Everything you need to know about entering Bolivia (as an American)

What I wish I knew before a 25-hour bus ride

My impulsiveness came into play the day I decided to go to Bolivia. I was in Cusco, Peru, and set to travel home the next day to Boston when I instead decided to cancel my flight and extend my time in South America. As a naive female solo traveler, I thought, what’s the worst that could happen? So I embarked on a 25-hour bus ride with Peru Hop, an amazing bus company that I highly recommend. On this journey from Cusco, Peru to La Paz, Bolivia, we stopped in Puno for about an hour and Copacabana for about 4 hours. While you can stay in beautiful Copacabana for a night, right on Lake Titicaca, I personally did not have the time and continued right on to Bolivia. However, this journey was not as smooth as it sounds. Puno is located in Peru and Copacabana is located in Bolivia. So between these cities, we had to cross the border and go through customs and all that fun stuff. I soon realized why not many Americans travel to Bolivia (I was the only American I met in my 3 weeks there). So here is everything you need to know before entering Bolivia so you are well prepared!

If you are in Cusco, I recommend using PeruHop/Bolivia Hop into La Paz. It cost $59 USD which provided breakfast and dinner, discounted excursions on Lake Titicaca, and hostel drop-off. The hostel drop off once arriving in La Paz was amazing as I was definitely overwhelmed with the city after such a long journey and having transportation figured out for me at that moment was perfect. They helped greatly at customs when crossing the boarder and cannot say enough good things about their service!

The play-by-play at the border:

The bus drops you off at an office where you exit Peru, right on the border. They stamp your exit ticket out of the country and you continue on with your bags to walk to the Bolivian customs. I found this to be pretty cool, walking across boarders. However, this is where I realized I was ill-fully prepared for my journey. I soon found out this was everything I needed to present to enter the country (as an American):

Visa Requirements:

1. $160 for a Visa. This can be paid in US dollars or by credit card.
2. a printed itinerary for your time in Bolivia- I used my Peru Hop bus itinerary into La Paz and they except it.
3. Printed proof of accommodations- I booked only the first night in La Paz on hostel world so it’s ok if you do not have long-term accommodations
4. Printed proof of exiting the country- I used my flight confirmation from La Paz to Lima
5. 2 printed passport-sized photos
6. Printed bank statement
7. Covid vaccinations- you do not need yellow fever vaccination unless you are coming from a country of high risk. I came from Peru and was fine without it.
8. Daily documentation- this is different from the printed itinerary. After gaining access to Bolivia, you must register on the website they provide at customs and update where you are within the country every day and where you are staying. It is definitely another tedious chore to do but in the grand scheme of things, not a big deal at all as it takes under 30 seconds to submit.

Now, obviously, I had absolutely none of this. This is why Peru Hop was so great. Our bus guide stayed with me for the entire process making sure everything was going okay and helped with translation. There is a building where you can print all these documents and get passport-sized photos taken for your visa right next door. My guide helped me convert my money into bolivianos to pay for the prints which came out to only about $5 USD.

This process was very different for the other travelers on my bus as they were all European and did not need a visa, they were able to just show their passports for entrance. For this reason, the bus left without me as my process was taking well over an hour. I quite honestly did not mind at all that the bus left me. It was genuinely pretty funny having to walk across the border from Peru into Bolivia with all my stuff and it was beautiful, I was right on Lake Titicaca! The guide of course stayed with me and once I was approved for entry and received my visa, Peru Hop paid for a local bus to take us about 30 minutes to Copacabana to meet the rest of the group. While it was not an ideal process it went as smoothly as it could have with little to no preparation.

Many Americans do not enter Bolivia because of this difficult process and the fact you have to purchase a visa for $160 but I am so so glad I did. Bolivia was a beautiful country with so much to offer. Some of my favorite memories in my life occurred in Bolivia and the visa lasts for 10 years so I hope to return soon.