Bolivia - Obtain Driver License

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Procedure

If this is your first time obtaining a driver's license (for example, if you turned 18 in Bolivia) you may take a behind-the-wheel driving course. Several local companies offer these for under $100.

The first step in your application process for a Bolivia drivers license will be to go to the police station in your city (transito). There, after presenting police officers with proof of your age, legal residency, and your previous driver's license (if you have one), they will determine whether or not to give you a written test.

If you are told you must take the police-issued written test, the pre-requisite for the written test is a 3-day study course which you must schedule in advance. Police will give you instructions as to when and where to take the course.

Police may also require of you an oral test, which they will conduct with you in interview style.

Having passed all required courses and tests, you can now begin gathering the remaining documentation that you will have to present to apply for a Bolivian drivers permit.

First, at the police station, you will purchase a form for a criminal background check (certificado de antecedentes). A police officer will help you fill out the form and will ask you to return the next day. During this time that police officer will do the background check and have a superior officer sign the certificate.

You must also have photographs taken. Police will tell you what size to cut them, and what color background your photos must have. These can be done at any local photography shop. Some police stations actually have a photographer on hand.

A medical certificate is also required. To obtain one, you must make an appointment with a doctor who will fill out a standardized form stating that you are physically apt to drive. It will also list your blood type.

Having gathered your criminal background certificate, photographs and medical certificate, your next step is to pay for your driver's license. Police will inform you as to which bank you must visit to deposit the money. You do not pay for your driver's license at the police station.

Once you have all of your documents and have obtained a receipt from the bank as proof of your deposit, you will head over to your local SEGIP office (Servicio General de Identificacion Personal), a national identification issuance office. There you will purchase a form (formulario de inicio de tramite) which you will fill out and place into a folder they provide you, along with all other documentation you gathered.

SEGIP personnel will review your file and will determine whether or not you fulfill all requirements to obtain a driver's license. If you do, your license will be issued within the day.

If the SEGIP should determine that you have not complied, they will notify you of their observations (observaciones) and will tell you what you need to do to rectify the matter. Once you do, it will be issued within the day.

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Required Documents

• Effective Presentation Certificate of Identity
• Driving Skills Certificate issued by Accredited by the SEGIP-SEGELIC.
• Medical Certificate (Blood Type, Physical Assessment, Visual, Auditory) given by Health Facilities accredited SEGIP-SEGELIC.
• Certificates Background (FELC-C,-N and FELC TRANSIT).
• Proof of bank deposit.

Office Locations & Contacts

Direccin de Trnsito
Av. Mariscal Santa Cruz and Oruro Street
La Paz, Bolivia
Phone: (591-2) 237-1226
Hours: Monday thru Friday, 08:30 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:45

Servicio General de Identificacion Personal (SEGIP)
National Office
Muoz Cornejo Street esq. Vincenti No. 2808, Sopocachi Zone,
La Paz, Bolivia
Tel: 591 - 2117405 02
Free Nnero: 800-100-004
Email: [email protected]

SEGIP Regional Offices

• Santa Cruz
• La Paz
• Cochababamba
• Oruro
• Potosi
• Chuquisaca
• Pando
• Beni
• Tarija

List of Financial Institutions

List of Medical Centers

List of Driving Schools

Police Contacts

Eligibility

Minimally, in order to obtain a license, you must be at least 18 years of age and have legal residency in Bolivia. Unless you are a first-time driver, you must also have a drivers license from your country of origin.

Fees

Depending on the type of driver's license for which you apply, the cost will range between 150 and 250 bolivianos, not including the costs you incur to gather the documentation you presented (photos, background check and medical certificate) or the costs of any courses you must take.

Validity

It is supposed to be renewed every 5 years.

Documents to Use

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Sample Documents

Driver License Rules

Processing Time

Please explain processing time taken in obtaining the document/certificate.

Related Videos

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Instructions

This procedure begins at the police station and ends at the SEGIP, Bolivia's national personal identification service. You must speak enough Spanish to take any written, oral or driving tests required, understand the laws, and comply with road signage. Not speaking Spanish in no way exempts you from knowing and upholding the law while driving in Bolivia.

If you already have a driver's license from your country of origin, you must present it when you apply for a Bolivian license.

Required Information

• Your full name and surnames
• Your date of birth
• Your nationality
• Your address
• Your fingerprint
• Your carnet number (a Bolivian I.D. card if you are a legal resident),
• The type of driving you are allowed to do (cars, motorcycles, trucks, buses, private vehicle, commercial vehicle, and so forth).
• It will also contain an expiration date.

Need for the Document

Getting a drivers license in Bolivia can be time consuming and will vary for each individual depending on your age, level of driving experience, whether or not you acquired an international drivers license prior to moving to Bolivia, and other factors. The police will require documentation to prove you have been granted legal residency in Bolivia and are of legal age.

Information which might help

You will need to get a Bolivian drivers liscence before you can get liscence plates or insurance on a car registered in your name.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Driver Licence is also used as an identification document.

External Links

http://www.boliviabella.com/drivers-license.html

http://www.segip.gob.bo/web/

http://www.policia.bo/

http://www.felcn.gob.bo/

Others

If you already have a driver's license from your country of origin, you must present it when you apply for a Bolivian license.

Tourists can rent a car with their valid driver license. Americans living, studying or working in Bolivia can get a Bolivian drivers license.