Visiting Bolivia as a Tourist
This replaces the general rule for you
United States Citizens: a USD 160 Entry Authorisation
Bolivia publishes one tourist procedure that exists for a single nationality. United States citizens are charged USD 160 for an entry authorisation for tourism or visit, and the consular fee table lists a matching USD 160 tourist visa sticker for the United States and Puerto Rico against USD 50 for everyone else. The migration directorate's page for it carries no usable requirement list - the field still contains the developer's placeholder text.
Bolivia sorts nationalities into three groups. The first needs no tourist visa and is admitted on a national identity document or a passport. The second needs a visa. The third needs a visa that a consulate may only issue after the migration directorate has checked the file. A tourist visa is granted for 30 days, and inside Bolivia it can be extended by up to 60 more; but the regulation also caps a tourist at 90 calendar days a year, which is the number that decides how long you can actually stay. Bolivia does not publish which countries sit in which group.
At a glance
- Tourist visa validity
- 30 calendar days
- Extensions inside Bolivia
- Two further periods, up to 60 days in total
- Annual ceiling
- 90 calendar days a year
Stated in the regulation in the same sentence that defines the tourist visa. It is the binding limit, not the 30 days on the visa itself.
- Group I nationalities
- No tourist visa
- Group III nationalities
- Visa only after the migration directorate verifies the file
- Consular tourist visa fee
- USD 50as of 2026-09-27
From the consular fee table published by a Bolivian consulate in Spain. Tariffs are set centrally by the foreign ministry but published consulate by consulate, so this is one post's copy of the schedule.
- Fee to obtain the stay permit inside Bolivia
- 250 UFV for up to 30 daysas of 2026-09-27
Charged by the migration directorate for the transitory stay for tourism or visit, separately from the consular visa fee.
- Transit
- 15 days, 50 UFV
Requirements
- A passport valid for at least six months, or a national identity document if your nationality is exempt from the tourist visa
- A tourist visa if your nationality is in the second or third group - and for the third group, clearance from the migration directorate before the consulate issues it
- A yellow fever vaccination certificate if you will visit high-risk endemic areas
- Proof of onward or return travel, and either a hotel booking or an invitation from someone legally resident in Bolivia registered with the migration directorate (visa applicants only)
- Proof of funds by bank statement or credit card (visa applicants only)
- To extend inside Bolivia: apply to the migration directorate before the visa expires
How the process runs
- Step 1
Find out which group your nationality is in
Bolivian consulate
The classification decides everything else. Bolivia publishes the definition of the three groups but not their membership, so the practical route is to ask the Bolivian consulate that covers you.
- Step 2
Apply for the visa, if you need one
Bolivian consulate
Sworn declaration form, passport valid at least six months, travel itinerary or return ticket, hotel booking or a registered invitation, proof of funds, a 4x4 photograph on a red background, and yellow fever vaccination if relevant. Third-group applicants additionally need the migration directorate's authorising resolution.
- Step 3
Enter and be admitted
Border or airport migration post
The migration directorate authorises entry at a staffed border or airport post. It can also issue the tourist visa there for second-group nationalities, and exceptionally for third-group ones with its own prior authorisation.
- Step 4
Extend before the visa runs out
Migration directorate office or online platform
The transitory stay for tourism is applied for before the consular visa expires, and buys up to 60 further days. Watch the annual ceiling rather than the extension count.
In detail
Thirty days is not the limit and ninety is
Almost every summary of Bolivian entry rules quotes the 30-day visa and the extensions. The regulation puts the ceiling in the same sentence: ninety calendar days a year. Because the extension can add sixty, one long visit exhausts the allowance, and a second trip in the same year has no room left in it.
The one list Bolivia does not publish
The regulation defines Groups I, II and III by what they require and then points at the lists "stipulated in current legislation". The statute assigns those lists to the foreign ministry. We searched the migration directorate's site and the consular network's visa pages and found the three groups described but never populated. We are not reproducing a list from anywhere else, because a wrong one is worse than none.
Country-level policy
Bolivia does not set migration fees in money. It sets them in Unidades de Fomento a la Vivienda, an inflation-indexed unit whose value in bolivianos is published daily, and you pay the boliviano equivalent on the day you pay. Every figure on this country's pages is therefore a number of UFV: quoting it in bolivianos without saying so would be publishing a number that goes quietly stale.
Whatever route you take, the migration directorate attaches the same condition to it: you have to file a sworn statement of your current address on its online platform. The notice appears word for word on every residence procedure Bolivia publishes, from a 30-day tourist extension to naturalisation, and it names the decree that introduced it.
