Villazon, Bolivia to La Quiaca, Argentina | Customs and Immigration

Bolivia

Details

Verified:
about 1 year ago
Altitude:
3452.7 masl

Amenities

Something not right?

Description

Border Crossing: Bolivia / Argentina. Make sure you line up at window 4 as soon as possible. If there is a bus in front of you expect to wait at least 2 hours for the Bolivian migration to process you - BE AWARE YOU NEED ARGENTINEAN
INSURANCE TO PROCESS THE PERMIT PAPERS AND THEY DON'T SELL INSURANCE AT THE BORDER (but they do sell in La Quiaca, but not the best conditions it seems).
Border Crossing Argentina/Bolivia: Easy for us with 2 chilean motorbikes, as foreigners non resident. Really cool agents on the Bolivian side. No search. Just check our serial number on the bikes. Didn't ask for insurance. Less than 10 minutes if there is nobody waiting.

Photos

Why? By checking in after you’ve visited a place you let others know this place is still functional. You can also add or correct any information.

Add To Favorites

Latest Check-Ins

I don't know why no one has commented that this pin is not at the aduana building. don't stop here. everything is done at the pin south of here.

Report Check-In

We can’t recommend José for insurance. He was mentioned by Einmalrundum and Wandotales.
When we texted him he gave us another contact: Manu Sierra. Manu was very, very slow. After a week and a lot of pushing we finally got the papers and a lot of dates where missing or wrong (Brand + Model of the car, wrong insurance period AND wrong license plates). We corrected him immediately but he was not willing to fix it. At the end we started the whole process of finding an insurance again with another company. Waste of time!

Report Check-In

I went from Bolivia to Argentina with my motor bike with Chilian number plates no problem. On monday morning it was really quiet. Best don't go in the weekend because lots of Argentinians go to Bolivia to buy cheap things and Bolivian to Argentina to do the same.Park your bike oppsite the Bolivian immgration office.Let your passport stamp, what took a crazy long time they wanted my bike papers too. Than drive your bike on the bridge and park in front of the barrier.
Let your passpoort stamp at the Argentinien immigration with your bike papers what took a crazy long time too. Than go past the costums to the Bolivian costums give them your bike immigration papers they stamp it and ask for a copie or take a picture, you need that for the Argentinien costums. Go to the building oppsite to the Argentinian costums they asked my Argentinian insurance papers I have a Mercosur insurance what is valit in Brazil, Paraguay,Uruguay, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina a Argentinian friend aranged it for me when I arrived in Bolivia. Declaration jurada argentina is not nessecery animore and covid health ensurance and vacctination papers also not.
I had to bring my backpack in for Eray check but the rest could stay on the bike. In total took me 1 hour and 15 minutes. Take dollars with you to Argentina to change them for pesos, best change them first in Salta you get a better rate there.

Report Check-In

Bolivia —> Argentina

Arrived at 730am, left at 1230pm on a Wednesday. Lines are terrible. People working are inefficient. Many people cutting the lines. Argentina aduana is a mess. They act like they’ve never done this before. Eventually made us unload some of the stuff in our car. The guy had my husband empty our dirty laundry and when a pair my undies fell on the ground, the guy said we could put everything back 🙄… whatever. We showed them our US car insurance and somehow it worked. We drove into town once we got to Argentina to get valid insurance after (place is marked on iOverlander). No one asked about our dog so we stuck him under a jacket when we drove out.

Report Check-In

Crossed successfully from Argentina to Bolivia as foreigners with a Chilean plated car. Had only Declaración Jurada, autorización and contract with us, all printed out.
Stations are a bit confusing, there are some containers on the right side of the street and one big building on the left side, a bit down the street. First you have to got to Migración Bolivia and get your ticket for collecting stamps. There you will also get your first stamp. After that you go to Migración Argentina to legally exit Argentina. After that you need to go Aduana Argentina (this is the big building on the left) and return your TIP. Last stop is Aduana Bolivia, once again in one of the containers. We had some problems here, since they said our papers for the car are not sufficient. But as we said we crossed to Argentina with them, all was fine. They asked still a lot of questions, but nothing to worry about. We were lucky that the guy spoke English. We had an insurance that did not cover Bolivia (weren‘t aware of this), but he let us pass when we promise to buy insurance in Sucre or La Paz. We got our new TIP and could proceed. Maybe the order is not so important, but we did it like that. After that we could pass the bridge and then there was one last stop on the Bolivian side. We had to pay for fumigación and they checked our COVID vaccinations. All in all it took us around 2 - 2 ½ hours because we had to wait in lines again and again.

Report Check-In

Crossed from Bolivia to Argentina. Very simple. Competed Jurada Declaración on my phone prior to crossing. Bolivian side asked for a slip of paper with QR code which they gave me when entering Bolivia. Argentinian side didn’t check vaccine status, nor health insurance (covid cover). Once approved, I was emailed a voucher with QR code which detailed my entry date. No stamps on passport. 10 minute process. Backpack was scanned through radiography machine.

Report Check-In

Crossed the border from Argentina to Bolivia, on foot. Very simple process. Presented passport to Argentinian side, walked to Bolivian side and presented passport. Waved through, no problem. 10 minute process. Bancofie ATM close by to withdraw cash in Bolivianos (see pin on map).

