How to claim asylum in Bolivia?

To claim asylum in Bolivia, go to:

• The Technical Secretariat of the National Refugee Commission (CONARE).
• Any office or delegation of the General Directorate of Migration.
• At the border at migration checkpoints (including international airports), police or military departments.

Depending on your nation of origin, the immigration criteria in Bolivia change for each individual or family. Bolivia travel visa requirements and expenses are determined by Bolivia’s bilateral agreements with each nation. Bolivia’s immigration legislation now follows the “reciprocity” principle, which means that whatever your country’s immigration officials require of Bolivians who emigrate, Bolivia will also require of you. If you plan to apply for residency in Bolivia, you’ll find an explanation of the process below.

How to claim asylum in Bolivia?

Those who have been compelled to flee their country of origin or regular residence are known as refugees.

• Because their life, security, or freedom were threatened by generalized violence, foreign aggression, internal conflicts, massive violations of human rights, or other circumstances that seriously disrupted public order, or because they were afraid of being persecuted for their political opinions, religion, nationality, or belonging to a certain ethnic group or social group.
• Due to their life, security, or freedom were threatened by generalized violence, foreign aggression, internal conflicts, massive violations of human rights, or other circumstances that seriously disrupted public order.

When this occurs, anyone has the right to seek protection from another country by applying for refugee status in the host country.

To claim asylum in Bolivia, go to:

• The Technical Secretariat of the National Refugee Commission (CONARE).
• Any office or delegation of the General Directorate of Migration.
• At the border at migration checkpoints (including international airports), police or military departments.
• The application must be made at the border or within Bolivian territory (it is not possible to apply for refugee status outside of Bolivia).
• The request must be made within 90 days after entering Bolivia, before the indicated authorities.
• The request must be submitted in writing and include the data of the person and their family group, the reasons for requesting refugee status, as well as the contact information in the country.
• The authorities that receive the request must send them within the established period.
• People who apply for refugee status at the border will be authorized to enter the territory and cannot be rejected, returned or expelled by border officials.

After, you need to follow the following steps:

• To support your case, you must present your identity document (passport or identity card) as well as any additional paperwork or information. If you’re unable to do so, you’ll need to explain why.
• You have the right to at least one personal interview with a CONARE Technical Secretariat officer, who will question you extensively about the events that led you to leave your home country.
• Separately from the other members of the family, all members of the family group should be interviewed.
• The information given in the interview is kept private.
• You must provide and keep your real address (where you actually live) up to date, as well as a legal address (which can be the same or different) where all notices, citations, and correspondence addressed to you will be legitimate.

The application will be analyzed by the NATIONAL REFUGEE COMMISSION (CONARE), which is the body in charge of deciding in the first instance whether or not the refugee status is recognized.

If refugee status is recognized:

You will obtain residence in Bolivia and you will be granted a foreigner card that you must renew before the General Directorate of Migration.

If refugee status is denied:

You may file a duly founded appeal for reconsideration before the Review Commission for Refugee Affairs.
Your Provisional Document will be renewed while the resolution of the appeals is pending.

For more information about the procedure, you can contact CONARE:

CONARE (Ministry of Foreign Relations)
Address: Calle Junín esq. Ingavi 3rd floor, Plaza Murillo, La Paz, Bolivia
Cell: +591 71528943
Phones: +591 2 2408900 // +591 2 2409114 // +591 2 2408595
E-mail :  conare@rree.gob.bo

If you require additional support for family reunification, you can contact UNHCR:

UNHCR en Bolivia
E-mail :  argbu@unhcr.org

You may refer to the UNHCR website for more information regarding the asylum in Bolivia.

The cover image is somewhere in Tarija, Bolivia. Photo by Diego Cáceres on Unsplash