On 30 March 2026 Bolivia created a government-wide deregulation programme called Tranca Cero. It builds a single national catalogue of procedures and provides that, once that catalogue is fully in place, no requirement outside it may be demanded. The migration directorate has put a notice at the top of its own procedures page saying its published requirements are the ones currently in force and that the changes coming out of the programme will be added when the implementing rules appear. Everything on Bolivia's pages should be read against that.
What applies to you
United States Citizens: a USD 160 Entry Authorisation
Bolivia publishes one tourist procedure that exists for a single nationality. United States citizens are charged USD 160 for an entry authorisation for tourism or visit, and the consular fee table lists a matching USD 160 tourist visa sticker for the United States and Puerto Rico against USD 50 for everyone else. The migration directorate's page for it carries no usable requirement list - the field still contains the developer's placeholder text.
- United States nationality
- The entry authorisation for tourism or visit, in place of the ordinary tourist procedure
- Payment of USD 160
- The sworn statement of current address on the migration system, as for every other route
What the law says
«La estadía para turistas es de noventa (90) días calendario como máximo por año»Our translation - not official
The stay for tourists is ninety (90) calendar days at most per year
This clause closes the sentence that grants the 30-day visa and the two extensions. Quoting only the first half of that sentence is how the 90-day ceiling gets lost.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
A labour-law database that holds national gazettes' own PDFs. Used here only where a country's gazette and consolidator were both unreachable, so that the artefact quoted is still the gazette's own file even though the host is not the gazette.
Standing: Reports, establishes nothing
Cannot be cited for: Cannot be cited for the law as currently in force. A record is created once and holds the text as enacted; later amending instruments are not reflected in the file, so anything taken from it must be checked against a consolidator before being treated as current. Its own page rendering also splits words inside sentences, so quotations must come from the attached PDF rather than from the page.
We re-read it every 365 days. More about this source
«Es otorgada por treinta (30) días calendario, con el propósito de descanso o esparcimiento que no implique el ejercicio de actividad remunerada o lucrativa por cuenta propia o ajena y habilita a tramitar la permanencia transitoria por turismo o visita ante la Dirección General de Migración por dos (2) periodos similares.»Our translation - not official
It is granted for thirty (30) calendar days, for the purpose of rest or recreation not involving the exercise of remunerated or profit-making activity on one's own account or another's, and entitles the holder to apply to the Directorate General of Migration for the transitory stay for tourism or visit for two (2) similar periods.
About this source
A labour-law database that holds national gazettes' own PDFs. Used here only where a country's gazette and consolidator were both unreachable, so that the artefact quoted is still the gazette's own file even though the host is not the gazette.
Standing: Reports, establishes nothing
Cannot be cited for: Cannot be cited for the law as currently in force. A record is created once and holds the text as enacted; later amending instruments are not reflected in the file, so anything taken from it must be checked against a consolidator before being treated as current. Its own page rendering also splits words inside sentences, so quotations must come from the attached PDF rather than from the page.
We re-read it every 365 days. More about this source
«Países del Grupo I: Las personas extranjeras pertenecientes al Grupo I de países, no requieren visa de ingreso por turismo o visita, para su entrada a territorio boliviano;»Our translation - not official
Group I countries: Foreign persons belonging to Group I countries do not require an entry visa for tourism or visit in order to enter Bolivian territory;
About this source
A labour-law database that holds national gazettes' own PDFs. Used here only where a country's gazette and consolidator were both unreachable, so that the artefact quoted is still the gazette's own file even though the host is not the gazette.
Standing: Reports, establishes nothing
Cannot be cited for: Cannot be cited for the law as currently in force. A record is created once and holds the text as enacted; later amending instruments are not reflected in the file, so anything taken from it must be checked against a consolidator before being treated as current. Its own page rendering also splits words inside sentences, so quotations must come from the attached PDF rather than from the page.
We re-read it every 365 days. More about this source
«Países Grupo III: Las personas extranjeras pertenecientes al Grupo III de países, requieren visa de ingreso por turismo o visita previa verificación de requisitos por la Dirección General de Migración, para su entrada a territorio boliviano.»Our translation - not official
Group III countries: Foreign persons belonging to Group III countries require an entry visa for tourism or visit after verification of requirements by the Directorate General of Migration, in order to enter Bolivian territory.
The third group is not a visa requirement with extra paperwork; it is a requirement that the migration directorate clear the applicant before a consulate may issue anything.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
A labour-law database that holds national gazettes' own PDFs. Used here only where a country's gazette and consolidator were both unreachable, so that the artefact quoted is still the gazette's own file even though the host is not the gazette.
Standing: Reports, establishes nothing
Cannot be cited for: Cannot be cited for the law as currently in force. A record is created once and holds the text as enacted; later amending instruments are not reflected in the file, so anything taken from it must be checked against a consolidator before being treated as current. Its own page rendering also splits words inside sentences, so quotations must come from the attached PDF rather than from the page.
