Taking the money from a sale out of the country is legal. This guide covers the banking routes, where each step leaves documentary support for the origin of the funds. Rules in force as of October 28, 2026. The seller's power of attorney and documents are in how to sell a property from abroad.
Which exchange rules apply today
Route 1: the buyer pays you into your own account abroad
The Código Civil (Civil Code) leaves the place of payment to the contract: the buyer must pay the price "en el día y en lugar determinado por el contrato" (on the day and at the place set by the contract) (article 1.527). If the contract says nothing, they pay where and when the tradición (delivery of the property) takes place (article 1.528). That is why the opción de compra-venta (purchase option agreement) and the sale document should state:
Collecting abroad does not change what the Registro (public registry) asks for:
Declare the real price: the anticipo and the tax are calculated on it.
Route 2: collect in Venezuela and transfer abroad
If you are paid at a Venezuelan bank, the money leaves in two steps.
If you are paid in bolívares, exchange them at your bank's mesa de cambio. BCV Resolución No. 19-05-01 (Gaceta Oficial No. 41.624, May 2, 2019) allows banks acting as exchange operators to arrange purchases and sales of foreign currency between their clients or with other banks (article 1). To take part you must be a client of the bank in the national financial system and have completed its due diligence process (article 6).
With the foreign currency in your account, transfer it. Foreign-currency deposits in Venezuelan banks "podrán movilizarse mediante transferencias" (may be moved by means of transfers) and checks against correspondents abroad (Convenio, article 32). Its first paragraph authorizes "las personas naturales mayores de edad residenciadas en el territorio nacional" (individuals of legal age residing in the national territory); the third speaks of individuals "y jurídicas domiciliadas o no" (and legal entities, domiciled or not). It is not clear whether a non-resident can keep the account: ask your bank.
Maximum fees. The BCV fee table (Gaceta Oficial No. 7.073 Extraordinario, September 11, 2026), which the BCV shows as in force since September 15, 2026, sets caps: up to 0.25% of the amount for buying foreign currency at the mesas de cambio, and up to EUR 21 (Americas) or EUR 30 (Europe and rest of the world), or their equivalent, for each international transfer sent from a foreign-currency account. They are maximum limits, they do not include what foreign banks charge (note 15/), and each bank publishes its fee.
Cash. Taking out banknotes, coins or bearer cheques from the amount the BCV sets must be declared (Convenio, article 5). The BCV lists Resolución No. 05-11-01 (Gaceta Oficial No. 38.307, 2005) as in force; it sets US$ 10,000 or its equivalent (article 1). It was issued under the previous exchange regime, so ask customs how to declare today.
Taxes: ISLR on the gain and IGTF (tax on large financial transactions) by route
ISLR. Non-residents are taxed on income whose source or cause is or occurs in Venezuela (Ley de ISLR, article 1), at a rate of 34% (article 50, parágrafo único), and must file a return whatever the amount (article 79). A non-resident is someone who does not spend more than 183 days of the calendar year in the country and is not domiciled under the Código Orgánico Tributario (Organic Tax Code) (article 51). The anticipo is deducted from the tax on the final return (article 86). How the gain is calculated is in ISLR when selling a home. The country where you live may also tax the sale: check it with an accountant there.
IGTF. In the cases of this sale, the taxpayer is the one who pays: the buyer. What the text of the law (Gaceta Oficial No. 6.687 Extraordinario, 2022) says, leg by leg:
| Leg | IGTF according to the text |
|---|---|
| From the buyer's bank abroad to your account abroad | It is not a payment "dentro del sistema bancario nacional" (within the national banking system) (article 4, numeral 5). If you are not a sujeto pasivo especial (special taxpayer), our reading is that the tax does not arise; we could not confirm it with the SENIAT (the national tax authority) |
| Foreign currency from a buyer's account at a Venezuelan bank to yours in Venezuela, without a foreign correspondent | 3% borne by the buyer (article 4, numeral 5, and article 24). The numeral does not mention who receives: our reading is that it applies even if you are a private individual |
| Bolívares from a Venezuelan account | An individual paying on their own account is not in article 4; numerals 1 to 4 are at 0% |
| Your purchase of foreign currency at the mesa de cambio | Exempt: "las operaciones cambiarias realizadas por un operador cambiario debidamente autorizado" (exchange transactions carried out by a duly authorized exchange operator) (article 8, numeral 4); that it covers your purchase is our reading |
| Your transfer abroad through a correspondent | Numeral 5 requires the payment to be "sin intermediación de corresponsal bancario extranjero" (without the intermediation of a foreign correspondent bank), so it does not fit its letter (our reading). Article 3, numeral 8, mentions "los débitos en cuentas para pagos transfronterizos" (debits to accounts for cross-border payments), but no numeral of article 4 names that payer. Ask your bank how much it debits |
If you or the buyer are sujetos pasivos especiales, see IGTF when paying in foreign currency.
Controls against money laundering
At the Registro. Resolución No. 008 of the Ministerio del Poder Popular para Relaciones Interiores, Justicia y Paz (Ministry of Interior, Justice and Peace; January 31, 2019, Gaceta Oficial No. 41.581) sets the rules for registries and notary offices:
At the bank. Banks must guarantee the identification of the holders of foreign-currency accounts, "el origen y el destino de los fondos" (the origin and destination of the funds) and the purpose of each transaction, and keep the supporting documents for at least ten years (Convenio, article 34, parágrafo primero).
Keep the registered document, the proof of payment and the sworn declaration: they support the transfer. If the buyer is a company or there are accounts in several countries, consult a lawyer.
Clarification (October 28, 2026): we added the cash declaration threshold the BCV lists as in force.
Paying in foreign currency and the 2007 law. Article 23 of the Ley Especial de Protección al Deudor Hipotecario de Vivienda (housing mortgage debtor protection law; Gaceta Oficial No. 38.756, 2007) says home purchase operations "sólo se otorgarán en bolívares" (shall only be made in bolívares), while Convenio Cambiario No. 1 (2018) allows agreeing in foreign currency. We found no rule or ruling that resolves that conflict: see paying cash or with credit and consult a lawyer.