Venezuela sanctions: guidance
Statutory guidance for the Venezuela sanctions regime, plus a summary of its purposes, scope and prohibitions.
Documents
Details
The Venezuela (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, and certain other regulations, are in force to meet the UK’s policy objectives.
This summary gives a quick overview of the sanctions in place under the regime. It is not comprehensive and is not a replacement for the statutory guidance or the regulations themselves.
Summary
Regime is limited in scope to:
- sanctions targeting designated persons
- sanctions in respect of:
- military goods and technology
- internal repression goods and technology
- interception and monitoring goods and technology
- interception and monitoring services
- enabling or facilitating the conduct of armed hostilities in Venezuela
Designated persons
The UK Sanctions List tells you who is designated under the regime and which sanctions have been applied to them. A designated person can be an individual, a business or an organisation.
The statutory guidance lists in detail the sanctions that can apply in respect of designated persons, including:
- an asset freeze on their funds and other assets
- making available funds or economic resources to them or for their benefit
- director disqualification
- immigration sanction (travel ban)
Sanctioned goods and services
You must not export or otherwise supply or transfer to or for use in Venezuela or to a person connected with Venezuela certain goods in these categories (this is not an exhaustive list):
- military, security and para-military goods, software and technology and arms, ammunition and related material
- internal repression goods and technology
- interception and monitoring goods and technology
Related financial services, brokering services and technical assistance may also be subject to sanctions.
You must not provide to or for the benefit of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela (NBAFV) (or to any person acting on its behalf or under its direction):
- technical assistance
- armed personnel
- financial services or funds or associated brokering services
where such provision relates to the military activities of NBAFV in Venezuela or otherwise enables or facilitates the conduct of armed hostilities in Venezuela.
You must not directly or indirectly provide interception and monitoring services to or for the benefit of the Government of Venezuela.
Updates to this page
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Added summary of the regime's purposes, scope and prohibitions.
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Page has been updated for better clarity and usability. No material changes to text.
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Page navigation has been updated for better usability. No material changes to text.
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These changes reflect the Sanctions (EU Exit) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No.2) Regulations 2024 and taken together make a range of technical changes with the purpose of improving OFSI’s ability to gather intelligence on industry’s compliance with financial sanctions, strengthen OFSI’s enforcement powers, enable OFSI to conduct its licensing responsibilities more efficiently, and clarify financial sanctions legislation where there is existing uncertainty.
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Added the Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI) as a supporting organisation, who took over civil enforcement for sanctions in October 2024. As part of these new powers, OTSI has introduced a new service to apply for sanctions licences for the provision of services, which replaces the previous process of applying via SPIRE. Applications for goods-related exports sanctions licences remain via SPIRE.
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Amended to include guidance on the new director disqualification legislation.
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First published.