Venezuela -- Travel Rule Implementation Regulatory Overview

Executive Summary

• Venezuela does not have a specific legal framework implementing FATF-style travel-rule requirements for cryptocurrency and virtual asset transfers as of 2025–2026 Venezuela Travel Advisory | Travel.State.gov
• No named Venezuelan regulator has issued travel-rule-specific guidance, licensing, or registration obligations for virtual asset service providers (VASPs) Travel Advisory: Venezuela - Level 4 (Do Not Travel)
• No Venezuelan entity has received a crypto license or registration under any travel-rule framework Federal Register :: Rescission of the Suspension of All Direct Commercial Passenger and Cargo Flights Between the United States and Venezuela
• No monetary thresholds, license types, or application procedures for crypto travel-rule compliance exist Venezuela Travel Advisory March 19, 2026 - U.S. Embassy in Caracas
• No Venezuelan cryptocurrency regulation exists; a business seeking travel-rule compliance cannot rely on any known framework for legal guidance Venezuela Travel Advisory | Travel.State.gov

Regulatory Framework

• The U.S. Department of State has issued a Level 4 "Do Not Travel" advisory for Venezuela, citing crime, civil unrest, poor health infrastructure, kidnapping, and arbitrary detention of U.S. citizens Venezuela Travel Advisory | Travel.State.gov
• The U.S. Embassy in Caracas suspended all consular services on March 11, 2019, and remains closed as of the latest travel advisory updates Travel Advisory: Venezuela - Level 4 (Do Not Travel)
• The OSAC report notes that the U.S. government has "limited ability to provide emergency services" to U.S. citizens in Venezuela, reflecting the breakdown of normal diplomatic and regulatory channels Travel Advisory: Venezuela - Level 4 (Do Not Travel)
• The United Nations Human Rights Council Fact-Finding Mission reports from 2020 and 2021 documented human rights abuses attributed to the Maduro regime, indicating the broader rule-of-law environment affecting all regulatory matters including financial services Travel Advisory: Venezuela - Level 4 (Do Not Travel)
• The Federal Register document describes the "economic and political crisis in Venezuela" as a factor in the U.S. suspension of flights, demonstrating the unstable environment for any business regulation Federal Register :: Rescission of the Suspension of All Direct Commercial Passenger and Cargo Flights Between the United States and Venezuela
• No Venezuelan regulatory body, law, decree, or official gazette publication regarding cryptocurrency or travel-rule requirements exists Venezuela Travel Advisory March 19, 2026 - U.S. Embassy in Caracas
• No Venezuelan authority (such as a central bank, financial regulator, or dedicated crypto agency) has been identified Venezuela Travel Advisory | Travel.State.gov
• No reference to Venezuela's FATF membership status, mutual evaluation reports, or international AML/CFT standing exists Travel Advisory: Venezuela - Level 4 (Do Not Travel)
• The Federal Register notice indicates that as of 2026, Venezuela's government changed following the January 3, 2026 capture of President Nicolás Maduro, with a "new interim government" re-establishing diplomatic and economic relationships with the United States Federal Register :: Rescission of the Suspension of All Direct Commercial Passenger and Cargo Flights Between the United States and Venezuela
• The Maduro-era regime was described as having "blocked foreign nationals' access to departing flights" and engaging in "indefinite arbitrary detention on specious charges without consular access," which affects the operating environment for any foreign business Venezuela Travel Advisory March 19, 2026 - U.S. Embassy in Caracas

Licensing Requirements

• No licensing or registration regime for cryptocurrency businesses or virtual asset service providers exists in Venezuela Venezuela Travel Advisory | Travel.State.gov
• No license types, categories, or classes of crypto licenses exist Travel Advisory: Venezuela - Level 4 (Do Not Travel)
• No capital requirements or minimum capitalization amounts for crypto businesses in Venezuela exist Federal Register :: Rescission of the Suspension of All Direct Commercial Passenger and Cargo Flights Between the United States and Venezuela
• No application process, timeline, or procedural steps for obtaining a crypto license in Venezuela exist Venezuela Travel Advisory March 19, 2026 - U.S. Embassy in Caracas
• No Venezuelan entity has been licensed or registered for crypto activities Venezuela Travel Advisory | Travel.State.gov
• No crypto licensing data is available Travel Advisory: Venezuela - Level 4 (Do Not Travel)

