates its diplomatic mission to Venezuela through the Venezuela Affairs Unit (VAU), co-located with U.S. Embassy Bogotá at Carrera 45 No. 24B-27 in Colombia's capital. For Venezuelan visa applicants and for U.S. citizens with Venezuela-related consular needs, the VAU is the operational point of contact — there are no U.S. visa or routine consular services available inside Venezuela. For Venezuelan immigrant visa applicants — family-based IR/CR for spouses and children of U.S. citizens, F-class family preference, employment-based EB categories, K1 fiancé(e) cases and Diversity Visa lottery selectees — the VAU at Bogotá is the State Department's designated processing post. Applicants travel from Venezuela to Bogotá for the interview; case transfers from prior Caracas-docketed files have been completed and the VAU now handles the entire active IV pipeline. Applicants should also verify the State Department's current visa-issuance policy for Venezuelan nationals before incurring travel, document-translation or medical-exam costs. For Venezuelan nonimmigrant visa applicants — visitor (B-1/B-2), student (F-1/M-1), exchange (J-1) and petition-based work categories — the VAU at Bogotá is the standard processing post; applicants who are physically present in another country and hold lawful residence there may also apply at any U.S. embassy or consulate that accepts third-country-national applications, with case acceptance and appointment availability varying by post. Common alternative posts in practice include other U.S. embassies and consulates in the Western Hemisphere, but the routing is applicant-driven and post-specific. For U.S. citizens with Venezuela-related consular needs — passport renewal or replacement, Consular Reports of Birth Abroad, notarial services, federal-benefits documentation, federal voting under UOCAVA and emergency assistance — the VAU's American Citizen Services function is reachable through the dedicated ACSCaracas@state.gov inbox and through U.S. Embassy Bogotá's main switchboard. The U.S. government's ability to provide in-country emergency assistance to U.S. citizens in Venezuela is constrained; U.S. citizens with current Venezuela presence should consult the State Department's most recent Venezuela travel advisory before any travel and maintain Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) registration so the VAU can reach them with security alerts. The historical U.S. Embassy compound in Caracas, in the Valle Arriba neighbourhood of Baruta, is closed and unstaffed. The VAU operates from the Bogotá compound on Carrera 45 in the Chapinero/El Chicó zone, with controlled access and the standard U.S. embassy security screening. The mission operates in English and Spanish.

American Citizen Services for U.S. citizens in or with ties to Venezuela are handled by the Venezuela Affairs Unit at Bogotá. Routine ACS workload covers passport renewals and replacements, Consular Reports of Birth Abroad for U.S.-citizen children born in Venezuela, notarial services, federal-benefits documentation including Social Security and Veterans Affairs paperwork, federal voting under UOCAVA, and emergency assistance for U.S. citizens. The dedicated ACSCaracas@state.gov inbox is the operational point of contact for ACS queries; U.S. Embassy Bogotá's main switchboard is the standby telephone channel. The U.S. government's ability to provide in-country emergency assistance to U.S. citizens physically present in Venezuela is constrained; U.S. citizens with Venezuela presence should maintain Smart Traveler Enrollment Program registration so the VAU can reach them with embassy alerts, and should consult the State Department's most recent Venezuela travel advisory before any travel.

No in-person appointments are available inside Venezuela. Venezuelan visa applicants schedule their interviews at the Venezuela Affairs Unit at Bogotá through the AIS visa-appointment portal; OFC biometrics appointments are scheduled separately. ACS appointments are scheduled through the VAU's published procedures at U.S. Embassy Bogotá. Electronic devices are not permitted inside the chancery; applicants should arrive without phones and laptops and should print digital appointment confirmations before arrival. ACS emergency cases reach the duty officer through U.S. Embassy Bogotá's main number; the State Department's Overseas Citizens Services line covers after-hours emergencies.