Report Check-In

ARG to BOL
4 separate steps:
1)migraciones argentina
2)migraciones bolivia (covid vaccine certificate), no more passport stamps
3)aduana argentina
4)aduana bolivia
they are all in different containers, not very well signalized but ask you through.
quick check of the car. didnt had any problem with fruits, vegetables but officer asked for an alfajor when he saw one, after we gave him one he stopped checking.
mandatory fumigation of the vehicle outside fpr 20bob or 1000arg.

Report Check-In

BOL to ARG
- Have DDJJ printed
- Have vehicle insurance printed. We used Dario Criado @ +5493585075482. We have a US tag.
- No inquiries regarding Covid19 negative tests or vaccination cards
- No inquiries regarding health insurance
- ARG officers opened the van and saw our two cats so they put us on the side until we had Senasag docs from Bolivia (see pet section below)
- When the officers checked the van, they did not take any fruits, dry fruits, grains, vegetables, nothing. It was a really quick review of our vehicle inside and out.
- The whole process took us 4hrs
- PETS: When we entered Bolivia, officers did not open our van so they never saw our kitties. ARG officers wanted a Bolivian Senasag form that we didn't know it existed. They made me go to the Aduana office downtown and ask for Senasag. There they said I had to go to the Senasag office located at the ALBO building which was a 45min walk from there. I decided to come back to the border, explained that the Senasag office was too far, that I didn't have any BOLs to take a taxi, that our passports had already been cleared out of Bolivia, showed them my pets full vaccinations, apologized for my lack of knowledge, and begged them to please let me go. It worked! So if you have pets, have everything checked at the ALBO building/Senasag office.
- While you are waiting for your vehicle to be checked, exchange your money at the small store on the Bolivian side. They gave us $20,000ARG for every $100US which was a pretty good deal.

See you on the road!

Report Check-In

Bolivia to Argentina.
Register, complete and print the Argentina online migraciones DDJJ form.
Vehicle overlanders get and print your vehicle insurance before you get to the border. I used Jonathan Villegas: jvilegas86@ gmail.com.
I made life hard for Jonathan, he stuck with me, very fast responses, and delivered 4rd party for Argentina, Chile, Uruguay etc
Park vehicle very close to first barrier, they let me park my big rig on the bridge.
At the barrier on the left, join the queue to get the DDJJ form stamped. It's bitterly cold in the morning. Queue for an hour plus...then your form is stamped with out even a second glance! MAD.
Then cross the bridge with all your documents, left hand side windows.
The officials will guide you through each step.
Then, when you are cleared for Argentina, walk back and change your remaining cash for Argentina pesos. Black market at the booth just before where you queue for the DDJJ form stamp
Remember, the Bolivia side is chaos, but the officials are polite and respectful. The Argentina side is organised and welcoming.
Your vehicle is given a quick inspection, they ensure all your documents are good to go.
SIM card.... I bought mine in Tilcara at the Claro store. Had to push the staff to deliver the result I wanted. Got there on the end.
That's it. Enjoy garbage free, super welcome Argentina!

Report Check-In

Bolivia to Argentina in may 22. Must have a printed declaracion jurada, there are shops that can print nearby. They asked for the car insurance. On a monday noon i had 4 cars on front and it took 2h. They looked relaxed on food and didn t complain for fruits and veggies. BIG diesel shortage at this time in Bolivia and on a minor scale in north Argentina.

Report Check-In

ARG to BOL
1- You have to make a queue in the Bolivian migration office (It can take a while if the bus full of people arrived before you)

2- Go to Argentina migration to exit the country (they don’t stamp your passport anymore)

3-( If taking a vehicle) go to the customs Argentina to exit your vehicle from Argentina legally

4-Now you have to pass Bolivian customs to enter your car to Bolivia (They will check you car) just a quick look, they want to know you are not carrying extra fuel

5- health check, they will check your temperature and your vaccinations. They will disinfect your vehicle (you have to pay either in Bob or Ars)

6- Finally you go to Bolivian migration where they will stamp a piece of paper so you can enter the county (no passport stamp anymore)

7- you are giving a QR code to register your location (you have 48 hours to do it)

Report Check-In

ARG > BOL:
Easy process with chilean plated car. They ask for padron and insurance. Since we could not get the padron because we are not in Chile we showed the CERTIFICADO DE INSCRIPCION Y
ANOTACIONES VIGENTES EN EL R. V. M. which you can download online. They were fine with this. Had to pay20 bobs for car desinfection

Only surprising thing for us was that we did not get a stamp (neither Argentina Exit nor Bolivia entry) in our passports. For Bolivia entry they gave us a separate stamped paper instead and asked us to register online in sistemas migraciones

Report Check-In

Ok, this maybe a covid related thing, but literally the worst border crossing over had to endure. i turned up at 8am on a Saturday. Queue to do Bolivia exit stamp ( left hand side as you look towards the bridge) took 4 hours to pass. i was maybe 50 people back when i arrived. there'sa like across the road winding across the bridge. Someone turned up to date that anyone in our like want crossing today. i didn't believe it after getting the exit stamp i crossed to the other side and queued. And queued. after 2 more hours we were told that they were only freaking with prime who had done the Bolivia exit the day before, or the day before that! Eventually i gave up and free camped out of town. o turned up at 4am the next day. Already a line of people. People show up in taxis, jump the queue.. eventually the border opens. then i queued for 6 hours just to get the COVID health check stamp. there is one person working on it. then you queue for Argentina immigration. there are two people working. at 1pm i get that, then go to Bolivia aduana for the car. then i get the car, and eventually get across the bridge to do the Argentina aduana stuff. i finally got that at 3pm. so essentially 2 full days to cross the border. never again.

