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Bolivia visa photo requirements

The 40 × 40 mm photo rules set by Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Bolivia for the Bolivia visa, with the official wording and sources.

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

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Quick answer

What size is the Bolivia visa photo?

A Bolivian visa application needs a current photograph of 4 x 4 cm (40 x 40 mm) with a red background. Bolivia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs sets this for tourist, specific-purpose (objeto determinado), student and multiple visas, and for the humanitarian visa of someone accompanying a patient. Other humanitarian cases ask only for a current photo, and courtesy and transit visas list none. Only nationals of Group II and III countries need a tourist visa.

Bolivian visas are issued by Bolivia's embassies and consulates abroad, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For tourism, countries are sorted into three groups: Group I nationals need no tourist visa, Group II nationals need one, and Group III nationals get one only after the consulate consults the Dirección General de Migración (DIGEMIG), whose resolution authorising entry joins the file. Only applicants from Groups II and III present the tourist visa requirements.

The Ministry publishes a requirement list for each visa type, and the photo line on most of them is the same: a current 4 x 4 photograph with a red background. It applies to the tourist visa, the specific-purpose visa, the student visa, the multiple visa and the humanitarian visa for someone accompanying a sick person. The general humanitarian visa and the one for victims of trafficking ask for a current photograph without a size. Courtesy and transit visas list no photo.

The Ministry also runs an online visa application system. Its published requirements, taken from the migration regulation, include a current photograph among the general requirements but give no size or file specification. At the border, DIGEMIG can issue an entry authorisation for tourism at land and airport control posts, which has the same effect as a tourist visa and needs the same requirements.

Bolivia visa photo size and specifications

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

Print size4 x 4 cm (40 x 40 mm)
Digital sizeOnline application: no pixel size or file rules published
BackgroundRed (fondo rojo)
Photo ageCurrent photograph (fotografía actual); no age limit in months stated
Print qualityNot specified; the lists ask for a current photograph, in the singular
Pixels when printed472 × 472 px at 300 dpi · 945 × 945 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
40 mm40 mm
40 × 40 mm photo drawn to scale. Background: red.

In the official words

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

fotografía actual, a colores, 3cm x 3cm, fondo blanco

Visas: tipos y requisitos[2]

Current 4 x 4 photograph (red background)

Visas: tipos y requisitos[2]

Key requirements

  • Red background

    Every Bolivian visa list that names a background asks for red (fondo rojo), not white. A white-background passport photo does not meet this wording.

  • Square 4 x 4 print

    The lists give the size as 4 x 4, a square print of 4 x 4 cm (40 x 40 mm). The embassy in Canada repeats it in English as a current 4 x 4 photograph with a red background.

  • A current photo

    The lists ask for a current photograph (fotografía actual). No maximum age in months is published, so use a recent picture that looks like you do now.

  • Visa types that need it

    Tourist, specific-purpose (objeto determinado), student and multiple visas all list the 4 x 4 red-background photo, as does the humanitarian visa for a person accompanying a patient.

  • Humanitarian and trafficking cases

    The general humanitarian visa and the visa for victims of trafficking or migrant smuggling ask for a current photograph without naming a size or colour. Ask the consulate which print it accepts.

  • Courtesy and transit visas

    The courtesy visa, for senior officials invited through the Ministry, and the transit visa, valid for up to 15 days with tickets showing a third country as the final destination, list no photograph.

  • Group III approval first

    For Group III nationals the consulate consults DIGEMIG, and a DIGEMIG resolution authorising entry to Bolivia is part of the tourist visa file.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Use a plain red background for the visa photo.
  • Have the print made square, at 4 x 4 cm.
  • Use a recent photo that matches how you look now.
  • Check whether your nationality is in Group I, II or III before applying.
  • Hand in the photo with the sworn visa application form (Formulario de Declaración Jurada).
  • Bring a hotel booking or an invitation letter registered with DIGEMIG for a tourist visa.

