Bolivia · Spouse visas
Bolivia Spouse of a citizen
First stay: 1 yr
Temporary Stay for Family (spouse of a Bolivian national)
First checked against official sources on , some details partly verifiedChange log
Key facts
Spouse of a citizen is a spouse visas route for Bolivia. Checked 2026-10-10 against the official source.
- First stay
- 1 yr
Time and long term
RenewalRenewable
Temporary stays last one, two or three years, with renewals; the family stay is granted for the period requested and justified in the application.
Permanent residenceAfter 3 years of residence
Permanent stay requires at least three years of stay in Bolivia and an express request.
Estado Plurinacional de BoliviaEstado Plurinacional de Bolivia
CitizenshipAfter 2 years of residence
A foreigner married to a Bolivian can apply for naturalisation after two years of uninterrupted temporary stay in Bolivia, with the marriage certificate and the spouse's identity card.
Where to applyAbroad or in-country
You can apply for the family visa at a Bolivian consulate, or change your status from inside Bolivia if you entered as a tourist or visitor and meet the requirements.
Presence rulesAway max 90 days
A temporary stay is cancelled if you spend more than 90 days a year outside Bolivia (in one trip or several) without authorisation from the migration authority.
What you'll need
Who can apply1
- Foreigner with a family tie to a person in Bolivia, including marriage or intended marriage.
What you must show1
- Economic solvency shown by a sworn declaration backed by documents.
Documents4
- Sworn application form, valid passport and current photograph.
- Certificate of no national or international criminal or police records.
- Medical certificate, and vaccination certificate where applicable.
- Document proving the purpose of the stay and proof of payment of the fee.
Steps3
- A 30-day consular family visa allows entry and the transitory permit for family.
- The transitory permit for family is processed before the consular visa expires and lasts 60 extra days.
- That permit allows applying for a temporary stay of 1 year.
After you arrive1
- Permanent stay needs at least 3 years of residence, except as extended from a permanent-stay spouse.
When you become tax resident
How Bolivia decides tax residence and treats foreign-source income, from its tax records.
- Stay on this route
1 year at first, renewable
- Tax residence
The tax charge follows the Bolivian source of the income rather than residence.
- Foreign-source income
Source-based
Bolivia's personal income tax (RC-IVA) applies to all income of Bolivian source whatever the domicile or residence of the taxpayer; foreign-source income is not in the base, and the tax rate is 13%.
- Special regime
Bolivia source-based personal income tax: Bolivian-source income only · 13% tax
All tax rules for Bolivia Tax records checked
Full official text
For a foreigner who is married, or about to marry, a Bolivian national. It leads from a family visa and transitory permit to a one-year temporary stay. 1 2
Requirements
- Foreigner with a family tie to a person in Bolivia, including marriage or intended marriage. 1
- Economic solvency shown by a sworn declaration backed by documents. 1
- Sworn application form, valid passport and current photograph. 1
- Certificate of no national or international criminal or police records. 1
- Medical certificate, and vaccination certificate where applicable. 1
- Document proving the purpose of the stay and proof of payment of the fee. 1
- A 30-day consular family visa allows entry and the transitory permit for family. 1
- The transitory permit for family is processed before the consular visa expires and lasts 60 extra days. 1
- That permit allows applying for a temporary stay of 1 year. 1
- Permanent stay needs at least 3 years of residence, except as extended from a permanent-stay spouse. 2 1
Stay
- Family transitory permit leads to a temporary stay of one year; the validity of the temporary family stay depends on the application made.
- Initial permitted stay: 12 months.
- Renewable, subject to the conditions in force at renewal.
