Venezuela Currency Guide: Explore with the Venezuelan bolívar
A Comprehensive Resource for Expats, Travelers, and Entrepreneurs Navigating Life and Trade in Venezuela with the Venezuelan bolívar
What's in this Venezuela currency guide?
What currency is used in Venezuela?
The official currency of Venezuela (country code: VE) is the Venezuelan bolívar, with symbol Bs and currency code VEF.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What currency should I use in Venezuela?
The domestic currency in Venezuela is the Venezuelan bolívar.
What is the Venezuelan bolívar currency code and symbol?
The three letter currency code for the Venezuelan bolívar is VEF — symbol is Bs.
Which countries use the Venezuelan bolívar?
It is the domestic currency in Venezuela.
Is the Venezuelan bolívar a closed currency?
Yes the Venezuelan bolívar is a closed currency. Which means that you may find it difficult to purchase the currency (VEF) before departure and will probably need to buy it upon arrival. If you do manage to buy some of the currency or have some left over from a previous trip, make sure you are aware if you are allowed to bring this closed currency into the country.
For more information and a full list of closed currencies please refer to our guide: What is a closed currency?
What are equivalent amounts of USD and VEF?
Here are some popular conversion amounts for USD to VEF (US dollar to Venezuelan bolívar)*.
*Converted at the current USDVEF interbank exchange rate. Calculate actual payout amounts for Send Money and Travel Money exchange rates.
Things to know about the Venezuelan bolívar
Here are some things you might want to know about the Venezuelan bolívar:
- The Venezuelan bolívar is the official currency of Venezuela. It is represented by the symbol "Bs." and is abbreviated as VEF.
- The bolívar was introduced in 1879, replacing the Venezuelan real. It is divided into 100 céntimos.
- The physical currency consists of coins and banknotes. The coins come in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 12 1/2, 25, and 50 céntimos, and 1 bolívar. The banknotes come in denominations of 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 bolívares.
- The banknotes feature images of famous Venezuelan historical figures, such as Simón Bolívar and Antonio José de Sucre. The design of the currency is constantly being updated, so the physical appearance of the coins and banknotes may vary slightly over time.
- The value of the bolívar has fluctuated significantly over time, due to factors such as inflation and economic instability in the country. In recent years, the value of the bolívar has been particularly volatile, due to the country's ongoing political and economic crisis.
Travel money for Venezuela
As mentioned above, the Venezuelan bolívar is a closed currency. Which means that you may find it difficult (or be permitted) to purchase the currency (VEF) before departure and will need to buy it upon arrival in Venezuela.
For these types of destinations, using a pre-paid travel card is a good solution. As no travel cards support loading closed currencies like the VEF you will incur currency conversion or foreign transaction fees if you use a travel money card in Venezuela.
However, using a pre-paid travel card is still a good idea as you can avoid ATM fees and also you can avoid using (and losing!) your main bank or debit/credit card.
Venezuela: Travel Guide
The Bolivarian countries are six Hispanic American countries (Bolivia, Colombia,Ecuador, Panama, Peru and Venezuela) whose republican origin is attributed to the ideals of Simón Bolívar and independence war led by the Venezuelan military in the viceroyalties of New Granada and Peru.
The currency is the Bolivars. Debit and credit cards are widely used in Venezuela and have the advantage of removing the need to carry large amounts of cash. However, international credit cards aren't always accepted by point of sale machines and you'll have to enter your passport number. ATMs have extremely low limits for cash withdrawals on international cards and queues at ATMs are frequently targeted by criminals. You shouldn't rely on ATMs as your main way to access money in Venezuela. Use official currency exchange booths only, which should change money at the higher of the two official rates (DICOM). It’s illegal to change money on the black market. There are no facilities for visitors to change bolivares to US dollars, or any other currency, when leaving Venezuela.
Due to ongoing crime, unrest and instability throughout Venezuela the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) further advises against all but essential travel to most areas of the country. Regular large political demonstrations in Caracas have led to arrests, injuries and deaths throughout 2017. If you''re in Venezuela, you should remain vigilant and informed, avoid protests and demonstrations – which can turn violent with little warning – and keep your departure options under review.
USD/VEF Market Data
The below interactive chart displays the USD/VEF change and UP📈 DOWN📉 trends over the past 1 Year.
Send Money to Venezuela - Best Rates
To get a good (and fair) exchange rate when sending money to Venezuela you need to find and compare exchange rates for International Money Transfers (IMTs).
The available FX rates for sending money abroad can be very different to the mid-market (wholesale) rate which you see reported online and in the News.
You should especially compare your own bank's exchange rates to those available from Money Transfer specialists to see how much you can save - we make that calculation easy in the below table.
Get a better deal for foreign transfers to Venezuela
When sending money to Venezuela it’s important to compare your bank’s rates & fees with those we have negotiated with our partner money transfer providers. To get a better deal you should follow these 4 simple steps :
- Open an account with a BER reviewed FX provider (id docs may be required)
- You specify the local or Venezuelan bolívar amount you want to transfer
- Make a local currency domestic transfer for the requested amount to the provider's bank account in your country
- Once your funds are received by the provider the converted VEF amount will be transfered to the recipient account you specify in Venezuela.
Use the above calculator to compare the exchange rates of FX specialist providers rates versus your bank's standard rates you can hopefully save around 5% and maybe more - end result is more Venezuelan bolívar deposited into the recipient bank account and less margins and fees kept by the banks!
