The FCDO now advises against all travel to Venezuela's Amazonas state and to within 40km (25 miles) of the border with Colombia. The change was published on Wednesday 14 October.
What the FCDO says
The FCDO's change note for 14 October reads: "FCDO now advises against all travel to Amazonas state and to within 40km (25 miles) of the border with Colombia." It continues to advise against all travel to the Orinoco Mining Arc ('Arco Minero') region south of the Orinoco river, to the area of Delta Amacuro south of the Orinoco, and to within 40km of the borders with Brazil and Guyana. It advises against all but essential travel to the rest of Venezuela, including Zulia state, Maracaibo and the eastern shore of Lake Maracaibo.
The FCDO says drug traffickers and illegal armed groups are active along the border areas with Colombia, Brazil and Guyana, and it advises avoiding crossing between Venezuela and Colombia by land. It says consular access and support for British nationals may be severely limited, and that British nationals in Venezuela should have a personal emergency plan, including practical steps for leaving the country, that does not depend on support from the UK government. The same update also changed the FCDO's information on the political and economic situation.
What is unclear
The change note does not give a reason for the change. The FCDO's Regional risks page for Venezuela, at the time of writing, says the FCDO advises against all travel to Zulia state and does not list Amazonas state, while the Warnings and insurance page places Zulia under all but essential travel. The FCDO's 14 October change note also places Zulia under all but essential travel, which matches the Warnings and insurance page; the Regional risks page has not been updated to match.
What it means for operators
These are Ops Con planning points, not FCDO guidance. Any tasking that touches Amazonas or the Colombian border strip now sits in an area the FCDO advises against all travel to, which is likely to affect travel insurance cover and client duty-of-care sign-off. Until the FCDO's two pages agree, plan Zulia on the stricter reading. Overland routes between Venezuela and Colombia should be treated as unavailable, and any plan for this area needs its own extraction route that does not rely on UK consular help.
