Visas in La Paz

Summary

Bolivia sorts nationalities into three groups for entry purposes. Group 1 is the visa-exempt category and is the relevant baseline for most nomads (most South American countries, most EU/Schengen countries, the UK, Australia, Canada, and — as of a major December 2025 policy shift — the United States, Israel, and several other countries that were previously excluded).

Who Qualifies

Citizens of Group 1 countries. As of a policy change announced 1 December 2025, the Bolivian government moved several previously visa-required nationalities (including the United States and Israel) into Group 1.

Important Caveat

Bolivia's visa lists have changed multiple times in the past year (most recently 1 December 2025), so nomads should verify their specific nationality's current group directly with the Bolivian Ministry of Foreign Affairs or nearest consulate before travel rather than relying on older blog posts.

Other Groups Context

Group 2 nationalities must obtain a visa in advance (at a Bolivian embassy/consulate; on-arrival issuance for Group 2 was reported to have ended around July 2025 for at least some nationalities). Group 3 nationalities need a visa with prior special consular authorization and cannot get one at the border. This does not apply to the Group 1 baseline most nomads reading this guide will use.

System

Bolivia runs a territorial tax system: only Bolivian-source income is taxed, regardless of nationality, residency status, or how long someone stays in the country.

Wealth Tax Caveat

A separate wealth tax (IGF) applies to worldwide assets, but only for residents spending 183+ days/year in Bolivia with net wealth above roughly USD 4.3 million — irrelevant to the vast majority of remote workers; a repeal of this tax has been proposed but was not yet enacted as of early 2026.

Domestic Income Tax

Locally sourced employment income is taxed via RC-IVA (Régimen Complementario al Impuesto al Valor Agregado) at a flat 13%, calculated on gross salary minus mandatory social security contributions; a personal-consumption-invoice credit system and an exemption up to roughly four times the national minimum wage (approx. BOB 11,000 / USD 1,600 per month) effectively removes most ordinary local salaries from net tax.

Foreign Remote Income

Income earned by working remotely for clients/employers outside Bolivia is treated as foreign-source and is not taxed in Bolivia, even for legal residents.

Tax Residency Trigger

There's some inconsistency across sources: several describe 183 days in a calendar year as the threshold commonly cited for 'tax residency,' but Bolivia does not have a formally codified personal tax-residency test the way many countries do — practically, the 183-day figure matters most for the wealth tax (IGF), not for the treatment of ordinary foreign-source income, which stays untaxed regardless of days present.

Proof Of Tax Residency

A formal Tax Residency Certificate (for use with foreign tax authorities) must be separately requested from SIN (Servicio de Impuestos Nacionales) — it is not issued automatically with the residency ID card (CIE).

Reporting And Transparency

Bolivia has not implemented the OECD Common Reporting Standard (CRS) or the crypto-asset reporting framework (CARF) as of March 2026, meaning Bolivian banks do not automatically share account data with foreign tax authorities via those mechanisms, though it joined the OECD Global Forum, signalling a possible future shift.

Application Paths

• Enter on the 90-day visa-free tourist stay (many remote workers simply work informally during this window, which is a legal gray area since it isn't authorized work)
• Obtain a Specific Purpose Visa at a Bolivian consulate abroad, then file for Temporary Residency in-country at the Dirección General de Migración (offices in La Paz, Santa Cruz, or Cochabamba)
• Complete biometric registration for the CIE (foreign resident ID card) through SEGIP
• Employer-sponsored work permit route for those with a Bolivian employment contract (not applicable to those working for foreign clients only)

Documents Required

• Valid passport (6+ months validity)
• Specific Purpose Visa obtained at a consulate before/upon entry (route-dependent)
• Proof of income/means appropriate to the category applied under (pension statement, investment proof, employment contract, etc.)
• Migration entry certificate with entry dates
• Passport photos
• For work-category applicants: Bolivian employment contract; for investor-category: shareholder registry/proof of investment
• Yellow fever vaccination certificate (recommended for entry, especially if travelling from/via endemic areas)

Caveat

Bolivia has no legal visa category built around remote work for foreign clients, so there is no official 'digital nomad income requirement' — applicants instead qualify under an existing category (rentista, investor, work, or retiree).

Documented Minimum

BOB 2,100

Approximate financial-means figure cited for general temporary residency applications; there is no separate, formally published income threshold specific to remote/freelance workers since no freelancer or digital-nomad category exists.

Length

Most nationalities (Group 1, including most EU countries, and now the US per a 2026 policy change) can enter visa-free for up to 90 days per year for tourism; this entry cannot be extended and does not authorize work.

Note On Conflicting Reports

Some sources describe a shorter 30-day tourist visa extendable to 90 days rather than a flat 90-day entry; treat the effective ceiling as 90 days total per year and verify current rules with the Bolivian consulate before travel.

Exists

No

Summary

Bolivia has no dedicated digital nomad or freelancer visa as of mid-2026. Remote workers typically either stay on the visa-free/tourist entry (which does not authorize any paid work, including remote work for a foreign employer) or pursue Bolivia's general temporary residency system, most commonly via the 'rentista' (foreign income) category.