Report Check-In

Argentina -> Bolivia
Very quick and efficient border crossing.
*** They took our body temperature on the Bolivian side (COVID-19 measure)***

Report Check-In

The line for vehicles crossing and inspection was HUGE, like 4 hours...we started doing the papers meanwhile and that was pretty fast. We wanted to stay in Argentina only for a week, and the only ensurance we could get was a 4months one, so we decided to go back to Bolivia, they really didn’t want us to cross without ensurance, so maybe look for one online before. Everybody was kind with us.

Report Check-In

Terrible experience. Insurance is required to enter Argentina (we drove from Bolivia, we have a Colombian Car). I had to get a temporary entry by foot and go to La Quiaca to buy insurance, then back to customs, and then all the vehicle’s process, which took forever because the system was down. The whole thing took more than 6 hours!. I suggest to get the insurance sorted out before entering. The one I got covers mercosur, it is issued by Integrity Seguros.

Report Check-In

Argentina to Bolivia. Took about an hour although there were many people and two buses. Seemed somewhat confusing. Leaving Argentina, you must pull into the parking lot on the right. Argentina TIP return is on west side of road. To get Bolivia TIP, you will have to recover vehicle from parking lot and bring around for inspection. The officer looked inside with a quick glance.

Report Check-In

for the insurance, we contacted Jose. Yes he did it fast but with a lot of mistakes. As he needs a picture of your credit card both sides ( which is not safe) he told us 700 but then took 830 without asking us if it was ok....

Report Check-In

Check whether you got an appropriate exit stamp on your TIP. The Argentinian guy did not properly stamp everything on ours and we had some trouble crossing from Bolivia to Chile later on.

Report Check-In

I tried texting Jose twice over whatsapp about vehicle insurance (recommended in other posts on this checkpoint), but never heard back from him😕
Hope other people have better luck.

Report Check-In

Crossing from Argentina to Bolivia with 2 motorbikes from Chile, as foreigners non resident in Chile.
Very easy crossing. No problem to get out of Argentina. Same to get in Bolivia. They check the serial number of the engine, 2 guys really friendly. No search at all. Took less than 30 minutes.
We had to go trough Argentina to be able to go to Bolivia from Chile.

Report Check-In

Easy border crossing from Bolivia to Argentina, took about 1h in total (including waiting time to get our truck camper x-rayed)
1. cancel Bolivien TIP (you need original + 1 copy)
2. immigration (passport stamped) at Argentinian side
3. get Argentinian TIP (officer wanted to see proof of insurance which we had electronically on our Whatsapp)
We therefore advise to get insurance before. We did it with José from Federacion Patronal Seguros through Whatsapp on the number +54 9 387 685 8755. Took about 30 minutes to do, very helpful and easy process, only with credit card.

Report Check-In

OMG THE INSURANCE! The link below was complicated, so we ended up contacting Jose from another spot on iOverlander and he was able to get us the insurance through WhatsApp in 15 minutes. And then aduana didn’t even check after asking for it 😑🙃 this insurance is good for the Mercosur too
+54 9 387 685-8755

Report Check-In

Perhaps we were lucky, but it was a very easy and straight forward process.
We didnt need any photocopies, they didnt ask for exit money and they checked the car just for a few seconds...so for us it was a good and trublefree axperience
Perhaps it helped that we arrived after luch time?

Report Check-In

Quick and easy border. Everything done in 34 minutes. No exit stamp from Bolivia. We got 90 days, our camper 8 month. The officer had only a short look inside of our camper.

Report Check-In

Argentina —> Bolivia
Bit of a chaotic border but we had no issues as foreign owners of a Chilean vehicle.It took less than 30 minutes at 10am on a Saturday. They will ask you who is the “conductor” (primary driver of the the vehicle) if you’re getting a TIP. We asked them to put both our names but they said they can only put one. You have to go back and forth a bit between the buildings, showing your papers to both the Argentinian and Bolivian Aduana but just ask if you’re unsure- one or two of the guards speak English. They didn’t check the vehicle. No need to pay for anything at all (except visas).

