Current time in...<\/h2><\/div>

• Caracas, Venezuela<\/h3><\/li>

  1:27 am (Thursday, April 3)<\/li><\/ul><\/div>

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  FCO's travel advice & alerts (fco.gov.uk)<\/h2><\/div>

  • Venezuela<\/a><\/h3><\/li>

    • The official mourning period following the death of Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, has been extended until Friday 15 March, at 20:00 local time (03:30 GMT on Saturday). Some local businesses might still remain closed, but public transport is now operating normally. <\/strong>
      
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    • The National Electoral Council announced on 9 March that Venezuela will hold presidential elections on 14 April. The official campaign period will be between 2 and 11 April, when numerous political rallies are expected to occur. The overall situation remains calm, but you are advised to avoid any large public gatherings.
      
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    • The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advise against all travel to within 80km (50 miles) of the Colombian border in the states of Zulia, Tachira and Apure. The FCO advise against all but essential travel to the remainder of Tachira state. Drug traffickers and illegal armed groups are active in these states and there is a risk of kidnapping. See <\/strong>Crime<\/strong><\/a>.
      
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    • There are frequent political demonstrations in Caracas and other large towns. They may take place with little warning and can turn violent, including the use of guns. The police and National Guard (Guardia Nacional) are heavily armed. You should avoid large public gatherings.
      
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    • Heavy rains have affected wide areas of the country and road conditions remain poor. States most heavily affected are Aragua, Carabobo, Capital District (Caracas) and Falcon. See <\/strong>Heavy rains<\/strong><\/a>.
      
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    • Levels of street crime are high. Armed muggings and \u2018express kidnappings\u2019 are a regular occurrence. Resistance to robbery has resulted in victims being shot dead. Take care at all times, especially when arriving in the country. See <\/strong>Crime<\/strong><\/a>.
      
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    • Around 9,500 British nationals visit Venezuela every year. Most visits are trouble free. See <\/strong>Consular assistance statistics<\/strong><\/a>.
      
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    • There is an underlying threat from terrorism. See <\/strong>Terrorism<\/strong><\/a>.
      
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    • Take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance before you travel.<\/strong><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/div>","script":"$().ready(function() {$('#Destination_info div.infSection a.minMax').click(function() {\tvar relVal=$(this).attr('rel'), cookieVal='min';\tvar cookieName='minmax_' + relVal;\tif ($(this).hasClass('min')) {\t$(this).addClass('max').removeClass('min');\t} else {\t$(this).removeClass('max').addClass('min');\tcookieVal='max';\t}\t$(this).parent().next().slideToggle('fast');\t$.cookie(cookieName, cookieVal, { expires: 7, path: '\/' });\treturn false;\t});});"}