Spanish for Bolivia

“I’m moving my life to Bolivia.”

Relocate to Bolivia

Land, settle in, and run daily life in Santa Cruz, in Spanish.

From your first apartment to Migración, the bank, and everyday errands, you handle it yourself.

situations
9
chapters
71
Bolivia notes
373
chapters also in La Paz, Cochabamba, and Sucre
5
Start chapter 1 freeSee the Bolivia Pass
  • 9 situations, in the order you will live them
  • Starts free
  • A0 to B1
See the 9 situations ↓
Your first evening in Santa Cruz

The path

9 situations, in order

Start with “Rent an Apartment in Santa Cruz”. Open a situation to see its chapters and what each one needs.

A fondo: extra questions you can open after finishing the chapter.

  1. Rent an Apartment in Santa Cruz

    Open the situation

    From reading listings to booking the visit, the full housing journey, in Santa Cruz Spanish.

    6 chaptersChapters 1 and 2 free2 chapters also in La Paz, Cochabamba, and Sucre

    See the 6 chapters
    • 1The Equipetrol ListingFreeLa Paz versionCochabamba versionSucre versionA fondo
    • 2The first messageA fondo
    • 3A Little About YouBolivia PassA fondo
    • 4The Right QuestionsBolivia PassA fondo
    • 5The VisitBolivia PassA fondo
    • 6Before You Say YesBolivia PassLa Paz versionCochabamba versionSucre versionA fondo

  2. Do the migration process

    Open the situation

    Explain your situation, ask about documents and appointments, and follow up politely.

    7 chaptersMost requested1 chapter also in La Paz, Cochabamba, and Sucre

    See the 7 chapters
    • 1The intake windowBolivia Pass
    • 2The requirements listBolivia PassLa Paz versionCochabamba versionSucre versionA fondo
    • 3The bank depositBolivia Pass
    • 4The appointmentBolivia Pass
    • 5Hand in your folderBolivia Pass
    • 6Pick up your resolutionBolivia Pass
    • 7The cédula (SEGIP)Bolivia Pass

  3. Prepare Your Residency File

    Open the situation

    Understand your options, collect records and translations, complete the medical check, and review the file before Migración.

    9 chapters

    See the 9 chapters
    • 1Where you standBolivia PassA fondo
    • 2The optionsBolivia PassA fondo
    • 3Temporary vs definitiveBolivia Pass
    • 4Your caseBolivia Pass
    • 5The checklistBolivia Pass
    • 6Police recordsBolivia Pass
    • 7The translatorBolivia Pass
    • 8The medical checkBolivia Pass
    • 9The final reviewBolivia Pass

  4. At the pharmacy

    Open the situation

    Choose a safe pharmacy, explain what you need, and ask safe questions about medicines, without self-diagnosing.

    7 chaptersAlso in Travel & Explore1 chapter also in La Paz, Cochabamba, and Sucre

    See the 7 chapters
    • 1Find a Safe PharmacyBolivia PassLa Paz versionCochabamba versionSucre version
    • 2Explain What You NeedBolivia Pass
    • 3Medicine Names & Active IngredientsBolivia Pass
    • 4Generic, Brand, Price & PackagingBolivia Pass
    • 5Prescriptions & AntibioticsBolivia Pass
    • 6Understand How to Take ItBolivia Pass
    • 7Allergies, Side Effects & When to See a DoctorBolivia Pass

  5. Doctor & hospital

    Open the situation

    Book the appointment, explain your symptoms simply, and leave the consultation sure of what the doctor said, what to take, and what happens next.

    7 chaptersAlso in Travel & Explore

    See the 7 chapters
    • 1Choose Where to GoBolivia PassA fondo
    • 2Request a ConsultationBolivia PassA fondo
    • 3Explain Symptoms ClearlyBolivia PassA fondo
    • 4Answer Medical Questions SafelyBolivia PassA fondo
    • 5Understand Tests and InstructionsBolivia PassA fondo
    • 6Prescription, Follow-up, and DocumentsBolivia PassA fondo
    • 7Hospital and Emergency NavigationBolivia PassA fondo

  6. Buy a car or moto

    Open the situation

    Understand vehicle ads, question the seller, discuss condition, price, and papers.