Report Check-In

Except for the insurance nonsense, this would have been the fastest crossing of my entire Canada to Ushuaia trip. The aduana agent sent me wandering into town on a Saturday afternoon. I wasted an hour and half going around to insurance offices that were all closed. The Agrosalta office noted here on iOverlander was closed, and a man who’s home I accidentally walked into told me he was pretty sure it wouldn’t be open until Monday. In despair, I turned to Google. Don’t waste time going into town! Just use this simple link! Select the mandatory insurance for foreign vehicles option and get your proof of insurance via email in minutes. I paid $25 USD for one month on my 2018 KTM. Again, if I had done this to begin with, this crossing would’ve taken me probably 25 minutes. Instead it took 2 hours. Here’s the link http://www.magallanes.cl/MagallanesWebNheo/index.aspx?channel=6139

Report Check-In

best border crossing we had in 8months. we arrived here very late - almost 10pm - did the emigration and duana super easy and quick. very nice people! we are Europeans driving an American car. we didn't have any insurance and after reading the comments here I told them I didn't buy coz the car is old. they said no problem and have a beautiful time in Argentina ! wow! took less than 30min everything

Report Check-In

To add to the previous post, everything posted there is accurate, with a few additions. Everything must be printed. We couldn't pass at first with a digital bank statement. They did not need a copy of vehicle registration, and since we live in a van they wanted a printed version of our itinerary. We used a screenshot from Google maps and they accepted that. They do accept USD but only exact change and extremely flawless crisp bills. Finally, you need a copy of everything for each person traveling i.e. if there are two of you you need two copies of bank statement and itinerary.

Report Check-In

Just want to reiterate that this crossing as someone from the USA is more complicated. You will need: 1) Passport photo 2) Color copy of passport 3) Bank statement 4) Copy of yellow fever vaccination 5) Copy of accommodation or vehicle registration 6) 160 per person USD but in BOB. Would not take USD. It is possible to get a lot of this stuff (the photocopies and passport picture) at the border, they send you into town to do it, but I would recommend sorting out ahead of time since it will take hours otherwise.

Report Check-In

No problem with Chilean car into Bolivia.
We did not get a stamp on our passeport on the Bolivian side. They said it is because it is an integrated border and the receipt we got is enough. The immigration officer asked us for 20bol after stamping our car access paper. We didn't have any bol and fainted not to understand, he didn't insist but apparently does it to other travelers.

Report Check-In

Slightly confusing border for us, here is how we did it.

1. Pull up and park on the RHS of the bridge into Bolivia.
2. Go into Bolivian immigration and see if you can stamp out (they wouldn't let us, but i'd always recommend trying at all borders).
3. Change any BOBS to Pesos on this side of the bridge
4. Walk across bridge to Argentinian immigration on the RHS on the other end of the bridge. They will take the visa paper you got when you entered Bolivia. BEWARE they will ask for proof of reservation in Argentina to enter and a campground wasn't enough. We had to book something on booking.com there and then and then cancel it after.
5. Cross to LHS of bridge on Argentina side to hand TIP in to Bolivian migration. No copies needed.
6. Wait in line on bridge. The Argentinian aduanas are searching vehicle and we tried to drive around them to outside the big Aduana building but they sent us back.
7. When it's your turn the Aduana will come to your car, take you to his office and give you a TIP. Super friendly guy whos peaks good english.
8. After he gives you your TIP you go outside the migracion building while he 'searches your car' but he told us this is only bc there are cameras and he has to look like he's doing his job properly. He said travellers are no worries so they wont search hard.
9. You're free to go and into Argentina!

Also they sell fantastic empanadas on the bridge for brekkie / lunch if interested. The best chicken ones we've had in ages!

Report Check-In

Bolivia to Argentina

I got here very late at 5pm. One of the guys of the Argentinian Aduana was VERY friendly and spoke some English. I had to get insurance. He told me where to go (the iOverlander place) but I didn’t get insurance because my car is too old. He let me into Argentina anyways (at 8pm, that’s when they close). He only had a look at my car (for 2 minutes) because the other guys were too lazy and he was curious about the car. He told me that European people are no drug traffickers so they wouldn’t be controlled properly. If you get your insurance prior arrival and are European (or American) this is a very easy border crossing.

Report Check-In

No problem crossing the border Arg-Bol as foreigners with Chilean car. Just showed our declaracion jurada & Padrón. Got back our stamped TIP after leaving Argentina. Helpful police officers that helped us where to park& where to go. Everything took only about 20 minutes.

Report Check-In

Border crossing quite easy with car , precious comments about documentation is correct. You cancel the Bolivian TIP on the Argentinian side. NO INSURANCE IS SOLD AT BORDER. To get insurance you need to go into La Quiaca. Take a taxi from border ($50 Pesos) to Avenue Espana y San Juan. Place is called Pago Facil, cost for my 1983 Landy was $75 USD for 4 months and covers you for Chile, Argentina, Bolivia and Peru. Cost will depend on make and model. Come early as it will take a whole day to get everything sorted.

Report Check-In

ARG->BOL Easy border crossing. They didn’t check the car. Be sure you make all steps (windows). We forget the Bolivian window before the bridge and didn’t get the car papers. They don’t check it. Maybe there are some problems to cross other borders. We return and get them :-) They are very friendly.

Report Check-In

Argentina -> Bolivia with Chilean plated car. It is possible to enter Bolivia with just the Authorization - even if Your padrón is not yet available! (directly to Bolivia from Chile it's impossible). Easy process, took 20 mins at most.

Report Check-In

Now you don't have to have a exit stamp from Bolivia it is all automatic with entry to Argentina.
Had to get all my panniers into the scanner.

Report Check-In

Bolivia —> Argentina
Followed instructions in previous entries, officials are very friendly and helpful. We weren’t asked for money for stamping our TIP and we already had a copy so we didn’t have to make any. Paperwork process was fast (about 30 minutes) but we waited 1.5 hours for the van to be scanned.

