During Nicolás Maduro's tenure, relations have deteriorated and in 2019 Venezuela declared the German Ambassador Daniel Kriener a persona non grata; however, he was able to return to the country soon after.

[1] Close relations with Venezuela continue to be maintained by parts of the German left and the political party Die Linke.

After World War I, economic relations between the two countries deepened and Germany became one of the most important trading partners for Venezuela.

During World War II, Venezuela first remained neutral and finally broke off diplomatic relations with Nazi Germany in 1941.

[4] After World War II, diplomatic relations were re-established on April 28, 1954, between the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and Venezuela were established.

"[7] After Chavez's death in 2013, his successor Nicolás Maduro ruled in an increasingly authoritarian manner, which further deteriorated relations with Germany.

In 2019, following mass protests in Venezuela, Germany joined other Western countries in recognizing opposition politician Juan Guaidó as the country's interim president[8] while at the same time the foreign policy spokesman of the Die Linke party, Andrej Hunko, met President Maduro in Caracas on a "state visit" and expressed solidarity with him, which was met with criticism in Germany.

German institutions active in the country include the Goethe-Institut, the Asociación Cultural Humboldt, and the evangelical and the Roman-Catholic Church in Germany.

[14] Nearly six million Venezuelans fled their homeland under the Maduro government as part of the economic crisis in the country, with nearly 10,000 of them settling in Germany by 2020.