Venezuela

Investment opportunities in Venezuela for high net worth foreign investors include the energy sector, particularly in its oil and natural gas. The rescinding of economic sanctions in October 2023 has led to a considerable boost in the value of Venezuelan bonds. Additionally, the country’s agricultural and infrastructure sectors show potential for growth. The country’s political and economic uncertainties pose risk for investors, however, as the future of Venezuela’s geopolitical relationships is uncertain.

Venezuela Citizenship by Investment

Currently there is no formal residency or citizenship by investment programme offered by Venezuela. Such programmes allow individuals to obtain citizenship or residency rights in select countries through substantial investment. This investment most often is in real estate, national development funds, or local businesses.

Venezuela Investor Visa

While Venezuela does not take part in any formal citizenship by investment programme, this visa does offer an eventual route to citizenship for investors. For an investment into a Venezuelan company, applicants can gain temporary residence permits for three years. The specific amount is unspecified, but the applicant must hold at least 20% of the company’s shares. This can be extended for five years after an initial two year period. Eventually, with ten years of continuous residency (or five, if married to a Venezuelan citizen), one can apply for Venezuelan citizenship.

Of course, the timescale involved makes this a far less attractive option that the existing formal citizenship by investment programmes, which can take just a few months. It also imposes far stricter minimum stay requirements, unlike the freedom offered by other programmes. Antigua, for instance, only requires that applicants stay in the country for five days a year for the first five years.

Venezuela Passport Strength and Ranking

Venezuela’s passport is just above average, placing 82^nd in La Vida’s comprehensive Global Passport Ranking. This is due to a combination of factors; offering visa-free access to a respectable 142 countries, accounting for 40.1% of world wealth (measured in GDP) and 67.9% of worldwide travel.

While this may be an adequate passport on its own merits, it does not offer anything that cannot be found with the passports available through the existing citizenship by investment schemes. For a stronger second passport,  St Kitts citizenship is one recommended option, as is the Grenada Passport passport. Both of these countries offer citizenship by investment programmes.