Bolivia visa and entry requirements

Bolivia's Migration Directorate asks for a passport valid for at least 6 months with a tourist stay application. The UK Foreign Office tells British visitors their passport should have an expiry date at least 6 months after the date they arrive and at least two blank pages.

At least 2 blank pages required. Compare every country

• Yellow fever (International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP)) — The UK Foreign Office says you must have a yellow fever vaccination certificate to enter Bolivia if you are coming from a country listed as a transmission risk. Bolivia's Migration Directorate lists a yellow fever vaccination certificate among the requirements for a tourist stay permit if you will visit high-risk endemic areas.

No official source we could read states a travel-insurance requirement for Bolivia. The UK Foreign Office says you may not be able to access the public health system as it is already overstretched, that private clinics in all main cities work with international insurance, and that it is very important to have travel insurance and access to funds, as you will need to pay up front to receive treatment.

No official Bolivian source we could read states an onward-ticket requirement. Canada's travel advice says customs officials may ask you to show a return or onward ticket, and Australia's Smartraveller says you may need to show proof of onward travel on entry.

No official Bolivian source we could read states a proof-of-funds requirement or amount. Canada's travel advice says customs officials may ask for proof of sufficient funds to cover your stay.

• Customs declaration — Bolivia's customs service says that before entering or leaving Bolivia you fill in Form 250 for new goods (on entry) and currency (on entry and exit) carried in your accompanied baggage. The form is available pre-printed or electronically. (before entry or exit) aduana.gob.bo ↗(opens in a new tab)

Under the Migration Law and its regulation, a foreigner who stays in Bolivia after the granted period of stay expires commits a serious administrative infraction, punished with a fine of 12 housing development units (UFV) per day of irregular stay or with compulsory departure for three years, which applies where the person's migration status cannot be changed. Compulsory departure means a temporary or permanent ban on re-entry.

Done by the accommodation.

Hotels, hostels and other lodging establishments must ask foreigners for a valid travel document. They must send the General Directorate of Migration (DIGEMIG), digitally and at the time of check-in, the information on the foreigners they host, in the format DIGEMIG provides. Failing to send this information and the registration lists is an administrative infraction, fined in UFV (Unidades de Fomento a la Vivienda).

If not done: Administrative fine for a legal person: UFV 200 to 2,000 for a first offence, UFV 400 to 4,000 for a second, and UFV 600 to 6,000 for a third or later.

• Airport-use charge for international departures (Derecho de Uso de Aeropuerto) — 40 USD per person per trip.

  A resolution of Bolivia's Transport Regulatory Authority sets the airport-use charge for passengers boarding international flights at USD 40, of which USD 5 goes to the civil aviation directorate.

  Exemptions: The President and Vice-President, accredited ambassadors and consuls, Beneméritos de la Patria, international transit passengers staying no more than eight hours, and children under two.

Bolivia's customs service says currency between USD 10,000 and USD 50,000 must be declared on entry, and between USD 10,000 and USD 20,000 on exit, and that larger amounts must be moved through financial institutions regulated by ASFI. It withholds 30% of undeclared currency, and 30% of the excess over USD 50,000 on entry or USD 20,000 on exit.

• Canada's travel advice says it is illegal to export any item that the Bolivian government considers a national treasure (patrimonio cultural) without formal written permission from the Ministry of Culture, including pre-Columbian artifacts, historical paintings, items of Spanish colonial architecture and history, native textiles, and flora, fauna and fossils.
• Canada's travel advice says it is illegal to import coca leaves and related products into Canada.
• Bolivia's customs service says travellers may bring in, as part of their allowance, used clothing and personal effects and new articles strictly for personal use, without commercial purpose, worth up to US$1,000, with limits of up to 3 litres of alcoholic drinks and 400 cigarettes; any goods exceeding the allowance must pay customs taxes.