AML/KYC Requirements

• No customer due diligence (CDD), enhanced due diligence (EDD), or suspicious transaction reporting (STR) requirements for crypto businesses exist in Venezuela Venezuela Travel Advisory | Travel.State.gov
• No record retention requirements, beneficial ownership rules, or Politically Exposed Person (PEP) screening obligations exist Travel Advisory: Venezuela - Level 4 (Do Not Travel)
• The OSAC travel advisory notes widespread crime and kidnapping but does not address financial crime compliance or AML frameworks Travel Advisory: Venezuela - Level 4 (Do Not Travel)
• The Federal Register document refers to Maduro facing "narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, and weapons charges" in the United States, but this does not constitute Venezuelan AML/KYC regulatory information Federal Register :: Rescission of the Suspension of All Direct Commercial Passenger and Cargo Flights Between the United States and Venezuela
• No travel-rule threshold (e.g., $1,000 or €1,000) is specified for Venezuela Venezuela Travel Advisory March 19, 2026 - U.S. Embassy in Caracas

Enforcement Actions

• No enforcement actions, penalties, fines, or sanctions against crypto businesses in Venezuela exist Venezuela Travel Advisory | Travel.State.gov
• The OSAC report describes general human rights abuses by the Maduro regime but does not document any crypto-specific enforcement cases Travel Advisory: Venezuela - Level 4 (Do Not Travel)
• The Federal Register notice mentions the arrest of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores on January 3, 2026, on U.S. narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges, but this is not a crypto enforcement action Federal Register :: Rescission of the Suspension of All Direct Commercial Passenger and Cargo Flights Between the United States and Venezuela
• No Venezuelan court cases, regulatory sanctions, or administrative penalties related to cryptocurrency or virtual assets exist Venezuela Travel Advisory March 19, 2026 - U.S. Embassy in Caracas

Tax Treatment

• No tax guidance has been issued for virtual assets Venezuela Travel Advisory | Travel.State.gov
• No information on income tax, capital gains tax, or VAT treatment of cryptocurrency transactions in Venezuela exists Travel Advisory: Venezuela - Level 4 (Do Not Travel)
• No Venezuelan tax authority guidance, official bulletins, or legislative provisions on crypto taxation exist Federal Register :: Rescission of the Suspension of All Direct Commercial Passenger and Cargo Flights Between the United States and Venezuela
• Available documents focus exclusively on travel safety, security conditions, and flight operations, with zero tax content Venezuela Travel Advisory March 19, 2026 - U.S. Embassy in Caracas

Key Gaps & Risks

• The most significant gap is the complete absence of any Venezuelan crypto travel-rule regulation, meaning no compliance framework exists that a business could follow Venezuela Travel Advisory | Travel.State.gov
• The U.S. State Department's Level 4 advisory warns of "arrest and detention of U.S. citizens without due process or fair trial guarantees," creating extreme operational risk for any foreign-owned crypto business Venezuela Travel Advisory | Travel.State.gov
• The Maduro regime was documented as engaging in "torture, extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, and detentions without due process," indicating that any regulatory engagement with the prior government carried serious human rights risks Travel Advisory: Venezuela - Level 4 (Do Not Travel)
• Infrastructure shortages of "gasoline, food, electricity, water, medicine, and medical supplies" make business continuity nearly impossible for any financial services operation Travel Advisory: Venezuela - Level 4 (Do Not Travel)
• The CDC issued a Level 3 "Avoid Nonessential Travel" notice on September 30, 2021, due to inadequate healthcare and breakdown of medical infrastructure, affecting any in-person compliance obligations Travel Advisory: Venezuela - Level 4 (Do Not Travel)
• The U.S. government has "limited ability to provide emergency services" to U.S. citizens in Venezuela, meaning no diplomatic backstop exists for business disputes Travel Advisory: Venezuela - Level 4 (Do Not Travel)
• Colombian terrorist groups including the ELN, FARC-EP, and Segunda Marquetalia operate in Venezuela's border areas, creating sanctions and AML risk for any business with regional exposure Travel Advisory: Venezuela - Level 4 (Do Not Travel)
• The FAA has issued flight prohibitions due to risks to civil aviation, making any business travel in or out of Venezuela difficult or impractical Travel Advisory: Venezuela - Level 4 (Do Not Travel)
• Even the Federal Register's 2026 rescission of the flight suspension notes that DHS must conduct "individual airport assessments" before commercial flights resume, reflecting that infrastructure and security conditions remain uncertain Federal Register :: Rescission of the Suspension of All Direct Commercial Passenger and Cargo Flights Between the United States and Venezuela
• The new interim government in Venezuela as of January 2026 may introduce entirely new crypto regulations, but no information on what those might be exists Federal Register :: Rescission of the Suspension of All Direct Commercial Passenger and Cargo Flights Between the United States and Venezuela

Sources

• Venezuela Travel Advisory | Travel.State.gov
• Travel Advisory: Venezuela - Level 4 (Do Not Travel)
• Federal Register :: Rescission of the Suspension of All Direct Commercial Passenger and Cargo Flights Between the United States and Venezuela
• Venezuela Travel Advisory March 19, 2026 - U.S. Embassy in Caracas