For a decade, US travellers to Bolivia faced one of South America’s most expensive entry rules: a US$160 reciprocity visa, valid ten years, that could be paid on arrival but meant cash queues and exact, unmarked dollar notes. That regime has ended. Effective 1 December 2025, Bolivia moved the United States into its visa-free Group 1, and the US Embassy in La Paz confirmed it directly with a notice headed “Visitor Visas No Longer Required.” We have updated Bolivia’s visa-free entry page for US citizens accordingly.
Eight countries moved to visa-free, not just the US
The same decree added eight nationalities to Group 1 (visa exemption) on 1 December 2025:
- United States — previously Group 2 (it had been moved out of visa-free back in February 2021).
- United Arab Emirates — also previously visa-on-arrival.
- South Korea, South Africa, Bulgaria, Malta, Romania and Israel — completing the eight.
For most of these passports the practical change is the same: no visa, no fee, and no consular paperwork before flying.
What actually applies now for US citizens
- No visa and no fee for tourism or business.
- 30 days are stamped on arrival, extendable free of charge at any Dirección General de Migración (DIGEMIG) office, up to a cap of 90 days per calendar year.
- Passport valid at least six months; officers may still ask for an onward ticket and accommodation details.
- A yellow-fever vaccination certificate is required for the Amazon lowlands (Rurrenabaque, Trinidad) and is checked on some flights from endemic areas.
The one thing everyone now needs: SIGEMIG
Visa-free does not mean paperwork-free. Since 2025 Bolivia requires every foreign visitor — visa or visa-exempt — to complete SIGEMIG, a free online migratory pre-registration. It is not an e-visa and takes only a few minutes, but skipping it is now one of the most common reasons travellers are pulled aside at El Alto airport in La Paz (at 4,061 m, the world’s highest international airport). Complete it before you travel.
Who still needs a visa
Bolivia keeps a three-group system. Group 2 nationalities — including China, Taiwan and Iran — still need a tourist visa (around US$30), obtainable at a consulate or, for many, on arrival; see our Bolivia Group 2 tourist-visa page. Group 3 nationalities — including Pakistan, Afghanistan and a number of African and Middle Eastern states — must obtain a visa in advance with prior DIGEMIG authorisation from La Paz, and should never ticket travel before approval.
How we verify this
We corrected our database to move US and UAE citizens from visa-on-arrival to visa-free for Bolivia, re-verified the 90-day annual cap and the SIGEMIG requirement, and dated every change. The change is sourced to the US Embassy in La Paz and Bolivia’s published visa-group classification. Our full process is in our Editorial & Data Standards; start planning from the Bolivia destination hub.