Bolivia Visa Requirements - Specific Purpose Visa - Visa de Objeto Determinado

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 in visa groups 2 and 3 (see below), no matter their country of origin.

Click to see which visa group affects you: Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3

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 and you then decide to apply for residency you will pay much more to obtain the specific purpose visa and there will be delays.

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 2 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. This page was last updated on 3 July 2015.