Bolivia Visa for Indian nationals is often marketed as ‘On Arrival’ or lists on visa free countries for Indians. However, this is not the true picture. The Visa can be taken on arrival but at a cost and only at certain airports, not while crossing over land. If taken in advance then the Visa is free of cost $25 (as of May 2018) and is issued the same day as application.
I applied for Bolivia Visa while I was in Buenos Aires and it would have been the easiest had I been better at Spanish. The first day I went to the embassy, I only got the website link where I had to fill an application and upload all the documents.
Next day morning I got to know, the category I chose to fill my application was not right, So, I sat at a cafe nearby, filled my form again, walked around to get the print out (It was the most difficult part) and then went back to the embassy.
Website: http://www.embajadadebolivia.com.ar/
Cost: Free of cost $25 if taken in Advance otherwise it costs over $50
Processing Time: Visa issued Immediately (Someone was asked to come in the afternoon, that’s the latest)
Embassy: Buenos Aires
Visa Requested: 30 days
Visa Issued: 30 days single entry (this is the standard tourist Visa)
Validity: Nothing is stated on the Visa. I went after 33 days of issue and was fine but some embassies inform the traveler to enter the country within 30 days of Visa issue
Online form: https://portalmre.rree.gob.bo/formvisas/
Visa Type: ‘Visa of Tourism’
Bolivia Visa Requirements:
- Print of online form (All documents have to be attached to the online form)
He looked at my face, then my application, back to my face, and put the Visa on my passport. Did not even ask me to wait or anything.
Best people ever.
And here is the story of visas 😊I still remember your initial visas on passport
Yes 🙂 I remember sharing my excitement with you when I got my Brazil Visa which was the first in line!
Can you share how you applied for Visas for Brazil, Argentina and Chile as well. Information available online is quite confusing. Is it easy to apply for visa on the go e.g., applying for Argentina Visa from Rio or applying for Chile from Buenos Aires?
Hey, I’ve actually written about those countries in detail here – https://thesolespeaks.wordpress.com/2017/01/14/visa-brazil-visa-for-indians/
https://thesolespeaks.wordpress.com/2017/02/14/visa-argentina-visa-for-indians/
https://thesolespeaks.wordpress.com/2017/05/01/visa-how-to-get-chile-visa-for-indians/
For Indians it’s recommended that you apply for Visa in India itself. Brazil is okay to apply from a third country. It’s as easy or as complicated it is in India. Argentina would be a nightmare to apply from a third country. They never reply to emails to give you an appointment and do not entertain walk-ins. I wanted to go back there so I have tried this.
I don’t have information on Chile Visa. I know someone who got it from Uruguay though.
Most embassies would ask for a return flight ticket to be uploaded or attached with the application. I feel it can be quite an expensive loss if the visa gets rejected. So, what should be the best tactics in this regard? Is dummy flight tickets acceptable?
For South America trip, I had a return ticket from Brazil to India (I din’t use it though). I used that ticket for other Visa applications with a cover letter.
A good way to get around it is to find an agent who would book cancellable tickets for a fixed cost. You could also call airlines to find out their cancellation policy.