Buying a house in Bolivia: what is allowed, what is not, and the 50-kilometre border zone
As a foreigner you may buy a house in Bolivia, but not within 50 kilometres of the national border: the Constitution forbids it, and anyone who does it anyway loses the property without compensation. A purchase goes through a notarial deed and registration with Derechos Reales. The seller pays 3 percent transfer tax to the municipality.
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Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
A foreigner may buy a house in Bolivia, with one hard exception. Article 262 of the Constitution makes the 50 kilometres along the national border a security zone. There no foreigner, alone or through a company, directly or indirectly, may acquire property. Anyone who does it anyway loses the property to the state, without any compensation. Outside that zone you buy like a Bolivian: with a notarial deed that you have registered with Derechos Reales, the property register.
| What | Who | Amount or period |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer tax (IMT) on an existing house | the seller, the registered owner | 3 % of the price or the tax value, whichever is higher |
| Paying the IMT | the seller, to the municipality | within 10 working days of the sale |
| First sale of a new build or a plot from a subdivision | the seller, as business turnover | IT of 3 % |
| Registration with Derechos Reales | the buyer | 3 working days |
| Certificado alodial (no charges on the property) | the owner applies for it | immediately |
| Annual property tax | the owner | according to the municipality's scale |
Where does the 50-kilometre line run?
The article counts from the line of the national border, and applies along all of the country's borders. A home in a border town or on a lake on the border can therefore easily fall inside it.
Before you make an offer, check on the map how far the home is from the border, and have a notary confirm it. A purchase in the zone is not only invalid: the Constitution lets the property pass to the state without compensation.
An exception is only possible through a law that expressly declares a state need, passed by two thirds of parliament. For a private buyer that is not a route.
In addition, article 396 provides that foreigners cannot acquire state land, under any title. If it concerns agricultural land, separate rules apply; Derechos Reales has a separate procedure for it. Have that looked into separately.
How do you check ownership?
The register works with the folio real, the property's sheet with the owner, the location, the mortgages and the cancellations. Derechos Reales gives an updated folio real to the owner, or to someone who shows a direct interest in a petition. So ask the seller to collect it themselves. Also have them apply for a certificado alodial: proof that no mortgage or attachment rests on the property. Both are handed over at the counter immediately.
What do you hand in for registration?
According to the Derechos Reales manual you bring, in the original and two copies:
- the notarial deed of sale (escritura pública de compra venta);
- proof of the annual tax for the last year;
- proof of the transfer tax;
- the plan approved by the municipality or a current cadastral certificate in the name of the buyer or seller;
- the cédula of the sellers and the buyers.
After three working days you get the folio real in your name back, with the stamped deed. The manual mentions the cédula, the Bolivian identity document. If you buy before you have the cédula de extranjero, ask in advance whether your passport is enough. How to get the cédula is in registration and numbers.
Which tax do you pay?
With an existing house the seller pays the IMT, the Impuesto Municipal a las Transferencias: 3 percent on the price actually paid or on the tax value used for the annual tax, if that is higher. The seller pays within ten working days of the sale. If you buy a new build from a developer, it is the IT of 3 percent, also for the seller.
As an owner you then pay the Impuesto a la Propiedad de Bienes Inmuebles to the municipality every year. Ley 843 gives a scale of 0.35 to 1.5 percent of the tax value, but that scale is updated every year and a municipality can have its own law. Ask the municipality for the amount before you buy.
If together with all your other assets, including in the Netherlands, you own more than Bs 30 million, the tax on large fortunes is added; see AOW, pension and tax.
Buy or rent first?
Bolivia has strong tenant protection and the anticrético, a way of living without monthly rent. That makes renting first in the city of your choice a cheap way to get to know the area; see renting in Bolivia. Your residence is separate from a purchase: the migration law names no permanencia based on a house. That is covered in the residence routes.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey, step 5.6: 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 5.6 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.
- Constitución Política del Estado, article 262: the 50-kilometre border zone, and article 396: no state land for foreigners — ait.gob.bo
- Consejo de la Magistratura — registering a purchase with Derechos Reales, with the documents and three working days — cm.organojudicial.gob.bo
- Consejo de la Magistratura — the certificado alodial, proof that no mortgage or attachment rests on a property — cm.organojudicial.gob.bo
- Consejo de la Magistratura — the updated folio real, only for the owner or someone who shows an interest — cm.organojudicial.gob.bo
- Servicio de Impuestos Nacionales — Ley 843 with DS 24054, the 3 % IMT and the annual property tax, updated to 30 September 2026 — impuestos.gob.bo
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