Do Venezuelan passport holders need a visa for the United Kingdom?

By Prajjwal Kohli · Travel Content Writer, Tripmojo · Updated August 23, 2026 · Reviewed by Simran Raheja

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Yes. Venezuelan citizens need a Standard Visitor visa before travelling to the United Kingdom, for any purpose including a short holiday. Venezuela is on the UK’s visa national list, and that has applied to every Venezuelan passport, biometric or not, since 5 May 2014. The visa costs £135 for up to six months, is applied for online, and is issued after a biometrics appointment at the VFS Global centre in Caracas. The UK Electronic Travel Authorisation is not open to visa nationals and is not a substitute.

Quick facts

Visa required

Visa required: Yes, a Standard Visitor visa
Fee: £135 for a visa of up to 6 months
Maximum stay: Usually up to 6 months per visit
ETA instead?: No. The £20 ETA is only for nationalities that do not need a visa
Decision: Usually within 3 weeks of the biometrics appointment
Earliest application: 3 months before you travel
Where to apply: Online, then biometrics at VFS Global, Centro Comercial San Ignacio, Caracas

Entry requirements

A Venezuelan passport valid for the whole visit. UKVI treats passports issued or expired on or before 21 May 2019 as valid for 5 years past their printed expiry, capped at 10 years from the issue date.
An approved Standard Visitor visa in that passport before you board.
Evidence of how the trip is funded, by you or by someone in the UK, without working or claiming benefits.
Evidence of where you will stay and what you intend to do, plus evidence of ties to Venezuela that make your return credible.

How to apply for a UK Standard Visitor visa

Apply online on gov.uk, no earlier than 3 months before the trip, and pay the £135 fee. The form is where the purpose, funding and accommodation are declared, and the supporting documents are uploaded against it.

Book and attend an appointment at the visa application centre to give fingerprints and a photograph. In Venezuela that is the VFS Global centre at Centro Comercial San Ignacio, Nivel Terraza, Local T-30, La Castellana, Caracas, open Monday to Friday 7:00am to 2:30pm. The visa cannot be issued without biometrics.

Wait for the decision, usually within 3 weeks of the appointment, before booking anything non-refundable. The result comes by email and the passport is returned with the visa vignette.

A long-term Standard Visitor visa (2, 5 or 10 years, £506, £903 or £1,128) is available to regular visitors, but each visit is still limited to 6 months.

Good to know

The biometric-passport exemption is dead and has been since 2014. Before 5 May 2014, Venezuelans holding a biometric passport could visit the UK visa-free while holders of older passports could not. The Home Office withdrew that on 5 May 2014 and every Venezuelan national has needed a visit visa since. Pages and forum posts that still say biometric passports are exempt are describing a rule that is twelve years out of date.
The ETA is the other trap. The UK rolled out its Electronic Travel Authorisation to non-European visa-free nationalities in 2025 and it now costs £20, but gov.uk is explicit that if you are from a country that needs a visa you must apply for a visa instead. A Venezuelan passport cannot hold an ETA, and turning up at check-in with one and no visa means being refused boarding.
Venezuela has an expired-passport problem and UKVI has a written answer to it. Since August 2020, Venezuelan passports issued or expired on or before 21 May 2019 may be treated as valid for 5 years beyond their expiry date, to a maximum of 10 years from the date of issue, with no extension stamp or sticker required. Do the arithmetic on your own passport before applying: a passport issued in 2017 runs to 2027 under this rule, not beyond, and the visa cannot outlast the document it is in.
The Caracas centre is a VFS Global office, not the embassy. The British Embassy itself does not take walk-in appointments, and the visa application centre at San Ignacio is the only place in Venezuela to give biometrics. Venezuelans living abroad can apply from any country where they are legally present and attend the centre there instead.
Refusals on this route turn on the return, not the holiday. With the scale of Venezuelan emigration, caseworkers look hard at whether you are a genuine visitor who will leave: stable employment or study, income that matches the declared budget, and family or property in Venezuela carry more weight than a detailed itinerary.
Transit is where the biometric passport still matters. The 2014 order that ended visa-free entry kept one distinction alive: only Venezuelan passports without an electronic chip are on the Direct Airside Transit visa list. A chipped passport can change planes airside at Heathrow or Gatwick without any UK visa as long as the onward flight is the same day from the same airport, which is what the typical Caracas to Madrid or Bogotá to London to onward routings need. Going landside for any reason brings back the visa requirement.

Frequently asked questions

Do Venezuelans need a visa for the UK?

Yes. Venezuela is on the UK visa national list, so a Standard Visitor visa is required before travel for any purpose, including tourism.

Can Venezuelans with a biometric passport enter the UK without a visa?

No. That exemption ended on 5 May 2014. Since then all Venezuelan nationals, whatever passport type they hold, need a visa.

Can Venezuelans get a UK ETA instead of a visa?

No. The Electronic Travel Authorisation is only for nationalities that do not need a visa. Visa nationals such as Venezuelans must apply for a visa.

How much does a UK visitor visa cost for Venezuelans?

£135 for a Standard Visitor visa of up to 6 months. Long-term visas cost £506 for 2 years, £903 for 5 years and £1,128 for 10 years.

