Bolivia visa requirements: Anyone planning to move to Bolivia,
Live in Bolivia ,
Work in Bolivia , or retire in Bolivia (meaning anyone who plans to apply for
Residency in Bolivia) must enter Bolivia with a Visa de Objeto Determinado (commonly called a Specific Purpose Visa) in English.
The Bolivian government requires this of ALL foreigners, no matter their country of origin, who are NOT entering Bolivia as tourists. Even if Bolivia does not require tourists from your country to process a tourist visa to enter Bolivia. (Depending on the international treaties Bolivia has with different countries, some tourists need a visa to enter and some do not).
The Visa de Objeto Determinado must be processed by the Bolivian Consulate or Embassy in your country or origin. If there isn't one in your country you must find the one that is responsible for your general region. If you arrive in Bolivia on a tourist visa you will not be allowed to apply for residency and you cannot change your immigration status from "tourist" to "seeking residency" once you are here.
Like the tourist visa, the specific purpose visa is a travel visa (or entry visa) only. It is not your actual residency application (sometimes mistakenly called a residency visa).
The specific purpose visa allows you to be in Bolivia for 30 days. During these 30 days you must begin your application for residency. Once you've turned in your residency application and have completed all the requirements for residency, you can remain in Bolivia until the government returns either an acceptance or a rejection. During this time you will port a document that shows your residency application is "en trámite" (being processed).
During the time the
Bolivian government is reviewing your application (the completed application and supporting documents are sent to La Paz) they will have your passport as well. This means that you can
Travel in Bolivia during the time you are awaiting a response, but will be unable to travel outside of Bolivia. If, during this time, you need to leave Bolivia for any reason, you can request the
Bolivian Immigration Service return your passport to you. However, if you do this your residency application will be "forfeited" and you would have to begin all over again (and pay again) when you return to Bolivia. They do not put your residency application "on hold" and wait until you come back to continue.
It's important you be aware that at this time residency application approvals are taking anywhere from 2 weeks to 4 months so you can plan accordingly. Visit our
Bolivia Visa Requirements Home Page for more details on the Visa de Objeto Determinado.
Once you arrive in Bolivia
BoliviaBella Expat Services can help you apply for residency. Our offices are located in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.