Brazil-Venezuela border status

Question

Later this year I'll be visiting northern Brazil and I'm considering going to Roraima in Venezuela (assuming it will be safe enough). Apparently the border between Brazil and Venezuela in Pacaraima is / was / keeps getting closed (according to Agência Brasil it's open now, but I heard from some Brazilians that as a foreigner I won't be able to cross it, although I didn't find any sources confirming it).

Is there a way to check if as a tourist I'm able to cross the border without issues? I understand the situation there can change, but it would help to know at least the current status.

Question about a map indicating the status of all open and closed international borders isn't helpful in this case.

Answer 1

Actually the best tip I received to check the status of that border crossing in particular is to call the Hotel Amazonia (phone: +55 95 3592-1475). Did it myself just 3 weeks ago and they always have the latest status. The consulate was very lazy and said they'd need to check first and did not know the daily status. They could also not guarantee that the status would not change (which I do fully understand).

Btw: crossed the border without any problems at all (as a European citizen).

Edit: forgot to mention why that hotel is especially qualified to provide the current border status. The hotel is located directly at the border in Pacaraima, and is being used by a lot of tourists and workers who are crossing the border all the time.

Link to Google Maps.

Link to their Facebook page.

Answer 2

The most recent information I could find on crossing the border was from June 2017, in this blog post: How to Safely Enter Venezuela from the Brazil-Venezuela Border (2017), which contain details on the current status of being able to cross.

However, as you note, the status of the Brazil-Venezuela border is constantly changing, as Venezuela's political situation remains volatile. (Venezuela's entry requirements for certain nationalities, especially Americans, are also likely to change, but that's another matter).

The best way to be certain is to contact a diplomatic mission of Venezuela. The easiest to contact will presumably the one located nearest to you, but there will still be some "lag" in information.

If you want the absolute most up-to-date information, then you should call the Consulate General of Venezuela in the border town of Boa Vista, the closest Venezuelan outpost to the land border crossing (the one leading to Santa Elena). The Consulate can be phoned at (+55) 95 3623 9285. I am not sure as to the degree of English proficiency they will have there, however.

Answer 3

The main problem is the economic crisis in Venezuela, the government is not able to control the situation there and the high inflation + currency exchange regulations on Venezuela is pushing the people to cross the borders like crazy...

that is the reason why the gov is constantly closing/reopening the borders....

according to the news, the border is open now, but there is no guaranty that it will be so by the time you decide to be there...

Brazil is easy going country, but Venezuela isn't

the official ministry (from Venezuela) responsible of that border issues is this but there is no official communication about the closed borders at the moment(and they are so incompetent that they don't even make such important information in another language than Spanish).

On the other side, it will be convenient to give a call to the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Relations which has information even in English, the phone number +55 61 2030-9787...