Official sources
- Decreto Supremo N° 1923, Reglamento de la Ley de Migración (arts. 12, 13 y 15) · Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (texto del decreto) · checked 2026-10-11
- Ley N° 370 de Migración (arts. 31 y 12) · Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (texto de la ley) · checked 2026-10-11
- Decreto Supremo Nº 1923: Reglamento de la Ley de Migración (Ley Nº 370) · Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (Lexivox) · checked 2026-10-10 · published 2014-03-13
Spouse of a citizen and its alternatives
| Route | Money needed | Stay | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spouse of a citizen | – | 1 yr, renewable | – |
| Spouse of a permanent resident | – | – | – |
| Spouse of a citizen Mexico | – | 2 yr, renewable | Limited |
| Partner of a citizen Colombia | – | – | Yes |
| Spouse of a citizen Costa Rica | – | 1 yr, renewable | Limited |
Questions people ask
How long can I stay on the Spouse of a citizen?
Family transitory permit leads to a temporary stay of one year; the validity of the temporary family stay depends on the application made.
Does the Spouse of a citizen lead to permanent residence in Bolivia?
Time on the Spouse of a citizen counts toward permanent residence in Bolivia, which the rules allow after 3 years of residence. Time on the Spouse of a citizen counts toward citizenship, which the rules allow after 2 years of residence.
Is there a tax break for Spouse of a citizen holders in Bolivia?
Bolivia source-based personal income tax (RC-IVA): Bolivian-source income only: Bolivia's personal income tax (RC-IVA) applies to all income of Bolivian source whatever the domicile or residence of the taxpayer; foreign-source income is not in the base, and the tax rate is 13%. It's separate from the visa and has its own conditions.
Tax
Special regime
Bolivia source-based personal income tax (RC-IVA): Bolivian-source income only
13% tax
Details
- On: Income of Bolivian source of natural persons and undivided estates
- Who: Applies to natural persons and undivided estates (art. 22)
Bolivia's personal income tax (RC-IVA) applies to all income of Bolivian source whatever the domicile or residence of the taxpayer; foreign-source income is not in the base, and the tax rate is 13%.
Taxed on
Income of Bolivian source of natural persons and undivided estates (arts. 20-22 and 30 of Ley 843, Título III): income from goods located or used economically in Bolivia, from acts or activities carried out in national territory, or from events occurring inside it, whatever the nationality, domicile or residence of the holder.
Who it applies to
- Applies to natural persons and undivided estates (art. 22); no visa or registration condition for foreign-source income to fall outside the base.
Exclusions
- Fees and payments to persons not domiciled in Bolivia for work carried out in national territory are covered by the tax (art. 19 lit. h as added by Ley 1448 of 2022), except income of athletes and artists in international competitions.
- Foreign diplomats and international-organisation staff are outside the tax in the cases stated in art. 20.
Tax residence
Domicile and residence are irrelevant to the RC-IVA base under art. 20; no day-count test is applied there.
Visas
The source rule applies to all residents and non-residents regardless of immigration status.
Other taxes
Business profits tax (IUE), transactions tax (IT) and VAT are separate taxes in Ley 843. The 13% figure is the general single rate of art. 15 (VAT) and art. 30 (RC-IVA applies 13% to income determined under chapters IV and V). Employees deduct a non-taxable minimum of two national minimum wages in each tax period (art. 26).
Checked against official sources on , some details partly verifiedChange log
More in Bolivia
Spouse and partner visas elsewhere
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How this was checked
Checked on 2026-10-10 against 3 official sources. Status: partly verified; the page marks the facts an official source does not fully confirm.
Every figure on this page comes from the official source it links to. The record was researched against these sources, then reviewed separately, with special attention to effective dates and amendments. Where a source does not state something, the page leaves it out.
- Decreto Supremo N° 1923, Reglamento de la Ley de Migración (arts. 12, 13 y 15) · Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (texto del decreto) · checked 2026-10-11
- Ley N° 370 de Migración (arts. 31 y 12) · Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (texto de la ley) · checked 2026-10-11
- Decreto Supremo Nº 1923: Reglamento de la Ley de Migración (Ley Nº 370) · Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (Lexivox) · checked 2026-10-10
Tracked since 2026-10-10. Rule changes and corrections are listed on the changes page, and the methodology page explains how facts are checked. Found something out of date? Email contact@stayglobe.app with a link to the official source.