Bolivian Money Transfer: How to Send Money
Some of the banks and credit unions have small branches inside supermarkets. These are usually NOT equipped to do overseas money transfer operations. They mostly exist so you can pay your household bills (which in Bolivia must be paid in person and cannot be mailed in). You can't send Bolivian money or receive any money from overseas without identification. You can find Bolivian banks and 'cooperativas' in most mid-sized and major cities of Bolivia. If you are in a smaller city or rural area be aware that Bolivian banks in those towns are branch offices and may not offer all the same services as an urban bank. You can also transfer money at most Bolivia currency exchange houses called 'casas de cambio'. Some of them have bank accounts in foreign countries and offer you a second alternative: checks. Except for large companies, Bolivians don't use checks as stores don't accept them. But some casas de cambio will write out a check to whomever you choose and you simply pay them the amount of the check plus a nominal fee. They then give you the check and you can mail or courier it overseas. Your third money transfer option is a wire transfer. Depending on the amount of money you want to send and how much time you have, this may be a more viable option. Although a wire transfer may take longer (sometimes up to 10 days), it may be worth the savings, especially since most banks charge a single set fee for wire transfers no matter what the amount, whereas Western Union and Moneygram charge percentages that increase as the amount you plan to send increases. You have to be careful in all major cities of Bolivia. No part of any large city is 100% safe, so when you go anywhere where you will be handling money openly, be discreet, look around and behind you, and don't go alone or after dark if you can avoid it. Most of all, if you don't feel comfortable when you arrive for any reason, trust your instincts and leave.
          Custom Search
|
