How to Cross the Bolivian Border from Peru

Crossing into Bolivia from Peru is easy to do from Puno, but you’ll want to make sure that you have the most up-to-date information regarding transport prices and schedules as well as Bolivian entry requirements for different nationalities. Here, we’ve compiled some of the most important information you need to know.

Getting to the Peru-Bolivian Border from Puno

There are two main points for crossing the Peru-Bolivian border by land. Most travelers opt to take a bus from Puno, on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca, to Copacabana, on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca. If you are planning on visiting the Island of the Sun, Copacabana, and La Paz, this method places you securely on that route. The crossing actually takes place at the border town of Yunguyo. Buses such as the Panamericano and Tour Peru cross into and out of Bolivia throughout the day, and you can buy tickets up to the last minute and the Puno bus terminal. Prices will vary due to the time of day (they’ll bargain if it’s close to departure and they need to fill up a bus), but will be around US$5-7. If you don’t wish to stop in Copacabana, you can buy a ticket that goes directly into La Paz and takes about 7 hours and costs around US$10-12.

Others, mostly travelers who only wish to cross the border momentarily in order to be issued a fresh tourist visa for Peru, cross at the sad border town of Desasguadero. This is the border through which most goods, legal and smuggled, pass. From Puno, you can take a large bus, such as Ormeño, which leave the bus terminal at 5:45 each morning, or opt for the shared minivans called colectivos, which leave throughout the day from the corner of Bolivar and 1 de Mayo (just two blocks from the city bus terminal). Ormeño can get you all the way to La Paz in 5 hours, but colectivos require boarding one after another, which run on no set schedule and leave when full.

The colectivo option vía Desaguadero is the cheapest way to get from Puno, Peru to La Paz, Bolivia, but it can be uncomfortable if you are carrying large luggage, as you must keep it with you despite crowding, and stay attentive in the event of pickpockets. You can arrive in Desaguadero in about 4 hours, with US$2, and then in La Paz 4 hours and US$3 later. If you reach Desaguadero at 5pm, you’ll have arrived too late- after this time no more collectivos depart for La Paz.

The colectivos stop at Desaguadero’s town center, in view of the two border stations which are placed along the bridge over the river of the same name. On the left of the bridge is the Peruvian exit station, where officials collect your TAM (your Andean Migration Card, the Peruvian tourist visa you receive upon entering the country), and stamp your passport, at which point you can walk across the bridge into Bolivia. The visa is just a slip of paper presented upon entry, which advises the maximum number of days you have been allotted for your stay in Peru. If you’ve overstayed your visa, you will be charged US$1 for each day you stayed without permission.

Entering Bolivia

If you are entery Bolivia by bus to Copacabana, you’ll get off the bus to check out of Peru, cross the bridge on foot, check into Bolivia at their entry station, and only then board your bus again.

Walking into Bolivia, the entry station will be on your right. The Peru-Bolivia border is open from 8am–midday and from 2pm–7:30pm, and crossing is relatively quick and stress-free if you are prepared. You are responsible for knowing the entry requirements that apply to your nationality. Most tourists only require a passport and the entry/exit card, the new TAM, which is provided to them at that moment. Some will be required to fill out a form and make a payment whose amount can also vary by nationality. North & South Americans, New Zealanders, and Australians won’t need entry visas, but French nationals must make prior arrangements through their embassy. Travelers from most Asian, Middle Eastern, African, and Eastern European countries should make arrangements ahead of time as well. If you are from a country which requires you to apply for a visa prior to arriving at the border, a list of requirements and the entry fee which applies to you will be provided during that process.

If you are from the United States, you don’t need to make prior arrangements through an embassy, as a visa and TAM (another entry/exit card, like the one you left in Peru) will be provided to you at the border. However, you are subject to a list of requirements: 2 passport-sized photos of yourself, a copy of your reservation information for lodging in Bolivia, a completed application form, your passport with more than 6 month’s validity and a free page to affix your Bolivian visa, and money. United States citizens must pay a US$160 fee to enter Bolivia, and in return will receive a visa which is valid for entries over the next ten years. (They are not eligible for a cheaper, 1 year visa, despite online information to the contrary.) You need to pay in cash, in pristine bills that have not been folded, marked or chipped. Bills showing wear will be rejected.

You can get a copy of the visa application form online through the official Bolivia embassy website- it’s wise to fill this out in advance. You can receive a copy to fill out at the border, but you’ll waste time doing so. Most of the buses crossing the border are filled with Latin American tourists and travelers who’ve either applied for a visa ahead of time or who aren’t subject to the same requirements as a citizen of the U.S. They’ll breeze through their separate lines, while just six U.S. citizens could end up making the whole bus wait as they try to get approved. If your form, cash, photos, and passport are all in order, you’ll breeze through as well, and not have to worry about being left behind by a bus that you’ve already paid for.

The entry / exit card that you receive upon entering Bolivia is the TAM (Tarjeta Andina de Migración), which you will be required to produce it in order to leave the country. If your card is lost during your visit, you will need to visit the local immigration office for assistance in procuring a new one. (If, on the other hand, you lose your passport, you should contact your embassy.)

The TAM will specify how many days you will be staying in the country. The Bolivian TAM is generally made out for 30 days, unless you specify that you need more days than that. The visa, a sticker is affixed to the passport and then stamped and signed, will be valid for 1 to 10 years- again, it is your responsibility to know if you are required to have a visa and how much you must pay for it, or if you can enter and leave Bolivia using only the TAM.