Report Check-In

Argentina => Boliva
Piece of cake. All up took about 20 mins to go through immigration and customs for vehicle. They had a quick look at our truck but that was it.

Report Check-In

Hello
Be careful...
For our family passports it was cool and quickly...but..!
For our motorhome they ask the complete contrat of assurance.
The attestation wasn't enought...!
We must find it on our internet messages with the wifi of the customs....so 30 mn...
After there was a bus before us and we wait 60 mn more.
After they have put a scanner truck around our motorhome.
Around 30mn more....!
They look 5mn inside ans let's go.
Good luck...!!!

Report Check-In

Argentina -> Bolivia:
One of the easiest Border crossings ever.
1. First go to counter 3: Migracion. They will do the exit Argentina incl. Stamp and will give you a piece of paper with a stamp that apparently is
your Bolivia entry stamp.
2. Go to window 2 and give the argentinian Aduana guy your Argentinian TIP
3. Go to window 4: Bolivian Aduana. Get your TIP and check everything.
Drive over the bridge, show the Bolivian Police Officer your TIP and off you go. Took us 15 min in total... :)

Report Check-In

This was the easiest border crossing for us since Mexico. No exit stamp needed for our passports leaving Bolivia. Just needed the following:
1. a stamp on our TIP before the bridge
2. paid 30 Bolivianos to the police officer who stamped - not sure if this was an official payment
3. made two double sided copies of the stamped TIP
4. crossed the bridge and had our passports stamped for entry into Argentina in the small building on the right
5. crossed the street and handed the original TIP and one copy to the Bolivian Aduana, who kept both
6. crossed back to the other side of the street and handed the copy of TIP, original title, passport and license of owner to Argentinean Aduana who quickly made our TIP, without mentioning the required insurance (which we did not have yet)
7. we drove the car up for a quick inspection - no dogs, no crazy searches, just a peak into the back seat and scanned our two duffle bags.

Report Check-In

Exit Bolivia, Enter Argentina:
We managed to cross the border to Argentina getting the TIP without car insurance. It was on a Sunday and the insurance shops were closed. We were lucky with one custom officer that understood our situation and asked us to get insurance in the next big city, Jujuy. He mentioned that in La Quiaca they don’t have insurance for foreign cars.
Cancelling the TIP for Bolivia, getting the immigration passport stamp in Argentina was easy.
The TIP for Argentina could have been a problem, but we were lucky with an understanding officer.
They inspected as well our truck which took a while since there was a bus in front of us. Surprisingly they didn’t check our food or fridge and we were very happy about that! But they did check strange locations like below the board, I guess they were looking mostly for drugs.

Report Check-In

Bolivia -> Argentina, Sat. 3 pm
This was one of the worst border crossings in South America. Took me around 2 hours. The migracion on the Bolivian side of the bridge was fast but the guy asked for a bribe of 10 BOL. Then the migracion Argentina was also quite fast. The next step was dropping off my bolivian TIP at the aduana bolivia. There I waited like forever because they were extreme slowly and made several breaks. When it was finally my turn the guy asked for 1 fotocopy of my bolivian TIP. So I want back across the bridge to a small shop in the street for the copy. Then the guy from Aduana bolivia kept the copy and gave me back the original. But the next guy from the Aduana Argentina didn't even want it! Finally the Aduana searched through both of my bags and both of my panniers!

Report Check-In

We entered Argentina a few days after Carnaval in Bolivia... Nightmare! We had to queue with 60 other vehicles in front of us. Normally the border closes at 5 pm but during such busy moments they work 24/24.

Report Check-In

From Argentina to Bolivia:
Chaotic, some waiting, carefully check the form the Bolivian aduana gives you. Clerk seemed angry, took 30 minutes and made several mistakes! Check it.

Report Check-In

We crossed from Bolivia to Argentina fairly fast. It was a Thursday at 6.30pm, there was one bus in front of us, but that didn't really impact us. Both sides were fast, they roughly checked the car and off we were. It took us 1h in total. No photocopies needed, I didn't even have to show the insurance papers.

Report Check-In

I crossed the border on Sunday to Argentina. No cars except mine and 1 bus. You will need photocopies of your tip and that's all they asked me. The bolivian side was quite fast, just filling few papers. The argentinian side super slow. They checked everything and scanned the car. It took me 2 hours without queuing. Nothing special, just take your time.

And checked your tip and all your forms before leaving. The argentinian aduanas forgot to sign my tip. I came back to ask for it.

Report Check-In

Easy crossing Arg -> Bol.. 20 mins at 1pm on Wednesday. No car search. Keep an eye on the Bolivian Aduana, they made two mistakes on our TIP! Also the migrations officer stamped us out of Argentina and told us there is only the one stamp and you don't get a separate Bolivian entry stamp :(
We weren't convinced, so we stopped in at the Bolivian migrations office across the bridge and were advised that since 21 August 2017, at Villazón there is no entry stamp.. This is the only Bolivian border like this and if you explain that this is where you entered you will have no problems.. fingers crossed!