We re-read it every 365 days. More about this source
«Las personas extranjeras pertenecientes al Grupo I, podrán ser admitidas e ingresar al territorio boliviano en calidad de turistas o visita sin ánimo de residencia, previa presentación del documento nacional de identidad o el pasaporte válido y vigente, según corresponda sin el requisito de la visa de turismo.»Our translation - not official
Foreign persons belonging to Group I may be admitted and enter Bolivian territory as tourists or visitors without intent to reside, on presentation of the national identity document or a valid passport, as applicable, without the requirement of a tourist visa.
About this source
A labour-law database that holds national gazettes' own PDFs. Used here only where a country's gazette and consolidator were both unreachable, so that the artefact quoted is still the gazette's own file even though the host is not the gazette.
Standing: Reports, establishes nothing
Cannot be cited for: Cannot be cited for the law as currently in force. A record is created once and holds the text as enacted; later amending instruments are not reflected in the file, so anything taken from it must be checked against a consolidator before being treated as current. Its own page rendering also splits words inside sentences, so quotations must come from the attached PDF rather than from the page.
We re-read it every 365 days. More about this source
«Tiene una vigencia hasta de sesenta (60) días calendario, plazo adicional a los treinta (30) días otorgados en la visa de turismo o visita consular o la emitida por la Dirección General de Migración;»Our translation - not official
It is valid for up to sixty (60) calendar days, a period additional to the thirty (30) days granted in the consular tourism or visit visa or the one issued by the Directorate General of Migration;
Sixty days on top of thirty gives ninety, which is exactly the annual ceiling - so a single visit can consume the whole year's allowance.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
A labour-law database that holds national gazettes' own PDFs. Used here only where a country's gazette and consolidator were both unreachable, so that the artefact quoted is still the gazette's own file even though the host is not the gazette.
Standing: Reports, establishes nothing
Cannot be cited for: Cannot be cited for the law as currently in force. A record is created once and holds the text as enacted; later amending instruments are not reflected in the file, so anything taken from it must be checked against a consolidator before being treated as current. Its own page rendering also splits words inside sentences, so quotations must come from the attached PDF rather than from the page.
We re-read it every 365 days. More about this source
«La lista de exoneración y extensión de visas, estará a cargo del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, de acuerdo a lo establecido en los Convenios Internacionales sobre la materia y en el principio de reciprocidad.»Our translation - not official
The list of visa exemptions and extensions shall be the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in accordance with the International Agreements on the matter and with the principle of reciprocity.
The statute puts the country lists in the foreign ministry's hands and does not reproduce them. That is why neither the law nor the regulation names a single country, and why the lists have to be found elsewhere - which we could not do.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
A labour-law database that holds national gazettes' own PDFs. Used here only where a country's gazette and consolidator were both unreachable, so that the artefact quoted is still the gazette's own file even though the host is not the gazette.
Standing: Reports, establishes nothing
Cannot be cited for: Cannot be cited for the law as currently in force. A record is created once and holds the text as enacted; later amending instruments are not reflected in the file, so anything taken from it must be checked against a consolidator before being treated as current. Its own page rendering also splits words inside sentences, so quotations must come from the attached PDF rather than from the page.
We re-read it every 365 days. More about this source
«Visa en tránsito: Es otorgada por quince (15) días calendario, con el propósito de transitar a un tercer país;»Our translation - not official
Transit visa: It is granted for fifteen (15) calendar days, for the purpose of transiting to a third country;
About this source
A labour-law database that holds national gazettes' own PDFs. Used here only where a country's gazette and consolidator were both unreachable, so that the artefact quoted is still the gazette's own file even though the host is not the gazette.
Standing: Reports, establishes nothing
Cannot be cited for: Cannot be cited for the law as currently in force. A record is created once and holds the text as enacted; later amending instruments are not reflected in the file, so anything taken from it must be checked against a consolidator before being treated as current. Its own page rendering also splits words inside sentences, so quotations must come from the attached PDF rather than from the page.
We re-read it every 365 days. More about this source
«costo: 50 UFVs (Hasta 15 días)»Our translation - not official
cost: 50 UFV (up to 15 days)
About this source
The migration directorate. Runs the migration system and publishes the requirement and fee catalogue for every procedure, differentiated by the applicant's nationality - which is how the difference between an Andean, a Mercosur and an ordinary applicant becomes visible at all.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: Cannot be cited for the text of any instrument: it paraphrases and mis-titles them, calling SEGIP's counterpart the "Dirección Nacional de Migración". Cannot be cited for the visa-group lists, which it never publishes, nor for how tourist requirements differ by nationality - its tourist rows are identical for every country and demand a consular visa even of visa-exempt ones, which contradicts Decision 878. Two of its requirement fields ship with developer placeholder text still in them. The citable text is a JSON feed on a non-standard port, so a publisher-origin match will not find it.