How long does a UK visa take from Venezuela?

Usually up to 3 weeks after the biometrics appointment at the Caracas visa application centre. Apply up to 3 months before travel.

Where do Venezuelans apply for a UK visa?

Online on gov.uk, then in person for biometrics at the VFS Global UK visa application centre at Centro Comercial San Ignacio, La Castellana, Caracas.

Does the UK accept an expired Venezuelan passport?

Sometimes. UKVI may treat a Venezuelan passport issued or expired on or before 21 May 2019 as valid for 5 years past its expiry date, capped at 10 years from issue, with no extension stamp needed.

Do Venezuelans need a transit visa for a layover in London?

It depends on the passport and the connection. With a biometric Venezuelan passport you can transit airside without a visa if you arrive and leave by air on a confirmed onward flight the same day from the same airport. A non-biometric Venezuelan passport needs a Direct Airside Transit visa (£41.50) even for that, and anyone who must pass through the UK border, for example to change airport or collect bags, needs a Visitor in Transit visa (£74.50) or a Standard Visitor visa.

Can a Venezuelan with a US visa or green card transit the UK without a UK visa?

Usually yes, on the transit-without-visa concession. A valid visa for the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand, or permanent residence in one of them, lets a visa national transit airside, and landside if the ticket via the UK is a reasonable journey to or from that country and the onward flight leaves before 23:59 the next day. The decision is taken by the immigration officer at the border, so carry the documents in the passport, not on a phone.

I have a Venezuelan and a Spanish or Italian passport. Can I use an ETA?

Yes, on the European passport. The ETA is tied to the passport it was applied for with and is valid until that passport expires, so apply with the EU passport and travel to the UK on it. The Venezuelan passport cannot hold an ETA. If your second nationality is British, you cannot get an ETA at all and must travel on a British passport or a certificate of entitlement.

Other passports for the United Kingdom

Sources

Every fact on this page was checked against the official sources below on 23 August 2026.

UK Home Office, Immigration Rules Appendix Visitor: Visa national list — Venezuela is listed; a person on the list needs entry clearance in advance of travel to the UK for any purpose. Read 2026-08-23.
GOV.UK — Check if you need a UK visa, nationality Venezuela, tourism or visiting family and friends: "You’ll need a visa to come to the UK", directing to the Standard Visitor visa. Read 2026-08-23.
GOV.UK — Standard Visitor visa: £135 for up to 6 months; long-term 2, 5 and 10 year visas £506, £903 and £1,128; apply online at the earliest 3 months before travel; biometrics at a visa application centre; decision usually within 3 weeks; no work or public funds. Read 2026-08-23.
GOV.UK — Electronic travel authorisation (ETA): costs £20, valid for 2 years or until the passport expires, up to 6 months per visit; if you are from a country that needs a visa you must apply for a visa instead. Read 2026-08-23.
GOV.UK — Changes to UK visa requirements for Venezuelan nationals (World news story, 2014): on 5 May 2014 the UK introduced a visit visa requirement for Venezuelan nationals, so ALL Venezuelan nationals need a visa before travelling. Read 2026-08-23.
GOV.UK — Announcement by UK Visas and Immigration regarding the validity of Venezuelan passports (7 August 2020): passports issued or expired on or before 21 May 2019 may be considered valid for 5 years beyond expiry, capped at 10 years from issue, no extension stamp required. Read 2026-08-23.
GOV.UK — British Embassy Caracas, Visa and Passport Application Centre (VAC): VFS Global, Centro Comercial San Ignacio, Nivel Terraza, Local T-30, La Castellana, Caracas; Monday to Friday 7:00am to 2:30pm. Read 2026-08-23.
GOV.UK — Venezuela travel advice: walk-in appointments at the Embassy are currently unavailable. Read 2026-08-23.
UK Home Office — Transit caseworker guidance v9.0 (25 March 2026): a person who holds a passport issued by the Republic of Venezuela that does not contain biometric information in an electronic chip requires a Direct Airside Transit Visa. Read 2026-08-23.
UK Home Office, Carriers Liaison Section — UK Visa Requirements poster (August 2026): Venezuela (biometric) and Venezuela (non biometric) listed; visa nationals may transit airside without a visa if arriving and departing by air with a confirmed onward flight the same day from the same airport; landside transit without visa requires a valid visa or permanent residence for Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA and an onward flight before 23:59 the following day; decided by an immigration officer at the border. Read 2026-08-23.
GOV.UK — Direct Airside Transit visa: £41.50; not needed with a valid ETA, Standard Visitor visa or EU Settlement Scheme family permit. Read 2026-08-23.
GOV.UK — Visitor in Transit visa: £74.50, for passing through UK border control and leaving within 48 hours. Read 2026-08-23.
GOV.UK — Electronic travel authorisation (ETA): guide for dual citizens: British or Irish dual citizens cannot get an ETA and must travel on a British passport or a certificate of entitlement; an ETA is valid until the passport it was issued against expires. Read 2026-08-23.

Entry rules change without notice and the official source is always the authority. Confirm with the embassy or immigration portal before you book.

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