Bolivia Visa Information
Visa-free for 90 days from US, Canada, UK, EU, Australia and New Zealand. Mandatory SIGEMIG online pre-registration for every traveler.
Visa & Entry
Entering Bolivia
Bolivia's entry rules are the simplest they have been in a decade. As of December 1, 2025, US citizens no longer need a tourist visa, joining UK, EU, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand passport holders who have been visa-free for years. What remains mandatory for every traveler is SIGEMIG, Bolivia's free online pre-registration.
01 . Entry Status
Find Your Entry Route
Bolivia classifies travelers into three groups based on nationality. All six nationalities filterable on this page now fall into Group 1, visa-free for 90 days. Filter by your passport to see exactly what applies to you, or browse all three groups below.
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Select your nationality to see only the entry requirements that apply to you.
Major policy change on December 1, 2025: US citizens no longer need a tourist visa for Bolivia. The decade-old USD 160 reciprocity fee is gone. You enter visa-free for up to 90 days with just your passport and a completed SIGEMIG pre-registration.
If you find older guides, or even an airline check-in agent, still insisting you need a visa, they are working from outdated information. The US Embassy in La Paz and Bolivia's Foreign Ministry have both confirmed the change. The only pre-arrival step you owe the Bolivian government is SIGEMIG, and that is free.
Visa-free for tourism stays up to 90 days. Canadians have been Group 1 for years, so nothing has changed on the visa side. Complete SIGEMIG online before you fly and make sure your passport has 6+ months of validity beyond your arrival date.
Global Affairs Canada's travel advisory for Bolivia is worth a quick read before departure, primarily for safety and altitude guidance rather than entry rules.
Visa-free for tourism stays up to 90 days. The UK has been Group 1 for years. Complete SIGEMIG online before travel and confirm your passport has 6+ months of validity beyond your arrival date.
The FCDO advises carrying photocopies of your passport and entry stamp separately from the originals while traveling within Bolivia, a sensible precaution given how highland police checkpoints work. If you are transiting Madrid, note that ETIAS pre-registration for Spain is required from mid-2026; Bolivia's rules don't cover your layover.
EU member-state citizens enter visa-free for up to 90 days. Schengen-area passports are accepted at all Bolivian ports of entry. Complete SIGEMIG online before flying.
Embassies in La Paz that handle consular emergencies include Germany, Spain, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. Smaller member-state nationals typically route consular services through these or through their embassies in Lima or Buenos Aires.
Visa-free for tourism stays up to 90 days. Australians have been Group 1 for years. Complete SIGEMIG online before travel.
Australia has no embassy in Bolivia. The nearest Australian diplomatic post is the embassy in Lima, Peru. Register your trip with Smartraveller before departure so DFAT can reach you in an emergency, and save the Lima embassy emergency contact details offline before you fly.
Visa-free for tourism stays up to 90 days. New Zealanders have been Group 1 for years. Complete SIGEMIG online before travel.
New Zealand has no embassy in Bolivia. Consular services are provided through the NZ embassy in Santiago, Chile. Register with SafeTravel before departure, save the Santiago emergency contact details offline, and carry photocopies of your passport separately from the originals while traveling within Bolivia.
Visa-Free Entry (Group 1)
Citizens of the US (since December 1, 2025), Canada, the UK, EU member states, Australia, and New Zealand enter Bolivia without a visa for tourism stays up to 90 days. SIGEMIG online pre-registration is the only mandatory pre-arrival step.
- No visa application or fee required
- Entry stamp issued at the border on arrival
- SIGEMIG online pre-registration mandatory before travel
- Passport valid 6+ months from arrival date
- Yellow fever certificate if arriving from risk countries
Visa Required (Group 2)
Citizens of various countries in parts of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East need a tourist visa. Available free at Bolivian consulates in advance, or at major airports and land borders on arrival for USD 30-52 depending on nationality.
- Apply free at any Bolivian consulate in advance
- Or pay USD 30-52 cash at airport or land border on arrival
- Bring crisp unmarked USD bills, cards not accepted at borders
- 30 days initial, extendable to 90 days in-country
- SIGEMIG still required regardless of visa route
Visa in Advance (Group 3)
A short list of nationalities, primarily countries Bolivia does not maintain full diplomatic relations with, must apply at a Bolivian consulate before travel. No on-arrival option exists for this group.
- Apply only at a Bolivian consulate before travel
- Special authorization from La Paz required
- Background check and full documentation
- 3-6 weeks processing typically
- SIGEMIG still required on top of the visa
Bolivian entry rules changed significantly in late 2025 with US citizens moving to Group 1. Confirm current requirements with Bolivia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (cancilleria.gob.bo) or your nearest Bolivian consulate before booking flights. Your Ecovoyager trip coordinator monitors entry-rule changes for all our destinations and will flag anything that affects your trip.
