Location: Venezuela
Event: Information Regarding Attempts to Organize Repatriation Flights
The U.S. government advises all U.S. citizens in Venezuela to shelter in place until commercial flights resume operations. U.S. citizens in Venezuela need to plan for an indefinite stay in Venezuela. There are currently no plans for any repatriation flights. The United States government has been working hard to repatriate U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (LPRs) from Venezuela. However, the Maduro regime did not provide flight authorization that would have allowed for the repatriation of U.S. citizens and LPRs to the United States.
The Travel Alert for Venezuela has been “Level 4 – Do Not Travel” since February 2019. Since that time, the United States government has advised U.S. citizens not to travel to Venezuela. The U.S. government has extremely limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Venezuela.
Since May 2019, all flights (direct and indirect) between the United States and Venezuela have been suspended due to safety and security concerns. This affects U.S. commercial carriers flying to Venezuela, as well as Venezuelan commercial carriers flying to the United States.
Due to these concerns, we developed a plan to allow for the safe return of U.S. citizens and LPRs who are in Venezuela, as well as the return of Venezuelans who found themselves in the United States when Venezuela closed its airspace for commercial traffic. While this plan cannot be implemented, the United States will continue to advise U.S. citizens if/when repatriation options become available. These efforts started in mid-March.
Please continue to monitor the Virtual Embassy website and social media accounts (@USEmbassyVE) for any updates. Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive e-mail updates.
Assistance:
U.S. Embassy Bogota, Colombia
+57-1-275-2000 or ACSBogota@state.gov
U.S. Department of State – Consular Affairs
+1-888-407-4747 or +1-202-501-4444