en trámite

How it is used in Bolivia

An extremely common status phrase in Bolivian offices and administrative life, heard everywhere about services and paperwork alike: services, permits, certificates and titles can all be en trámite. Many certificates take days or weeks to issue, so hearing it is routine, not alarming.

It means 'not yet', not 'never', but for very different lengths of time: weeks or years. Treat it as a status update, not a finished result, and not a red flag by itself: note it, ask the specific question (it matters more than the phrase) rather than assume, and follow up for explicit confirmation.

In Santa Cruz it is seen everywhere on listings and heard constantly on land listings, for water, roads, services and, most importantly when buying land, the matrícula individual itself.