Bolivia Digital Nomad Visa
Difficulty
Moderate
Overview
Bolivia does not issue a digital nomad visa. Remote workers have two legal routes: a tourist stay for short visits, and temporary residence under Migration Law 370 for longer ones.
Nationals of the United States, Israel, South Korea, South Africa, Bulgaria, Malta, Romania and the United Arab Emirates have entered without a tourist visa since 1 December 2025 under Supreme Decree 5497. Tourist status covers rest and leisure and excludes paid activity in Bolivia, and the rules say nothing about remote work for foreign clients. Temporary residence runs up to 3 years but is built around work, health or family purposes, not around location-independent income.
Income tax is territorial, so Bolivian-source income is taxable and there is no special regime for remote workers. The United States has no income tax treaty with Bolivia, so US citizens and green card holders keep their full US filing obligations.
Eligibility Requirements
Bolivia’s tourist visa rules sort nationalities into three groups. Group 1 nationals need no visa and enter with a valid passport or, where accepted, a national identity document. Group 2 nationals need a tourist visa from a consulate or, where available, from the migration post at the airport or border. Group 3 nationals need a visa that is issued only after DIGEMIG reviews the request.
The United States, Israel, South Korea, South Africa, Bulgaria, Malta, Romania and the United Arab Emirates moved to Group 1 on 1 December 2025. Before that, US citizens had paid a visa fee and filed a full application. The group lists decide how you enter, and the permit options for longer stays are the same for every nationality.
Requirements Checklist
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How and where to apply
Bolivia has no application for a digital nomad visa. Nationals of Group 1 countries enter without a tourist visa. A specific purpose visa is requested at a Bolivian consulate, and temporary residence is requested from the Dirección General de Migración (DIGEMIG), at its central office or a departmental office.
Tax Information
How Bolivia taxes income
Bolivia taxes income on a territorial basis, which means income from Bolivian sources is taxable there. Income tax has no general day-count residence test. The 183-day test applies only to the wealth tax (Impuesto a las Grandes Fortunas): more than 183 days in 12 months, continuous or not, under article 4 of Law 1357. The government has proposed abolishing that tax, and it stays in force until a repeal is enacted. In practice it reaches only very large fortunes.
Bolivia has no special tax regime for remote workers or digital nomads. Anyone who earns locally, or who stays for long periods, should take advice from the Servicio de Impuestos Nacionales or a local adviser on how their income is sourced.
US filing obligations
US citizens and resident aliens are taxed on worldwide income wherever they live. The foreign earned income exclusion for tax year 2026 is $132,900 per qualifying person, claimed on Form 2555. It requires a foreign tax home and either bona fide residence abroad for a full tax year or 330 full days outside the US in any 12 consecutive months. It covers wages, salaries and professional fees only. Pension and annuity payments, including Social Security benefits, are not foreign earned income.
An FBAR on FinCEN Form 114 is required when the combined value of foreign financial accounts exceeded $10,000 at any time in the calendar year. A Bolivian bank or brokerage account counts. The report is filed electronically through FinCEN's BSA E-Filing System and is due on April 15, with an automatic extension to October 15.
Tax treaty
Bolivia does not appear on the IRS list of US income tax treaties, so no treaty relief applies to dividends, interest, pensions or employment income. Tax paid to Bolivia is handled under the general US foreign tax credit rules.
Living in Bolivia
COL Index vs NYC
25.2
Monthly Cost (excl. rent)
$479
1BR Rent (City Center)
$352
Safety Index
47.6
Healthcare Index
42.1
Quality of Life Index
98.7
Time Zone
UTC-04:00
Capital
Sucre
Population
11.7M
Official Languages
Aymara, Guaraní, Quechua, Spanish
Avg Internet Speed
77 Mbps
Public Transit Quality
Poor
With a budget covering rent and living costs, you'd need roughly $831/mo for a comfortable single-person lifestyle in Bolivia.See how far your money goes →
🏙️ Best Cities in Bolivia for Digital Nomads
What Bolivia offers remote workers
Bolivia does not issue a digital nomad visa, a freelancer permit or an income-based residence category for remote workers. The visa list on Bolivian consular pages covers tourist, specific purpose, student, multiple-entry, humanitarian, courtesy and transit visas, and none is aimed at location-independent work. Two routes exist in practice: tourist status for short stays and temporary residence under Migration Law 370 for longer ones.
Tourist stays
Under article 8 of Supreme Decree 1923, tourist entry depends on a nationality group. Group 1 needs no visa, Group 2 needs a consular visa, and Group 3 needs a visa issued only after DIGEMIG reviews the request.
Tourists can stay up to 90 days a year. Entry gives 30 days, and under article 9 of Supreme Decree 1923 DIGEMIG can extend the stay twice by the same period. Tourist status is for rest and leisure and excludes paid activity in Bolivia. The rules do not address remote work for foreign employers or clients, so anyone planning a long stay should ask DIGEMIG which permit fits.
Temporary residence
Migration Law 370 allows temporary residence (permanencia temporal) of up to 3 years for foreigners who entered the country legally, under article 30 of the law. The usual way in is a specific purpose visa (visa de objeto determinado) for work, health or family reasons. Under article 9 of Supreme Decree 1923, that visa lets the holder apply for temporary residence after arrival. Applications go to DIGEMIG, whose departmental offices grant tourist extensions and the shortest temporary residence permits.
The specific purpose visa is issued by a consulate, and its validity depends on the reason for the stay. The Washington consulate asks for the activity to be documented, a police record certificate for applicants over 16, and proof of solvency by bank statement or credit card. The full list is in the document checklist.
Costs and conditions
A single remote worker in La Paz should budget roughly US$600 to US$1,000 a month. A one-bedroom apartment rents for about Bs.2,000 a month outside the center and Bs.3,000 in it. Santa Cruz runs a little higher, and Cochabamba is cheaper.
Bolivia is in an economic crisis with a dollar shortage, and road blockades have caused fuel and fresh food shortages in some areas. Median fixed broadband speed was about 74 Mbps in August 2026 against about 21 Mbps on mobile, so a fixed connection is the safer base for video calls. Health insurance should include medical evacuation.
Work Permissions
What's typically permitted:
Application Steps
- 1
📋 Find your entry group
- 2
📋 Ask DIGEMIG which permit fits
- 3
📄 Assemble the specific purpose visa file
- 4
📬 Apply for the specific purpose visa at a consulate
- 5
🏛️ Enter Bolivia and apply for temporary residence
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Frequently Asked Questions
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At a Glance
Last verified: October 27, 2026