    8 chapters

    See the 8 chapters
    • 1Car or moto?Bolivia Pass
    • 2Read the listingBolivia Pass
    • 3First WhatsApp to the sellerBolivia Pass
    • 4Questions before visitingBolivia Pass
    • 5Inspect the car or motoBolivia Pass
    • 6Negotiate the priceBolivia Pass
    • 7Documents and transferBolivia Pass
    • 8Final handoverBolivia Pass

  7. Make friends

    Open the situation

    Introductions, small talk, invitations, and staying in touch on WhatsApp.

    10 chapters

    See the 10 chapters
    • 1Introduce yourself naturallyBolivia PassA fondo
    • 2Start a casual conversationBolivia Pass
    • 3Find common interestsBolivia Pass
    • 4Talk about footballBolivia Pass
    • 5Join a planBolivia Pass
    • 6First WhatsApp after meeting someoneBolivia Pass
    • 7Accept, decline, or postpone naturallyBolivia Pass
    • 8Barbecue / parrillada cultureBolivia Pass
    • 9Set friendly boundariesBolivia Pass
    • 10Keep the friendship aliveBolivia Pass

  8. Daily life services

    Open the situation

    Internet down, a delivery at the gate, a technician on the way: report the problem, understand what they need from you, and confirm the price and the time.

    9 chaptersAlso in Travel & Explore

    See the 9 chapters
    • 1Explain what service you needBolivia Pass
    • 2Get a mobile lineBolivia Pass
    • 3Ask for home internet installationBolivia Pass
    • 4Understand what is includedBolivia Pass
    • 5Coordinate a deliveryBolivia Pass
    • 6Report that something is not workingBolivia Pass
    • 7Schedule a technician visitBolivia Pass
    • 8Explain the problem to the technicianBolivia Pass
    • 9Follow up or change the serviceBolivia Pass

  9. Open a bank account

    Open the situation

    Ask safe questions at the bank, understand basic conditions, use cards/apps/QR, pay rent or services, and report problems.

    8 chaptersAlso in Work & Do Business1 chapter also in La Paz, Cochabamba, and Sucre

    See the 8 chapters
    • 1Know what you need before the bankBolivia PassLa Paz versionCochabamba versionSucre versionA fondo
    • 2Account types and basic conditionsBolivia Pass
    • 3At the branch: open the conversationBolivia Pass
    • 4Activate your card, PIN, and appBolivia Pass
    • 5QR payments and everyday transfersBolivia Pass
    • 6Cash, ATMs, and limitsBolivia Pass
    • 7Pay rent, services, and expensesBolivia Pass
    • 8Solve problems and protect your accountBolivia Pass

What awaits you in Bolivia

Before you arrive, in a few lines

The practical side, theme by theme: what to expect on the ground, with its sources. The Spanish to handle it is in the situations below.

Housing

  • It often starts on WhatsApp: the listing gives only a zone, and the exact address arrives as a location pin when you ask, often shortly before the visit.
  • 'Bs 2.800' means 2,800 bolivianos: in local usage the point marks thousands.
  • To move in you often pay the garantía (often one month's rent, returned at the end if there is no damage) plus the first month in advance: plan on about two rents up front with the owner directly, about three through an agency, which charges a commission.
  • Expensas (the building's shared costs) are not the servicios (electricity, water, internet), which are usually separate and paid by the tenant. Ask what the expensas cover.
  • According to Numbeo (June to September 2026), a one-bedroom flat averages about 1,200 to 1,900 Bs in Cochabamba, against 2,000 to 3,000 Bs in La Paz and Santa Cruz. The boliviano has floated since June 2026: prices are moving.
Sources

Sources: the situation “Rent an Apartment in Santa Cruz” · El Deber · InfoCasas · Numbeo (crowd-sourced) · Numbeo (crowd-sourced) · Numbeo (crowd-sourced) · Infobae

Papers

  • At Migración the same list can ask for different things depending on nationality, visa type or office: the key question is '¿este requisito aplica a mi caso?'.
  • Bolivia's Dirección General de Migración distinguishes permanencia transitoria, permanencia temporal (1, 2 or 3 years) and permanencia definitiva. The documents required depend on the reason: work, study, family, etc.
  • Migración publishes the requirements for each type of permanencia on migracion.gob.bo and states that the procedure is personal, with no intermediaries. Check with Migración for the current list and fees.
  • Once you hold a permanencia temporal or definitiva, you apply to SEGIP for the foreigner's ID card (cédula de identidad de extranjero, CIE). Fee published on SEGIP's page in September 2026: 600 Bs, 300 Bs for students.
  • Bolivia has applied the Hague Apostille Convention since 7 May 2018. Foreign documents generally need an apostille, and a translation if they are not in Spanish: check with the authority concerned.
Sources