Report Check-In

Can't comment on getting through with vehicles but with bicycles it was a 2 minute process. Bolivian and Argentinian immigration windows are next to each other, everyone super friendly. No queueing.
Crossed on a Monday afternoon

Report Check-In

Easy and quick crossing from Bolivia to Argentina on a Thursday morning. 45 Minutes total. Inspection was just sending two of our luggage boxes through the scanner. On the Argentinian side migracion- and aduana workers really know what to do with all the weird Dutch papers we have, and guided us through the process with a very friendly attitude.

Report Check-In

A few things to add:

I arrived at 10:15 am and there was a very short line. Maybe 7-10 minutes waits.

...but the problem was that there was a street market that blocked the way to the bridge. The bridge itself was closed on the Bolivia side (gates shut and chain locked). With my Moto I could get by, buy a car or truck would not. Im not sure whether market is every Monday or not or why the gates were closed. Just something to be aware of for overlanders.

Had to get insurance in La Quiaca. Had a timing issue that I luckily just missed or I would have had to wait another 4-5 hours. See entry in AgroSalto insurance for detail.

Report Check-In

Crossing on USA/France Passport, going from Argentina to Bolivia

We have had challenges at other borders (re: Chile Chico & Futaleufu), and this was by far the easiest bordering crossing we have experienced. We dealt with Argentinian customs on windows 2 and 3, and Bolivian customs on windows 4 and 5. The entire process took us 20 minutes--we went on a Thursday afternoon at 1:00pm and there were no lines and no waiting.

The Bolivian guard added an extra letter to our license plate on our TIP, so make sure to check it before you sign. Also, I got my Bolivian visa (needed for US citizens) beforehand in Jujuy at the consulate, which I think sped things up. Good luck and safe crossing!

Report Check-In

Crossing on US PASSPORT
Argentina to Bolivia:
Checking out of AR was straightforward. Next you will proceed to window 5: Migraciones de Bolivia, on US documents you need to submit $160 USD pp for the tourist visa, a passport style photo, photocopy of yellow fever vaccination, and photocopy of your passport. (They let us cross to the Bolivian side to exchange money and make photocopies) You need to fill out two forms as well. We tried to insist on a 90 day entrance stamp, but were told we would have to do it at another office. The visa we received is good for 10 years, but the entry stamp is only good for 30 days.

Window 6: TIP: Here your vehicle registration info is entered for the TIP and the officer quickly glances inside (we think it was to check whether we were bringing in goods for sale). We were also informed that we will have to make a photocopy of the temporary important permit before we leave Bolivia (it is valid for 6 months)

The Imigracion Bolivian officers were very lackadaisical (even had a movie running in the background). The whole process took us 1.5 hours.

Report Check-In

Bolivia to Argentina. Thursday 2pm. We got lucky it seems - no lines and done in an hour. All immigration is on the Argentinian side of the bridge. Coming from Bolivia, park on the bridge - don't drive all the way over (they will tell you to go back).

Bolivia to Argentina is processed on the west side of the building. To go the opposite direction is on the eastern side.

1. Stamp out of Bolivia at first window on the right as you leave Bolivia. Then move along from window to window doing the rest. The slowest part is getting your TIP for Argentina, because they were inspecting every item that people had bought in Bolivia (argentina still fiercely controls what their citizens bring into the country).

Before leaving the area we had to have the aduana look inside our vehicle, but it was too difficult for us to take everything out, so they made us drive through a massive portable scanner instead. Took 10 minutes and then they waved us through.

We left Potosi at 8am and were through customs by 3pm - so all in all a positive experience.

Report Check-In

Argentina to Bolivia:
Drove straight to the border check point Argentinia side and officer showed where to park the car, then we went to window 1/2: exit stamp Argentinia
3: car formalities(exit car)
4: entry stamp Bolivia
5: Bolivian customs for enter car!
Done in 1h, no money needed, drove over the brigde to Bolivian check point and we showed the entry paper(for the car) at the office. They asked for a volunteer donation ;) and gave us some tips for the following route!

Report Check-In

We arrived at 1 pm and just didn't pass, so we slept in the line. In total we needed 19 hours to pass the border. For the paper to enter Argentina you have to go to afip (Adouana argentina) and for the soat (417 pesos AR for one month, open until 9 pm) we went to the next city as said before. It was a total mess as the queue for vehicules was huge and the people really wanted to pass. When the border closed the firt ones went on the bridge but it's forbidden to stay on the bridge for the night so even of you are second in the queue don't go! And don't listen to others drivers! Because you'll have to go back and it's impossible as everybody goes ahead as soon as they can...

Report Check-In

Bolivia to Argentina: Arrived the night before and was advised by a truck driver who sold us Diesel at local price, to get in line and sleep in the line. We did that, the border closed at 10 pm so after that it was quiet. People were starting to get in line at 5;30 am to get the exit from Bolivia, we took our time and had breakfast and I went to the line while my husband stayed with the truck. Well I had about 300 people in front of me, it took me 3hrs to finally get the exit stamp from Bolivia then moved to aduana Bolivia to cancel the tip then migración Argentina , my husband took a taxi to buy insurance in La Quiaca and next will be inspecting the vehicle to issue the import permit.Crazy!! Takes 5-6 hrs

Report Check-In

Update: took a total of 9hrs and if you considered we slept in line it was 19 hrs total to cross the border .