We re-read it every 30 days. More about this source
«Visas de Turismo, conforme a normativa vigente y reciprocidad
50 $»Our translation - not official
Tourist visas, in accordance with current legislation and reciprocity: 50 dollars
The tariff table prints the dollar figure on the line below the description; the quotation carries both as they appear.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The consular network. Publishes visa descriptions, requirement lists and the consular tariff, one shared template across every post.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: Cannot be cited for the law: it adds conditions the regulation does not contain, capping the multiple visa at ninety uninterrupted days and shortening the student stay from three years to one. It also serves a machine-translated English rendering to some clients, so any reading has to be language-checked before a Spanish excerpt is taken from it.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
Practical notes
The migration directorate's own procedure listing states "Visa consular de turismo o visita" as a requirement for the tourist stay permit, and it prints that requirement identically for every nationality it lists, including ones that are plainly visa-exempt. The requirement lists in that catalogue are not differentiated by group.
We found no published list of the countries in Groups I, II and III. We looked at the migration directorate's site, its procedures feed, and the consular network's visa pages.
The migration directorate can issue the tourist visa at the border for Group II, and for Group III only with its own reasoned prior authorisation.
A tourist may change status to a transitory or temporary stay for study, work, health, family or humanitarian reasons without leaving, which makes tourism a usable way in for several of the routes below.
- reportsDecreto Supremo N° 1923 - Reglamento de la Ley N° 370 de Migración (Gaceta Oficial, via ILO NATLEX)
Gaceta Oficial del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (copy held by ILO NATLEX)
About this source
A labour-law database that holds national gazettes' own PDFs. Used here only where a country's gazette and consolidator were both unreachable, so that the artefact quoted is still the gazette's own file even though the host is not the gazette.
Standing: Reports, establishes nothing
Cannot be cited for: Cannot be cited for the law as currently in force. A record is created once and holds the text as enacted; later amending instruments are not reflected in the file, so anything taken from it must be checked against a consolidator before being treated as current. Its own page rendering also splits words inside sentences, so quotations must come from the attached PDF rather than from the page.
We re-read it every 365 days. More about this source
- reportsLey N° 370 de Migración de 8 de mayo de 2013 (Gaceta Oficial, via ILO NATLEX)
Gaceta Oficial del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (copy held by ILO NATLEX)
About this source
A labour-law database that holds national gazettes' own PDFs. Used here only where a country's gazette and consolidator were both unreachable, so that the artefact quoted is still the gazette's own file even though the host is not the gazette.
Standing: Reports, establishes nothing
Cannot be cited for: Cannot be cited for the law as currently in force. A record is created once and holds the text as enacted; later amending instruments are not reflected in the file, so anything taken from it must be checked against a consolidator before being treated as current. Its own page rendering also splits words inside sentences, so quotations must come from the attached PDF rather than from the page.
We re-read it every 365 days. More about this source
- administersVisas - red consular boliviana
Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Bolivia) - red consular
About this source
The consular network. Publishes visa descriptions, requirement lists and the consular tariff, one shared template across every post.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: Cannot be cited for the law: it adds conditions the regulation does not contain, capping the multiple visa at ninety uninterrupted days and shortening the student stay from three years to one. It also serves a machine-translated English rendering to some clients, so any reading has to be language-checked before a Spanish excerpt is taken from it.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
- administersArancel consular - visas
Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Bolivia) - red consular
About this source
The consular network. Publishes visa descriptions, requirement lists and the consular tariff, one shared template across every post.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: Cannot be cited for the law: it adds conditions the regulation does not contain, capping the multiple visa at ninety uninterrupted days and shortening the student stay from three years to one. It also serves a machine-translated English rendering to some clients, so any reading has to be language-checked before a Spanish excerpt is taken from it.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
- administersTrámites Migratorios Internacionales - catálogo general para personas extranjeras
Dirección General de Migración (Bolivia)
About this source
The migration directorate. Runs the migration system and publishes the requirement and fee catalogue for every procedure, differentiated by the applicant's nationality - which is how the difference between an Andean, a Mercosur and an ordinary applicant becomes visible at all.
Standing: Applies the rule
Cannot be cited for: Cannot be cited for the text of any instrument: it paraphrases and mis-titles them, calling SEGIP's counterpart the "Dirección Nacional de Migración". Cannot be cited for the visa-group lists, which it never publishes, nor for how tourist requirements differ by nationality - its tourist rows are identical for every country and demand a consular visa even of visa-exempt ones, which contradicts Decision 878. Two of its requirement fields ship with developer placeholder text still in them. The citable text is a JSON feed on a non-standard port, so a publisher-origin match will not find it.
We re-read it every 30 days. More about this source