The Venezuelan foreign ministry has issued the US embassy in Caracas with a series of "reciprocal" measures in line with President Nicolas Maduro's announcement last weekend in this regard
These measures include a requirement that Americans wishing to enter Venezuela have visa approval prior to their arrival in the country, and that the US reduce its diplomatic delegation in Caracas to 17 officials, Spanish news agency Efe reported.
The measures issued on Monday deliver another blow to the already fragile relations between the two countries.
The two have been without high level diplomatic representation since 2010, and developments of the last few days suggest a situation far from settled.
The new measures were announced last weekend by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who also ordered that any meetings that American diplomats intend to conduct in Venezuela would require the government's prior consent, and would have to comply with the Vienna Convention governing diplomatic relations.
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Maduro's decision follows an accusation that the US masterminded both an alleged coup attempt in cahoots with the Venezuelan opposition, and an alleged attempt on his life.
Washington described the allegations as "false".
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez informed Charge d'affaires of the US Embassy in Caracas, Lee Clenny, that he had 15 days to present the credentials of the officials who will remain in the country.
Maduro said that current US diplomatic representation in Venezuela numbers over a 100, but that number would be reduced to 17 to match the number of Venezuelan diplomats in Washington.
Rodriguez, who described the meeting with Clenny as cordial and agreeable, argued that the measures were consistent with actions "framed in public international law, the purposes and principles of the United Nations and in principle concerning the governing reciprocity between sovereign states".
Relations between Venezuela and the US continue to deteriorate, with neither country having ambassadorial representation since 2010 when the government of then President Hugo Chavez rejected the appointment of Larry Palmer as head of the US diplomatic mission in Caracas over a statement he made in the US Senate about Venezuela.
In response, Washington revoked the visa of Venezuelan Ambassador Bernardo Alvarez.
A constant stream of accusations and counter-accusations have followed, with the Venezuelan government expelling US officials alleging their interference in and destabilisation of the country, and Washington responding with its own expulsions.
Relations again worsened after Washington issued a series of sanctions against Venezuelan officials, most recently in early February.
Washington accused the officials of violating human rights during protests in Venezuela in early 2014.
The sanctions include ban on travel to the US and the freezing of assets held under US jurisdiction.