If you have a dog: I made a health certificate and had a vet in Tupiza sign it and stamped it she didn't charge me. The Senasa girl got my certificate and my dogs vaccines and issued me a import permit for 300 pesos!! $18.75 USD . Oh well I need it to enter Chile so had to do it .

Car: didn't even open one drawer in the camper. - we went thru the scanner and that was it , didn't make us take anything out. We also cooked all our meat so we wouldn't have any issues and they said that was fine.

Be patient and have fun! Oh by the way the guy from the insurance office in La Quiaca told my husband to advise OVERLANDERs not to cross on a weekend as he cannot talk to the main office to issue insurance for more than a month . A month cost us $23 USD.

Report Check-In

One of our quickest crossings (from Bolivia to Argentina), including walking up the road to get a copy of the Bolivian vehicle permit). No queues and the Argentine customs guy said they normally insisted on getting everything out of the vehicle, but he was tired so off we went. Change money on the Bolivian side,good rates and lots of options.

Report Check-In

we crossed from AR to BOL; all in one building before the bridge: we had to pass all buses and drove directly to the building at the right side. At the 1. window the AR-migracion gives us a Salida-stamp, the 2. window is the AR-aduana; they took our car-permit from the entry border and gave us an Salida-coupon - that's all. The 3. window is the bolivian migracion, there we got the Entrada-stamp into the passports with an sign that we don't got a tourist card for BOL - without filling out any papers. At the 4. window we got an import document for our vehicle and had to open it for the customs officer. They said, that we don't need any other documents.
We had only one problem: the central computer of the bolivian aduana was not reachable for registration - so we had to wait from 12:00 to 18:00. Consider the different time zones: BOL has minus 1 hour against AR.
In the mean time we could visit Villazon to change money and to buy a prepaid mobile phone card.

Report Check-In

Very annoying border crossing, cost us the whole day. You have to line up for every step separately and there are very long lines at the migracion in the morning (in the afternoon/evening it was empty). You need insurance to get the Argentinian permit so you have to buy one in town (see iOverlander mark) if you don't already have it. Then actually you are supposed to remove all (!!!) luggage from the car for the customs inspection. All other cars were being searched completely. Fortunately our officer was very lazy and after we removed the most obvious luggage he just asked if we carried drugs and let us continue. Last step is fumigation which costs 30 pesos.

Report Check-In

We were exiting Argentina, entering Bolivia. We were directed to park on the side and you just go to each window in turn (exit stamp, exit TIP, etc). Very straightforward and we had no lines at any of the windows, we arrived about 3PM on a Friday.

Report Check-In

It looks like the customs document you get from the Aduana Nacional de Bolivia depends on where you enter the country — and there are subtle differences that you should be aware of:
- In Yacuiba (May 2016) entering from Argentina, we received a document titled "Acuerdo Boliviano-Argentino" that was divided into sections titled "Datos *Personales*", "Datos del Vehiculo", etc. It was valid for 6 months.
- In Puerto Quijarro (July 2016) entering from Brazil, we received a document titled "Ingreso y Salida de Vehiculos Turisticos" that was divided into sections titled "Datos del *Conductor* (=driver)", "Datos del Vehiculo", etc. It was valid for 1 month only.
In Santa Cruz the police hassled us for infringing the law because I was listed as the Conductor (see second case, above) while my partner was driving. If they issue the second type of document to you and you are several people driving the car, you may want to insist they list the additional drivers on that form before you sign it.

Also the police hassled us for not carrying an "Orden de Traslado", a specific permit issued by local police stations that authorizes a given foreign vehicle to drive from A to B. (N.B. This document is not a phantom, I've see Brazilian drivers carrying it!). We got away by claiming that the customs officer (aduanero) explicitly stated we were free to travel around the country and didn't need any other documents other than what he issued us with — and by standing our grounds for up to 20 minutes. Don't pay tips, bribes or fines if hassled. Be polite and show that you have infinite time to ride this one out. Never admit any law infringement unless they point you to the relevant paragraph and you understand that paragraph and you actually did do something wrong.

Report Check-In

Argentina to Bolivia :
No problems, just veery slow, even though there was no queue. No check of the car.

Report Check-In

If you are going from Bolivia to Argentina, the Bolivian side of the border is a very good place to buy pesos. On 24 sept 2015, you could get 15.9 pesos to the US dollar. The rate for Bolivianos was also very good. Both rates are much better than on the Argentinian side of the border. There are many places to choose from, shop around for the best rate.

Report Check-In

One of the slowest boarders since Costa Rica / Panama. Make sure you line up at window 4 as soon as possible. If there is a bus in front of you expect to wait at least 2 hours for the Bolivian migration to process you

Report Check-In

Border Crossing: Bolivia / Argentina on January 2nd, 2014 | Posted at  http://www.vangabonds.com/border-crossing-bolivia-argentina/

We cross borders by land in a CR-V with US passports and our two dogs. We do not carry drugs or weapons or disallowed fruit (usually).

When, Where, and Which Direction: December 27, 2013 – Villazón, Potosí, Bolivia > La Quiaca, Jujuy, Argentina

What We Needed:
Passports (and 1 copy of dog owner’s passport),Bolivian Tourist Cards,Bolivian Auto Import Permit,Argentine Visa Payment Confirmation,Vehicle Title,Vehicle Registration,Argentine Auto Insurance, andVarious dog papers including vaccinations and health certificate.

