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To enter Bolivia as a South African citizen, one needs a visa. I was aware of this, but I was under the impression it was a visa on arrival. While it is technically available on arrival, it costs 110 USD at the border, and certain documents need to be prepared beforehand. Which makes it more like an embassy visa application but with an instant turnover. Fortunately, I read that it can be obtained for free or at a much lower fee at the Bolivian consulate. Always in the mood for a discount, I tracked back to a town called Jujuy, the capital of the province where the Bolivian consular offices are situated.
I arrived in Jujuy on a Sunday afternoon, hoping to print my documents before my Consular visit the following day. To my dismay, almost nothing was open. Not even restaurants or cafes. Even though it was raining, the only things open were ice cream shops. Although an annoying setback, it simply meant that I needed to start the day as early as possible the next morning.
That evening I set off to prepare my visa application online, which once submitted needs to be printed out and taken to the embassy. The necessary documents for the online application include:
- A fully dated itinerary
- Proof of accommodation
- Proof of solvency (bank statements)
- Passport photos in an unusual size of 3×3
- Proof of travel insurance
- Copy of passport
The online application proved to be a challenge as it was mostly in Spanish and lacked clear instructions for document contents. For instance, it had a requirement to submit “Proof of Solvency” without any indication of what would constitute proof. After several attempts and numerous google translate sessions, I finally managed to submit my application successfully. I received a pdf application document that needed to be printed alongside my other documents and manually submitted at the embassy.
As planned, I got an early start the next morning and I visited a print shop as soon as they opened. Expecting a bit of a struggle at the print shop, it actually turned out to be the quickest and easiest printing experience I had ever encountered. With my documents in hand I swiftly headed to the embassy. The embassy is easily missed as it resembled a regular house with a Bolivian flag outside. It was hardly distinguishable from the surrounding residential buildings. But I eventually found it and as I entered, I was promptly assisted. I bypassed what seemed to be the waiting room and was led to a meeting room instead. There I waited until a consultant, or whatever the person’s role was, to tend to me.
He soon arrived, and I presented all my documents to him. He acknowledged them positively, but then informed me that, as a South African, I could also obtain my visa at the border I proceeded to inquire about the cost, and he confirmed it would be 110 USD if processed at the border. Trying to convey my intention to submit the application at the consulate to avoid the unnecessary cost, I faced his growing impatience. It’s worth noting that he didn’t speak a word of English and didn’t make any effort to slow down his Spanish to aid my understanding. At this point, I resorted to Google Translate. In a translated message, I once again expressed my desire to process it at the embassy and not at the border. He seemed to sigh, but reluctantly agreed, and we went to his office. Oddly, we hadn’t started there to begin with since we would be needing his computer to process the application I was there to submit. It appeared he was eager to usher me away.
He began scrutinising my documents once again, seeking flaws, and noted that my bank statements only covered three months instead of the required six. He informed me that I needed to obtain the full six-month history, resubmit the application online, and return. Somewhat sceptical at this previously overlooked shortcoming, I had no choice but to concede. I inquired about the time it would take to process the visa. To which he said it could take up to nine days. I raised objections, citing online accounts of people getting their visas within a day. Reluctantly, he acknowledged this but reiterated it could take anywhere from five to nine days. Despite my efforts, I couldn’t extract a probable processing time from him. He never wanted to admit it usually takes a day or two. It was clear that he wasn’t keen on assisting me and had been pushing to obtain the visa at the border. I couldn’t say whether this was to avoid work or whether a preference for the border due to the price difference. He seemed to also imply that I wouldn’t have an issue with my current documents at the border, only the embassy. Abruptly, mid conversation, he insisted that he had no more time to address my questions and got up to leave.
Frustrated, I found myself with no choice but to proceed to the border. Waiting two weeks in Jujuy for a visa would have been an immense waste of time. Spoiler alert, the border visa application officials didn’t even take the bank statement documents he insisted had to be correct.
