--- title: "Bolivia Work stay requirements 2026: 3-year stay" url: https://settleanywhere.com/countries/bolivia/temporary-work/ lang: en updated: 2026-10-10 --- Bolivia · Work # Bolivia Work stay **First stay:** 3 yrs Temporary stay for work (permanencia temporal por trabajo) First checked against official sources on 10 Oct 2026 [Change log](https://settleanywhere.com/changes/) - **First stay:** 3 yrs (One, two or three years with renewals, depending on the time of the activity.) - **Who can apply:** Any passport - **Tax angle:** 13% tax (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%.) ## Key facts Work stay is a work route for Bolivia. Checked 2026-10-10 against the official source. - **First stay:** 3 yrs ## Time and long term **Renewal: Renewable** Temporary stays last one, two or three years, with renewals, depending on how long the activity lasts. [Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia](https://www.lexivox.org/norms/BO-DS-N1923.html) **Permanent residence: After 3 years of residence** Permanent stay requires at least three years of stay in Bolivia and an express request. [Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia](https://www.lexivox.org/norms/BO-DS-N1923.html) [Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia](https://www.lexivox.org/norms/BO-L-N370.xhtml) **Citizenship: After 3 years of residence** Naturalisation needs more than three years of uninterrupted legal residence in Bolivia (temporary or permanent stay) and a written request to the Ministry of Government. [Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia](https://www.lexivox.org/norms/BO-DS-N1923.html) **Where to apply: Abroad or in-country** You can apply for the work visa at a Bolivian consulate, or change your status from inside Bolivia if you entered as a tourist or visitor and meet the requirements. [Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia](https://www.lexivox.org/norms/BO-DS-N1923.html) **Presence rules: Away 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. [Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia](https://www.lexivox.org/norms/BO-DS-N1923.html) ### What you'll need #### What you must show - Economic solvency is shown by a sworn declaration backed by documents. #### Documents - A sworn application form is required. - A passport is required. - A police record is required. - A medical certificate is required. - A photograph is required. - Proof of payment of the procedure fee is required. #### Steps 1. A work visa (30 days) or transitory work stay (up to 180 days) can lead to a temporary stay. ## When you become tax resident How Bolivia decides tax residence and treats foreign-source income, from its tax records. - **Stay on this route:** **Up to 3 years 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](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/bolivia/tax/) Tax records checked 12 Oct 2026 **Full official text** Temporary stay for foreigners performing paid or lucrative work, with or without an employment relationship, or activities under state or private agreements; work contracts are endorsed by the Ministry of Labour. (source 1) #### Requirements - Economic solvency is shown by a sworn declaration backed by documents. (source 1) - A sworn application form is required. (source 1) - A passport is required. (source 1) - A police record is required. (source 1) - A medical certificate is required. (source 1) - A photograph is required. (source 1) - Proof of payment of the procedure fee is required. (source 1) - A work visa (30 days) or transitory work stay (up to 180 days) can lead to a temporary stay. (source 1) #### Stay - One, two or three years with renewals, depending on the time of the activity. - First stay: 12 to 36 months, decided case by case. - Renewable, subject to the conditions in force at renewal. #### Work Paid or lucrative work in the authorised activity. Checked 2026-10-10 ## Official sources 1. [Decreto Supremo Nº 1923: Reglamento de la Ley de Migración (Ley Nº 370)](https://www.lexivox.org/norms/BO-DS-N1923.html) · Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (Lexivox) · checked 2026-10-10 · published 2014-03-13 2. [Ley N° 370 de Migración (arts. 31 y 12)](https://www.lexivox.org/norms/BO-L-N370.xhtml) · Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (texto de la ley) · checked 2026-10-11 ## Work stay and its alternatives | Route | Money needed | Stay | Work | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Work stay | – | 3 yr, renewable | – | | [Job-offer residence](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/mexico/temporary-resident-job-offer/) Mexico | – | 4 yr | – | | [Internationalisation visa M](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/colombia/m-fomento-internacionalizacion/) Colombia | – | 3 yr | – | | [Scientist/professional permit](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/costa-rica/temporary-professionals-scientists/) Costa Rica | – | 2 yr, renewable | – | | [Work visa](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/brazil/vitem-v-work/) Brazil | – | 2 yr, renewable | – | ## Questions people ask ### How long can I stay on the Work stay? One, two or three years with renewals, depending on the time of the activity. ### Can I work on the Work stay? Paid or lucrative work in the authorised activity. ### Does the Work stay lead to permanent residence in Bolivia? Time on the Work stay counts toward permanent residence in Bolivia, which the rules allow after 3 years of residence. Time on the Work stay counts toward citizenship, which the rules allow after 3 years of residence. ### Is there a tax break for Work stay 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](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/bolivia/tax/#tax-bo-source-based-income-tax) 13% tax Foreign-source income: Source-based **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 12 Oct 2026, some details partly verified [Change log](https://settleanywhere.com/changes/) [Full page →](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/bolivia/tax/) ## More in Bolivia [Student stay](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/bolivia/study-temporary/) ## Work visas elsewhere [🇨🇦 Express Entry · Skilled Worker](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/canada/express-entry-pr/) [🇺🇸 Gold Card · Corporate $2M](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/united-states/gold-card-corporate/) [🇵🇦 Friendly Nations residence](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/panama/friendly-nations-permanent/) [🇨🇱 Paid work residence](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/chile/paid-activities/) [🇪🇨 Company executive visa](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/ecuador/temporary-legal-representative/) [🇩🇴 Managers and technicians](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/dominican-republic/managerial-staff/) ≈ USD figures are approximate: daily reference rates from ExchangeRate-API, dated 12 Oct 2026, refreshed when the site is updated. ## How this was checked **Checked on 2026-10-10 against 2 official sources.** Status: verified against the official sources. 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. 1. [Decreto Supremo Nº 1923: Reglamento de la Ley de Migración (Ley Nº 370)](https://www.lexivox.org/norms/BO-DS-N1923.html) · Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (Lexivox) · checked 2026-10-10 2. [Ley N° 370 de Migración (arts. 31 y 12)](https://www.lexivox.org/norms/BO-L-N370.xhtml) · Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (texto de la ley) · checked 2026-10-11 Tracked since 2026-10-10. Rule changes and corrections are listed on the [changes page](https://settleanywhere.com/changes/), and the [methodology page](https://settleanywhere.com/methodology/) explains how facts are checked. Found something out of date? Email [contact@stayglobe.app](mailto:contact@stayglobe.app?subject=Correction) with a link to the official source.