Banking and payments in Bolivia: an account with your cédula, declare your cash
For a Bolivian savings account the financial authorities name the cédula as identity document, not the passport. If you bring more than US$ 10,000 in cash, you declare it to customs; above US$ 50,000 it must go through a bank. The tax on bank transactions, the ITF, has been abolished since 10 April 2026.
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You open a Bolivian bank account with your cédula. In the overview by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the requirements for a savings account (caja de ahorro) are an identity document, namely the cédula de identidad, the cédula de identidad de extranjero or a special identity document, a signature card, the application form and, where applicable, registration with the tax authority. The passport is not listed. Cash from US$ 10,000 must be declared to customs, and the tax on bank transactions no longer exists since 10 April 2026.
| What | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity document for a savings account | cédula, cédula de extranjero or special identity document | ministry, question 87 |
| Extra for foreigners | copy of the identity document and bank, business or work references | UIF, 2026 instruction |
| Cash on arrival | declare between US$ 10,000 and US$ 50,000 | Aduana Nacional |
| Cash on departure | declare between US$ 10,000 and US$ 20,000 | Aduana Nacional |
| More than those limits | only through a bank supervised by the ASFI | Aduana Nacional |
| Not or wrongly declared | 30 % penalty | Aduana Nacional |
| ITF, tax on bank transactions | abolished since 10 April 2026 | Ley 1717 |
Can you open an account before you have the cédula?
Under the ministry's minimum requirements, no: the passport is not on the list. The bank may also ask for its own documents. So expect to pay with money from your Dutch account for the first weeks, and open the Bolivian account as soon as you have your cédula de extranjero; see registration and numbers.
The 2026 instruction of the Unidad de Investigaciones Financieras (UIF), the anti-money-laundering service, requires a bank to check your identity in the SEGIP system. From a foreign client the bank also asks for a copy of the identity document and references from a bank, a company or an employer. Anyone bringing in money from abroad must also show references from the country the money comes from. So ask your Dutch bank for a reference letter before you leave, and bring your pension statements.
The bank also records your address, occupation, average monthly income and the purpose of the account.
How do you get your money?
The SVB can pay your AOW into an account outside the Netherlands. The payment day may then differ from a Dutch account, and you cannot choose another day. You can also keep your Dutch account and transfer money yourself; see keeping your bank account and DigiD. Ask your bank in the Netherlands whether your account may stay open while you live in Bolivia.
Since the ITF was abolished on 10 April 2026, the bank no longer withholds a tax on bank transactions on deposits and withdrawals. That tax had existed since 2006 (Ley 3446) and lapsed with Ley 1717.
How much cash may you bring?
Before arrival or departure, fill in customs form 250 for new goods and cash. If you bring between US$ 10,000 and US$ 50,000 on arrival, or between US$ 10,000 and US$ 20,000 on departure, you declare it. Larger amounts may not cross the border in cash: they must go through a financial institution supervised by the ASFI, the regulator.
If you do not declare your cash or declare it wrongly, customs withholds 30 %: of the whole amount if you declared nothing, or of the difference if you declared wrongly. If you bring more than the limit, the 30 % applies to the part above it. So have large amounts transferred.
What else may you bring in your luggage?
Besides your used personal belongings you may bring new items for your own use up to a value of US$ 1,000, and prescription medicines up to three packs. You may also bring, among other things, three litres of alcohol and 400 cigarettes. Anything above that is taxed. Your removal goods fall under a separate arrangement; see household goods to Bolivia.
What about tax?
Interest on a Bolivian account can fall under the RC-IVA, but interest on a fixed-term deposit in bolivianos for more than thirty days does not count under article 19 of Ley 843. Your Dutch pension falls outside Bolivian tax according to the text of the law; see AOW, pension and tax.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey, step 5.4: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Bolivia or go straight to step 5.4 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas Públicas — the financial consumer's ABC, question 87 on the requirements for a savings account — economiayfinanzas.gob.bo
- Unidad de Investigaciones Financieras — 2026 instruction for banks, with the SEGIP check and the references for foreigners — uif.gob.bo
- Aduana Nacional — declaring baggage and cash, the limits and the 30 % penalty — aduana.gob.bo
- Servicio de Impuestos Nacionales — Ley 843 updated to 30 September 2026, with the abolition of the ITF by Ley 1717 — impuestos.gob.bo
- SVB — payment of the AOW into an account outside the Netherlands — svb.nl
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