Sources: the situation “Prepare Your Residency File” · Dirección General de Migración (Bolivia) · Dirección General de Migración (Bolivia) · Dirección General de Migración (Bolivia) · Dirección General de Migración (Bolivia) · SEGIP (Servicio General de Identificación Personal) · HCCH (Hague Conference on Private International Law) · SERECI, Órgano Electoral Plurinacional

Money

  • Passport and carnet de extranjero are two different documents, which a bank may treat differently depending on the account and your status: ask 'según mi caso'.
  • 'Cancelar' very often means to pay: on signs, receipts and at counters, nothing is being cancelled.
  • To open a savings account (caja de ahorro), banks generally ask for a valid foreigner ID card (cédula de identidad de extranjero); some also ask for a NIT or proof of address. Each bank sets its own list, so check with the bank.
  • ASFI, the banking regulator (asfi.gob.bo), publishes banks' fee schedules so you can compare them. For a dispute, go first to the bank's Punto de Reclamo, then to ASFI's Defensoría del Consumidor Financiero (free line 800 103 103).
  • QR payments are everywhere in Bolivia: the banking QR code is interoperable, so you can pay and get paid whatever your bank. According to the central bank (BCB), it became a mass payment method in 2025.
Sources

Sources: the situation “Open a bank account” · the situation “Transport Around Bolivia” · Banco Unión S.A. · Banco Económico S.A. · Banco Ganadero S.A. · BancoSol · Banco FIE · Autoridad de Supervisión del Sistema Financiero (ASFI) · ASFI · ASFI · Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia (gob.bo) · Banco Unión S.A. · Banco Central de Bolivia · Banco Central de Bolivia

Daily life

  • A mobile line is usually prepago (prepaid); you check saldo and megas with a short code from the phone, and top up at neighbourhood kiosks.
  • Piped gas (gas domiciliario, monthly bill) or a garrafa (gas bottle bought or delivered): ask what runs on gas in the home, stove or hot water.
  • In most cities taxis have no meter: the fare is agreed before you get in, through the window or by message.
  • According to Numbeo (June to September 2026), bills for an 85 m² home (electricity, water, rubbish) run at about 275 to 400 Bs a month depending on the city, plus 220 to 275 Bs for internet.
Sources

Sources: the situation “Daily life services” · the chapter “A La Paz listing, read closely” · the situation “Transport Around Bolivia” · Numbeo (crowd-sourced) · Numbeo (crowd-sourced) · Numbeo (crowd-sourced)

Health

  • At night, look for the farmacia de turno, which rotates between pharmacies: a porter or neighbour often knows; in La Paz and Sucre the rota is often posted on pharmacy doors.
  • At the till, for a factura you are often asked '¿a nombre de quién?' and for a NIT; without one, a foreigner card or passport number is often accepted: just ask.
  • The pharmacist points you in a direction but does not diagnose: asking whether you should see a doctor is normal, and they answer honestly, including yes.
  • Embassies advise insurance covering treatment, hospital stays and repatriation: in Bolivia, care is often paid upfront. Private clinics in the main cities work with international insurers.
  • The public SUS system gives free care to people without social security. For foreigners, Law 1152 provides it under reciprocity, and for certain groups (pregnancy, children under 5, over 60s, disability).
Sources

Sources: the chapter “A pharmacy in Sopocachi” · the situation “At the pharmacy” · France Diplomatie · GOV.UK (FCDO) · Auswärtiges Amt · Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia, via ILO NATLEX · Ministerio de Salud y Deportes de Bolivia

Your circle

  • WhatsApp is essentially the internet in Bolivia: SMS and email are mostly for banks and formal notices, social life happens in group chats.
  • In Santa Cruz many people use vos: '¿cómo te llamás?' sounds natural and warm there, and you can recognise it before you use it.
  • At a parrillada, asking what to bring is the friendly way to join in; after meeting someone, one short warm WhatsApp beats several follow-ups.
Sources

Sources: the situation “Join the Partner’s Circle” · the situation “Make friends”

Updated October 2026. Practical pointers, not legal, medical or financial advice: requirements change, so check with the office or professional who handles your case.

Field notes

Three notes, to set the tone

A small sample. In every chapter, a right answer can earn you a short note on life in Bolivia; they build your own guide, Mi Bolivia.

