Bolivia Travel Forum

hi all...

i am in south amwerica now and am planning on travelling by bus from peru into bolivia in a few weeks (i will be coming from cuzco and heading into la paz so will likely cross at puno/copacabana)and i will stay in bolivia for about 2 weeks...anyways, i am american and i am hearing a lot of conflicting information and stories from other travellers about what i will or will not need to cross the border...
- i know that now the fee for americans to get tourist visa is $135 us dollars.
- i met some americans who crossed by bus...they had to pay this fee but otherwise had no problem.
- on the bolivia gov. website it says you need certificates of vac. hotel reservation print out, pasport photos, etc. this seems lek a lot, is this necessary??

any advice will be very helpful and appreciated, thanks!!!!

julia

Hi Julia,

If it´s only a visa, passport photos and a hotel reservation, that isn´t too bad ! You should go to the nearest migration or US embassy, to get your visa. Send an e-mail to a hostel in f.e. La Paz, and they´ll send you a room reservation, which you can show. At the border they shouldn´t ask for money, that would be corruption.

Good luck, if you can, visit us in Bolivia´s most diverse nature area: http://www.andorinasamaipata.com ....

Andrés

wow! i did not know this.
according to the Bolivian Embassy to the United States's website (http://www.bolivia-usa.org/), you must pay this reciprocity fee of $135.

You can obtain the visa beforehand or at the border. It appears that you need to have a yellow fever vaccination certificate, which isn't difficult to obtain (if/when you get the vaccination). But this could depend on what countries you've been visiting previously.

As for the hotel, don't worry about that. They provide a list if you don't have a hotel already. You probably just have to fill in "any" hotel name on the visa form and it's fine. so if you don't have your hotel already booked, just choose one from your travel guide whether you are staying there or not.

As for the return trip, do you have this? if so, then just bring the printout of your onward travel confirmation. otherwise, do you speak spanish? do you have any other hotel booked in any country along the way?

note: i think this new reciprocity fee is quite interesting. it is a very overt representation of Pres. Evo Morales's anti-imperialist policy. i'm not necessarily opposed.