02 . Documents
What You'll Need
Bolivia's document baseline is universal across all six filterable nationalities since all are visa-free. SIGEMIG is the one new compliance step worth getting right before you fly.
Don't bring USD 160 cash for a visa. The old reciprocity fee was abolished on December 1, 2025. Any guide telling you to bring crisp unmarked bills for the visa counter is outdated. You can still bring USD for general spending, credit cards work at major hotels and restaurants, but cash is king in rural areas and small towns.
The US Embassy in La Paz recommends carrying a photocopy of your passport bio page separately from the original while traveling within Bolivia.
Register your trip with Smartraveller before departure. Since there is no Australian embassy in Bolivia, consular emergencies route through the embassy in Lima, Peru. Save the Lima emergency contact details offline before you fly, and carry photocopies of your passport separately from the originals while traveling within Bolivia.
Register your trip with SafeTravel before departure. The nearest NZ embassy is in Santiago, Chile. Save their emergency contact details offline before you fly, and carry photocopies of your passport separately from the originals while traveling within Bolivia.
03 . Visa Routes
Available Visa Types
If your nationality requires a visa for Bolivia (Group 2 or Group 3, none of the six filterable nationalities fall here), these are the categories available.
Tourist Visa (Group 2)
Standard leisure-travel visa for Group 2 nationalities. Free at any Bolivian consulate when applied for in advance, or USD 30-52 cash at major airports and land borders on arrival. Extendable to 90 days at SENAMIG offices inside Bolivia for a small fee.
Tourist Visa (Group 3)
For Group 3 nationalities. Must apply at a Bolivian consulate 3-6 weeks before travel. Requires invitation letter, background check, and full supporting documentation. No on-arrival option exists for this group.
Specific Purpose Visa
For business meetings, conferences, paid work, study, marriage, or any non-tourism activity. Processing typically 4-6 weeks at any Bolivian consulate. Letter of invitation from a registered Bolivian entity required, plus supporting documentation specific to your purpose.
Transit Visa
Not required for passengers with confirmed onward tickets within 24 hours who remain in the airport international transit area. Required for travelers crossing Bolivia overland to a third country or transiting outside the international zone.
04 . Common Questions
Common Visa Questions About Bolivia
Quick answers to the visa and entry questions Bolivia travelers ask most often. For the full breakdown by passport, use the nationality filter at the top of the page.
No. As of December 1, 2025, US citizens are visa-free for tourism stays up to 90 days. The old USD 160 reciprocity fee has been abolished. The only mandatory pre-arrival step for any nationality is completing SIGEMIG, Bolivia's free online pre-registration.
SIGEMIG (Sistema de Gestion Migratoria) is Bolivia's online immigration pre-registration. It has been mandatory for every foreign traveler since mid-2025, regardless of nationality or visa status. The form takes 8-10 minutes, costs nothing, and generates a QR code you present at the border. If you skip it you can fill it out at the airport on arrival, but you'll be pulled aside while everyone else walks out to the taxis, and a fine of about 250 Bolivianos may apply at departure.
Citizens of the US, Canada, UK, EU member states, Australia, and New Zealand can stay up to 90 days for tourism. Extensions beyond 90 days can be applied for in person at SENAMIG (Bolivia's migration office) inside the country, but for a typical trip the initial 90 days is more than enough.
It depends on your itinerary and where you're flying in from. The certificate is mandatory if you're arriving from a yellow-fever risk country (parts of Africa and South America). It's strongly recommended, even if not strictly required, if your trip includes the Amazon basin or any area below 2,300 metres in Bolivia (Madidi National Park, Rurrenabaque, the Beni lowlands, the Noel Kempff region).
At least 6 months beyond your planned departure date from Bolivia, with at least 2 blank pages for the entry and exit stamps. Renew well in advance if you're close to the cutoff, Bolivian immigration is strict on this and will turn travelers away at the border.
Yes. The initial 90 days for Group 1 nationalities can be extended in person at any SENAMIG office (offices in La Paz, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz, and other major cities). Bring your passport, a copy of your entry stamp, and your SIGEMIG registration. Extensions are typically granted in 30-day increments for a small fee.
Bolivia's rules don't cover your transit countries. UK, EU, US, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand citizens transiting Madrid will need ETIAS pre-registration for Spain from mid-2026. Australians, Canadians, and Americans transiting Sao Paulo or Rio need to check Brazil's current visa rules, Brazil reintroduced tourist visas for some nationalities in 2025. UK citizens are still visa-exempt for Brazil at time of writing.
Bolivian law allows travelers to carry up to USD 10,000 into the country without declaration and without forced exchange. The US Embassy has reported isolated cases of travelers being pressured to exchange dollars at the border. If this happens, politely ask to see an immigration supervisor. You are within your rights to carry your own currency.
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