Don't

  • Do not use a white background: the Bolivian lists ask for red.
  • Do not hand in a 2 x 2 inch or 35 x 45 mm print in place of 4 x 4 cm.
  • Do not reuse an old photo; the lists ask for a current one.
  • Do not assume every visa type needs the photo: transit and courtesy visas list none.

Sample photos

How a Bolivia visa photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 40 × 40 mm and background colour.

Correct
Open-mouth smile
Head tilted
Too close: head too big
Too far: head too small
Busy background
Shadows on face or background
Glare on glasses

Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.

Babies and children

The visa lists do not exempt children from the photo, so a child applying for a tourist, student or other listed visa needs the same current 4 x 4 photo on a red background. The lists set no separate photo rule for minors.

Some other documents are asked only of older applicants: certificates of police, criminal or court records are required only from applicants over 16 for the specific-purpose and student visas.

At a consulate, the photo is a print attached to the application. The Ministry's online visa system also lists a current photograph among the general requirements, but it publishes no pixel size, file format or file-size limit, so follow the instructions on the form itself.

If you take the picture yourself, it can be cropped to a square and printed at 4 x 4 cm on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.

Where to submit the photo

Apply at the Bolivian embassy or consulate for your place of residence, or through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs online visa system. A student visa is valid for up to 60 days and lets you apply to DIGEMIG for a one-year temporary stay as a student; the multiple visa is valid for one year, with stays of no more than 90 uninterrupted days.

Group II nationals can also ask DIGEMIG for an entry authorisation for tourism at a land border or airport control post. Under Supreme Decree 4828 of 2022 it has the same effects as a tourist visa issued by the Ministry, needs the same requirements and is valid for 30 calendar days.

How to get your Bolivia visa photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Bolivia visa: 40 × 40 mm print, red background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: red background; square 4 x 4 print; a current photo; visa types that need it.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. At a consulate, the photo is a print attached to the application.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Apply at the Bolivian embassy or consulate for your place of residence, or through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs online visa system.

Make this photo online

Bolivia visa photo FAQ

Red. Bolivia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs asks for a current 4 x 4 photograph with a red background (fondo rojo) for tourist, specific-purpose, student and multiple visas, and for the humanitarian visa of someone accompanying a sick person. A white-background passport photo does not match this wording.

4 x 4 cm (40 x 40 mm), a square print. The Ministry's lists write it as 4 x 4 without a unit, and the embassy in Canada repeats it in English as a current 4 x 4 photograph with a red background.

Only nationals of Group II and Group III countries, because Group I nationals do not need a tourist visa at all. Group III applicants also need DIGEMIG's prior authorisation. Check which group your nationality is in with the consulate before you prepare the photo.

Yes. The requirements published on the Ministry's online visa system list a current photograph among the general requirements for the visas in the migration regulation. They give no pixel size or file rules, so follow the instructions shown on the online form.

Group II nationals can ask DIGEMIG for an entry authorisation for tourism at land border and airport control posts. It has the same effects as a tourist visa, needs the same requirements and lasts 30 calendar days, so prepare the photo exactly as for a consular tourist visa.

No photo appears on the transit visa list. It asks for the sworn application form, a passport valid for at least 6 months and tickets showing that your final destination is a third country. The transit visa is valid for up to 15 days.

Related photo specifications

Other Bolivia documents

Visas and travel authorisations nearby

Also 40 × 40 mm

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Official sources

  1. Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Bolivia. Trámites y servicios: Visas cancilleria.gob.bo. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Bolivia. Visas: tipos y requisitos consulados.cancilleria.gob.bo. Checked 2 November 2026.
  3. Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Bolivia. Requisitos para la emisión de visas (sistema de solicitud de visas) visas.cancilleria.gob.bo. Checked 2 November 2026.
  4. Embassy of the Plurinational State of Bolivia in Canada. Visas (English version) bolivianembassy.ca. Checked 2 November 2026.
  5. LexiVox (text of the Gaceta Oficial de Bolivia). Decreto Supremo Nº 4828, 23 de noviembre de 2022 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 visa photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/bolivia/visa-photo

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