Money and duty free for Venezuela

Currency and Money

Currency information

Bolívar (Nueva expression monetaria) (VED; symbol Bs. D.) = 100 céntimos. Notes are in denominations of Bs. D. 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5; coin denominations are Bs. D. 1 and 50 and 25 céntimos.

Credit cards

Visa, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted in the main cities and tourist areas. Most people in Venezuela now use debit cards or e-wallets (like HayPunto and Zoom) to pay for goods and services.

Due to hyperinflation, local banknotes are in short supply. Apart from credit cards and debit cards, take US dollars with you. Also, consider setting up a Western Union account which allows you to pick up your deposited funds at any Zoom branch (Zoom is an authorised agent of Western Union in Venezuela).

ATM

ATMs are available, but not widespread in rural areas.

Travellers cheques

Travellers cheques are no longer popular.

Banking hours

Mon-Fri 0830-1530.

Currency restrictions

Amounts over USD $10,000 or equivalent must be declared.

Currency exchange

Strict controls are in place on the exchange of local and foreign currency in Venezuela.

Venezuela duty free

Overview

The following items may be imported into Venezuela without incurring customs duty:
Gifts and personal effects such as watches, clothing, toiletries, laptops, mobile phones, musical instruments, video cameras, cameras, sports equipment, toys, etc. up to a value of US$1,000.

Banned Imports

Narcotics and radioactive, bacteriological and chemical substances are prohibited.

Import Restrictions

Restricted items include dairy products, flowers, living animals, birds, weapons and artworks.