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Bolivia certificate of residence photo requirements

The photo rules set by Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Bolivia for the Bolivia certificate of residence, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 5 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What are the Bolivia certificate of residence photo requirements?

No current official Bolivian page asks for a photo, in 4 x 4 cm or any other size, for a certificate of residence. Abroad, consulates issue a certificate of residence and occupation for Bolivians returning home with their household goods, and a life certificate (certificado de vivencia) for pensions; neither list includes a photograph. Foreigners living in Bolivia hold a DIGEMIG stay (permanencia), which the migration regulation says needs a current photograph of unstated size.

Certificate of residence can mean different Bolivian documents, and none of the current official pages gives it a photo size. For Bolivians abroad, the consular network issues a certificate of residence and activity or occupation (certificado de residencia y actividad u oficio). It is one of the requirements of the household goods regime (menaje doméstico), which lets a citizen returning to settle in Bolivia bring in used personal belongings without paying import duties, once.

The household goods file also needs a sworn declaration entered in the National Customs (Aduana Nacional) system, a passport showing at least two years abroad with visits to Bolivia of no more than 90 days, and the consulate's validation of the declaration. The consular procedure is free. The published list for the residence certificate itself names no photograph.

Consulates also issue the certificado de vivencia, a life certificate that pensioners present periodically to keep receiving a Bolivian retirement pension or survivor's benefit. It confirms that the holder is still alive and asks for your temporary or permanent address abroad. It is issued on paper at the consulate or, after a one-time enrolment, requested by facial recognition in the consular app; neither route asks for a printed photo.

Foreigners who live in Bolivia hold a temporary or permanent stay (permanencia) granted by the Dirección General de Migración (DIGEMIG), followed by a foreigner identity card from SEGIP. Supreme Decree 1923 of 2014, the migration regulation, lists a current photograph among the requirements for temporary and permanent stays but gives no size or background.

Bolivia certificate of residence photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Bolivia:[1]

Print sizeNot published: no current official list sets a photo for a residence or life certificate
BackgroundNone stated
Photo ageDIGEMIG stays for foreigners: a current photograph, under Supreme Decree 1923
Print qualityNo prints listed for the consular residence certificate or the life certificate

In the official words

Exact wording from the official sources, quoted because the details matter:

Una fotografía actual, a colores, 4 por 4 cm., sólo uno (1) por inicio de gestión

Trámites consulares: Menaje doméstico y Actuación notarial[2]

Key requirements

  • Consular residence certificate: no photo listed

    The certificate of residence and activity or occupation appears only as a requirement of the household goods regime, and no photograph is listed for it on any consular page.

  • Part of the household goods file

    You need a passport showing at least two years abroad, with visits to Bolivia of no more than 90 days, a customs declaration entered online and the consulate's validation of that declaration.

  • Declarations expire

    A sworn customs declaration that is not validated by the consulate is deleted from the system after 30 days, and you must fill it in again.

  • Life certificate: presence or face scan

    For a paper life certificate you attend the consulate in person. Alternatively you enrol once at the consulate for the remote system that uses facial recognition.

  • The app takes its own photos

    In the El Consulado en tus Manos app, the system takes photographs when you request a certificate and compares them with the photographs taken when you enrolled, then generates the certificate.

  • Foreigners: ask DIGEMIG

    For a temporary or permanent stay, the migration regulation requires a current photograph without stating a size. Check DIGEMIG's current requirement list before printing anything.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Ask the office that wants the certificate exactly which document it means.
  • Bring a passport showing at least two years abroad for the household goods regime.
  • Enter the household goods declaration in the Aduana Nacional system first.
  • Enrol once at the consulate if you want to use facial recognition for life certificates.
  • Check DIGEMIG's current list for the photo size if you are a foreigner applying for a stay.

Don't

  • Do not print 4 x 4 cm photos for a consular residence certificate unless the consulate asks.
  • Do not confuse the life certificate (vivencia) with a certificate of residence.
  • Do not let your household goods declaration lapse: an unvalidated one is deleted after 30 days.
  • Do not count on using the household goods regime twice; it can be used only once.

Babies and children

No separate rules for children appear for the consular residence certificate or the life certificate. For foreign families in Bolivia, a parent can ask SEGIP in writing for a certification of a foreign child's identity data, attaching a photocopy of the child's foreigner identity card and of the parent's own identity document; no photo is listed for that certification either.

No print is requested for either consular certificate. The life certificate also has a digital route: after enrolling at the consulate with your cédula, phone numbers, email address and the details of your representative (apoderado), you receive a password by email and request each certificate in the El Consulado en tus Manos app, which photographs your face and compares it with the enrolment photos.

The consulate then prints and signs the certificate and sends it through the system to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs legalisation unit in Bolivia, where it is handed to your representative.

Where to submit the photo

Bolivians abroad request the residence certificate and the life certificate at the consulate for their area. The household goods declaration is completed online in the Aduana Nacional system before the consulate validates it, and the goods must arrive between one month before and six months after your own arrival.

Foreigners apply for stays to DIGEMIG: temporary stays at its central office, departmental administrations or authorised border posts, and permanent stays at the central office or its departmental or regional administrations. The foreigner identity card is then issued at SEGIP's foreigners' offices (Extranjería).

How to get your Bolivia certificate of residence photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Bolivia certificate of residence. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: consular residence certificate: no photo listed; part of the household goods file; declarations expire; life certificate: presence or face scan.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. No print is requested for either consular certificate.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Bolivians abroad request the residence certificate and the life certificate at the consulate for their area.

Make this photo online

Bolivia certificate of residence photo FAQ

No current official list asks for one. The consular certificate of residence and activity or occupation, used for the household goods regime, lists no photograph, and neither does the life certificate. If an office asks you for a photo, ask it to confirm the size and background before you print.

A certificate issued by a Bolivian consulate about where you live abroad and what you do there. It is a requirement of the household goods regime for Bolivian citizens returning home, together with a passport showing at least two years abroad and a customs declaration validated by the consulate.

No. The life certificate confirms that a pension holder is alive and is needed periodically to keep collecting a Bolivian retirement pension or survivor's benefit, from the pension system or an insurance company. It asks for your address abroad, which is one reason the two are confused.

Not under the current consular requirements. You attend in person for a paper certificate, or enrol once and then use facial recognition in the El Consulado en tus Manos app, where the system takes the photos itself and compares them with those taken at enrolment.

The migration regulation lists a current photograph among the requirements for DIGEMIG temporary and permanent stays but sets no size or background. Ask DIGEMIG for its current specification before printing. SEGIP's list for the identity card that foreigners receive afterwards does not include a photograph.

Related photo specifications

Other Bolivia documents

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Official sources

  1. Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Bolivia. Menaje doméstico (Embajada en Suecia) embajadas.cancilleria.gob.bo. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Bolivia. Trámites consulares: Menaje doméstico y Actuación notarial consulados.cancilleria.gob.bo. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Bolivia. Actuación notarial: Certificado de Vivencia (Embajada en Suecia) embajadas.cancilleria.gob.bo. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Servicio General de Identificación Personal (SEGIP). Cédula de Identidad de Extranjero segip.gob.bo. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. LexiVox (text of the Gaceta Oficial de Bolivia). Decreto Supremo Nº 1923, Reglamento de la Ley de Migración lexivox.org. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Bolivia before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Bolivia certificate of residence photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/bolivia/certificate-of-residence-photo

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