Bolivia Drops All Visa Requirements for Americans

Americans traveling to Bolivia will no longer have to obtain a visa ahead of time.

Bolivia’s Foreign Minister Fernando Aramayo announced this week that eight countries, including the United States, will move into Bolivia’s Group 1 tourist visa category, which requires only a valid passport for entry. Among the other seven countries are Israel, South Africa, and South Korea.

Previously, the U.S. had been in the most restrictive group (Group 3), requiring travelers to fill out a formal application and provide extensive documentation, including hotel booking information, bank statements, flight details, a police clearance certificate, and vaccination proof, in order to obtain a visa.

Now, Americans will only need a valid passport with six months or more before expiration and a yellow fever certificate in order to enter Bolivia.

The goal of the change is to help boost Bolivia’s travel economy—the country’s government says that dropping the requirement for those eight countries could generate around $80 million by 2030. Officials also noted that the U.S. and others had been in the more restrictive group for political reasons, and this change corrects that.

Bolivia has often sat outside mainstream South American itineraries, despite its high-altitude landscapes and cultural depth, but that could soon change.

Some major North American tour operators have been operating in Bolivia already, including G Adventures. In October, Abercrombie & Kent announced it was expanding into Bolivia with its acquisition of Crillon Tours, a local tour company. Crillon offers specialized itineraries on Lake Titicaca and the Uyuni Salt Flats, including its fleet of Airstream caravans.