In Santa Cruz it is normal to write to an owner in usted and get an answer in vos (querés, decime). Neither cold nor overfamiliar, the two registers simply share one chat.

From: Rent an Apartment in Santa Cruz, chapter 2

Many SEGIP offices work with numbered tickets or turns, like in this scene. When possible, it helps to ask ahead whether a turn needs to be reserved or whether you can just show up, since this varies by office.

From: Do the migration process, chapter 7Bolivia Pass

Prepaid ('prepago') is the everyday way most people get a line in Bolivia, pay as you go instead of a monthly contract, so a small fixed chip price is simply accepted, not bargained.

From: Daily life services, chapter 2Bolivia Pass

+ 361 more notes with the pass

This goal holds 373 field notes: 12 in its free chapters, 361 with the pass. Each one is earned in a chapter and stays in your Mi Bolivia guide.

See the Bolivia Pass

The lessons that prepare you

Prepared by these Mi español lessons

Your city

The chapters that change with the city

In this goal, 5 chapters also in La Paz, Cochabamba, and Sucre. When your city is one of them, its version replaces the Santa Cruz chapter, with the same number.

ChapterSanta CruzLa PazCochabambaSucre
Rent an Apartment in Santa Cruz · Chapter 1The Equipetrol ListingA La Paz listing, read closelyA Cochabamba listing, read closelyA Sucre listing, read closely
Rent an Apartment in Santa Cruz · Chapter 6Before You Say YesRent or anticrético? Before you say yesRent or anticrético in Cochabamba?A colonial house in Sucre: before you say yes
Do the migration process · Chapter 2The requirements listThe requisitos list, in La PazThe requisitos list, in CochabambaThe requisitos list, in Sucre
At the pharmacy · Chapter 1Find a Safe PharmacyA pharmacy in SopocachiA pharmacy in Queru QueruA pharmacy in the centro of Sucre
Open a bank account · Chapter 1Know what you need before the bankA bank on the PradoA bank near the Plaza 14 de SeptiembreA bank near the Plaza 25 de Mayo

The other chapters take place in Santa Cruz: the words are the same, prices and addresses change.

Day to day in each city Santa Cruz · La Paz · Cochabamba · Sucre · Compare the four cities

Bolivian Spanish glossary

Key words for this goal

The Bolivian words its situations use most, each with its meaning and a local note.

The whole Bolivian Spanish glossary

Departure plan

Week by week, up to your arrival

A glimpse of the plan for this goal. Yours is built from your city and your arrival month, with a free account.

Before you leave

  1. Where you standPrepare Your Residency File · Chapter 1Bolivia PassSay where you stand in one clear sentence, before you ask for any paperwork.
  2. Police recordsPrepare Your Residency File · Chapter 6Bolivia PassFind out which certificates apply to you and where to ask for them, while you are still at home.

Arrival week

  1. Your city: Santa CruzRings, radial roads, heat and rainExplore Santa Cruz · Chapter 2Bolivia Pass
  2. Your city: La PazArrive high, go slowExplore La Paz and El Alto · Chapter 1Bolivia Pass
  3. Your city: CochabambaThe trufi across townExplore Cochabamba · Chapter 5Bolivia Pass
  4. Your city: SucreThe white city on footExplore Sucre · Chapter 1Bolivia Pass
  5. Get a mobile lineDaily life services · Chapter 2Bolivia Pass

First month

  1. The bank depositDo the migration process · Chapter 3Bolivia Pass
  2. Know what you need before the bankOpen a bank account · Chapter 1Bolivia Pass
Build my departure plan

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Chapter 1 · Free

  • Rent an Apartment in Santa Cruz: “The Equipetrol Listing”. Right away, no card.
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Chapter 2 · Free account

  • “The first message”. The account keeps your notes, your departure plan and all 80 Mi español lessons.
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The rest, with the pass

Bolivia Pass

US$9.99 a month

or US$129 once, for life

  • 9 situations and 71 chapters for this goal, and every other goal comes with the same pass.
  • + 361 more notes with the pass
  • Extra question sets (A fondo) on every chapter that has them
  • Bonus: a printable guide to settling in Bolivia, with the sheets of your chapters (PDF, in English, French or German)

From chapter 3, the rest of the goal: monthly, or once for life

See the Bolivia Pass

A different life in mind?

Relocate to Bolivia

Start with “Rent an Apartment in Santa Cruz”.

Chapter 1 free without an account, chapter 2 with a free account.

Start chapter 1 free