1259. Are private and commercial flights authorized to arrive in and depart from airports in Venezuela, and can they receive ground services in-country?
Yes. Venezuela-related General License (GL) 30B authorizes U.S. persons to engage in all transactions involving the Government of Venezuela (GOV), including its agencies and instrumentalities like the Instituto Nacional de Aeronáutica Civil (INAC) and Instituto Nacional de los Espacios Aquaticos (INEA), that are ordinarily incident and necessary to the operation or use of airports in Venezuela.
Transactions ordinarily incident and necessary to the operation or use of airports in Venezuela include but are not limited to: the provision of baggage and ground handling services; safety and security services; airport operational services; air navigation and overflight services; fuel and into-plane services; and the payment of aeronautical, customs, immigration, and other government-imposed fees and taxes. Please see FAQ 1236 for additional information on GL 30B's authorizations.
GL 30B does not authorize transactions involving blocked persons other than (i) INEA, or (ii) GOV persons blocked solely pursuant to E.O. 13884, including INAC.
Additionally, Venezuela-related GL 33 authorizes the receipt of, and payment for, services involving the GOV related to overflights and emergency landings in Venezuela. It also authorizes transactions necessary to provide air ambulance and related medical services, including medical evacuation.
GL 33 does not authorize transactions involving persons identified on OFAC's List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List) or owned 50 percent or more by persons identified on the SDN List.
Generally, non-U.S. persons do not risk exposure to U.S. sanctions for engaging in transactions authorized for U.S. persons, including engaging in transactions authorized pursuant to GL 30B or GL 33. Additionally, U.S. sanctions programs issued pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), including the Venezuela Sanctions Regulations, do not generally prohibit transactions ordinarily incident to travel to or from any country.
Date Released
June 10, 2026
1) FAQ clarifies that Venezuela GL 30B covers the receipt of “ground services in-country” from GoV entities in the context of “private and commercial flights”. The GL also helpfully interprets the term “ordinarily incident and necessary” in the context of “ordinarily incident and necessary to the operation or use of airports in Venezuela” to specify that this includes “the provision of baggage and ground handling services; safety and security services; airport operational services; air navigation and overflight services; fuel and into-plane services; and the payment of aeronautical, customs, immigration, and other government-imposed fees and taxes.”
2) Notably, OFAC specifies that “[a]dditionally, U.S. sanctions programs issued pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), including the Venezuela Sanctions Regulations, do not generally prohibit transactions ordinarily incident to travel to or from any country.” This confirms that the travel exemption applies to the VSR generally, notwithstanding that the VSR has no explicit travel exemption provision. Refer generally to General Note on the Applicability of IEEPA/TWEA Exemptions in EOs and Sanctions Regulations not Specifically Mentioning Them. It is notable that the exemption portion of the FAQ is phrased in a way that may suggest that some of what which is authorized by the GLs may be exempt in any event. Most of the transactions described are likely not exempt (refer to Notable Examples Illustrating the Scope of the Travel Exemption), but some, in particular “payment of…immigration…fees and taxes,” clearly are, at least in the context of payments associated with individuals’ travel.