The Process:Approaching the border from town can be a bit chaotic depending on construction. Locals were kind and willing to point us in the right direction. The border itself sits on a river. Park on the bridge. You will pass a building on the left that says migración and another on the right that says aduana – these are apparently only for those entering Bolivia, so just cruise on by. On the far side of the bridge, the road is well monitored by officials and the operations seem maybe a tiny bit more intuitive than previous crossings. On the right side of the road is a single building housing migración for both exiting Bolivia and entering Argentina. There are two separate windows and two separate desperately slow lines for the stamp out and the stamp in. The line for the stamp out of Bolivia is on the far right; look for the number 4 sign and then ask everyone standing there which line you need to be in. They will appreciate the break from waiting and opportunity to say something useful. At this point, you will probably be thinking that the line doesn’t look that long and that you got lucky, but you will be wrong and you will stand here for hours. Be positive about it. Life is good.

Alright, when you reach the window for your Bolivian exit stamp, hand the official your passport and tourist card. Most of the people in the line had an additional form that they had collected from nearby agents and were also asked for Bs. 15 ($2.20 USD); they were carrying ID cards, and passport carriers do not need the form nor should they have to pay the fee. After receiving your exit stamp, proceed to the end of the next line. Do not be the person who just jumps windows. When you reach the entrance window a few hours later, hand the agent your passport, your printed confirmation of payment of the Argentine reciprocity fee required for US citizens, and the half page form that you filled out while waiting in line after a border agent walked by passing them out. He or she will put your information into a computer, stamp a few things, and then send you on your way.

Next, cross over to the left side of the road. The line of people on the far side of the building is for folks getting their exit stamps from Argentina. They will then go to the migración building we talked about earlier to stamp into Bolivia. On the front side of the building is a handful of offices. Near the middle is the door for Argentine aduana. Enter the office and let the official working there know that you are looking for a temporary vehicle import permit. They will request your title (and registration if your plates aren’t listed on your title), the driver’s passport, and proof of insurance (see “Our Experience” below) and then type up your permit. Before handing it over, you will need to pull up your vehicle for a search-like inspection. We read that these could be decently thorough, but ours was relatively brief. Just a quick poke around, a question or two about what was in our bags, and then a directive to move the car while we chatted about the dogs.

For the first time since Central America, we had to do the pet dance (despite at least a dozen dogs that we watched being carried across the border that day). It wasn’t so bad; for more details, read “Dogs” below. Essentially, you may need to work with an agriculture agent and pay a fee to bring the dogs in. Once you’ve appeased them though, you’re free to drive into Argentina!
Costs:US citizens are required to a pay $160 reciprocity fee to enter Argentina. It is not a Visa, but rather a fee assessed to match the one that the United States charges for Argentines to enter the country. It can be paid online ahead of time (and possibly also at the border, but I’m not familiar with that) and the printed confirmation is all that is necessary at the border. We also paid Bs. 168 ($24.35 USD) for permits for the dogs. There was not a cost for us to leave Bolivia nor for the temporary vehicle import permit going into Argentina.

Dogs:As mentioned above, we saw a lot of leashed dogs being taken across the border; however, when the officials noticed ours, we were directed to a Senasa agent for approval. The man asked for our papers, a copy of the owner’s passport, and to see the dogs. We agreed, provided him with the passport copy, vaccination records, a certificate of good health, and a Spanish copy of the certificate of good health, and when I mentioned that one of the dogs would be wearing a muzzle because she was a perra brava (and there were a ton of people running around – it would have been a stressful situation for Maya), he said just to bring the other one. So Olmec and Ian and I followed the man to a first floor office on the back side of the Argentine aduana building. The gentleman then explained that we needed an international health certificate. I tried to convince him that our Spanish copy was an international certificate to which he responded that we needed both the form we had and a separate, different form, at which point we were pretty well convinced that he was full of it, because Ian had just created our Spanish copy in photoshop. We thanked him kindly for the explanation and asked him what we needed to do. The cost would be 42.8 Argentine pesos per dog, plus a 90 peso fee for having to get it done at the border. We asked if we could pay in Bolivianos, to which he agreed. Then he left to go get our documents. When he returned 45 minutes later, he produced Bolivian pet import papers with “Bolivia” covered up with black marker. He then got Ian’s signature and applied a handful of stamps before accepting our payment and sending us on our way. He never looked at Olmec.

Though we don’t think everyone is required to complete the process that we were, we weren’t too bothered by it. The agent was nice, and he put on quite the show, which was decently official looking compared to those of Central America. Additionally, we now have official papers for the dogs, which will be nice to have as we will be crossing into Argentina at least two more times (on our way to and from Ushuaia, as we’ll have to cross through Chile to get there) and potentially more depending on if we go back into Chile in the spring. These documents will make those crossings easier and less stressful from get-go.
Our Experience: Due to character limits, this section is available at  http://www.vangabonds.com/border-crossing-bolivia-argentina/

A photo is available on the original post at:  http://www.vangabonds.com/border-crossing-bolivia-argentina/

Report Check-In

Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn More.