Bolivia company registration

DOING BUSINESS IN BOLIVIA IN 2024

pay fee by instalmentsbusiness setup without travelGuaranteed solutions

Since 2003, Healy Consultants Group has assisted our Clients with business registration in Bolivia. Our services include i) Bolivia company incorporation ii) government license registration iii) business bank account opening iv) employee recruitment v) visa strategies and vi) office rental solutions.

Summary Corporation Tax resident LLC Free zone company Branch LLP
Also known as Sociedad Anonima  Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada Sociedad en Comandita Simple
Best use of company? All products and services All products and services Manufacturing and export trading Specific projects Professional services
How soon can you invoice Clients/sign sales contracts? 2 months 2 months 3 months 2 months 2 months
How soon can you hire staff? 2 months 2 months 2 months 2 months 2 months
How soon can you sign a lease agreement? 1 week 1 week 1 week 1 week 1 week
How long to supply corporate bank account numbers? 2 months 2 months 2 months 2 months 2 months
How long to supply company registration / tax numbers? 6 weeks 6 weeks 2 months 2 months 2 months
Corporate tax rate on annual net profits? 25% 25% Up to 0% 25% 0%
Limited liability entity? Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Government grants available? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Government approval required for foreign owners? No No No No No
Resident director/partner/manager/ legal representative required? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Minimum paid up share capital? US$1 US$1 US$100,000 US$1 US$1
Can bid for Government contracts? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Corporate bank account location? BMSC BCP Banco BISA BNB Banco Económico
Can secure trade finance? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
VAT payable on sales to local customers? 15% 15% 15% 15% 15%
Average total business set up engagement costs? Request a proposal US$19,900 Request a proposal US$24,650 US$19,900
Average total engagement period? 3.5 months 3.5 months 3.5 months 4 months 3.5 months

Bolivia business setup summary

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  • Advantages of Bolivia company registration

    register business in Bolivia

    1. A limited liability company in Bolivia can be incorporated with a minimum of two shareholders and one director of any nationality. The minimum paid-up capital required is US$1 for incorporation and our Client will not need to travel to complete the engagement;
    2. Bolivia’s close proximity to the large South American markets of Brazil, Paraguay, Chile and Peru make Bolivia company incorporation a good platform to engage in trade with these four countries. Foreign investors can easily access these countries for trading purposes from Bolivia by road or air;
    3. In Bolivia, there are no restrictions on i) foreign investments ii) foreign currency exchange controls and iii) capital imports and exports;
    4. Bolivia is a member of the World Trade Organization and also the Andean Community and is an associate member of MERCOSUR. Bolivia also seeks to develop markets through participation in the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA) with Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba. Trade in Bolivia has also been enhanced by eliminating double taxation through double taxation avoidance agreements with a number of South American and European countries such as the UK, France and Germany;
    5. Bolivia is one of the least developed countries in South America but is rich in mineral wealth including metals such as tin, copper, silver and iron. The country also has the second highest reserves of natural gas in South America, hence there is a lot of business potential for our Clients.
    6. Bolivian companies are entitled to an important number of trade benefits due to its alliance with other South American countries:
      • Bolivia is a member of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN) with Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. As a result, all the Bolivian trading companies enjoy the benefits from the removal of internal trade barriers between these countries;
      • Bolivia is an associate member of the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR) group. This allows all Bolivian companies to benefit from the virtual elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers on most intra-regional trades carried out between the MERCOSUR member nations.
  • Disadvantages of Bolivia company registration

    1. Bolivia is a landlocked country therefore making it quite difficult to transport products within as well as out of the country. According to World Bank’s Doing Business in Bolivia the cost of exporting a container from Bolivia is US$1,440 which is quite high in comparison to other Latin America & Caribbean countries where it costs US$1,283. Bolivia is negatively ranked 105th out of 148 countries on the Global Competitiveness Index 2014-2015;
    2. A significant hurdle for business operations in Bolivia is the abundance of administrative procedures. A survey conducted by the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012 indicates that government bureaucracy is one of the most problematic factors when doing business in Bolivia. Obtaining necessary licenses to do business is time-consuming and costly. Healy Consultants will be happy to help you handle your administrative requirements;
    3. Corruption is a major constraint for business as public officials expect gifts to get things done. Interaction with tax officials, customs services and the judicial system often involves demands for facilitation payments in order to expedite bureaucratic procedures and to overcome complicated and time-consuming administrative procedures. These factors as well as political instability collectively contribute to make Bolivia a risky place to do business;
    4. In Bolivia, the official language is Spanish therefore all business documents must be translated into Spanish. This slows down the process of company setup and is also a constraint when doing business in the country communicating with employees and government officials is a problem for investors;
    5. Bolivia has been ranked 113th (out of 125 counties) in the 2016 International Property Rights Index. This is majorly due to the country’s i) poor legal and political framework, ii) lack of protection given to intellectual property rights as well as iii) unclear and undefined physical property rights.
    6. According to World Bank data, the average time required to prepare and pay tax in Bolivia is 1025 hours, one of the longest in the world.

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Useful links for Bolivia

Contact us

For additional information on our company registration services in Bolivia, please contact our in-house country expert, Mr. Kunal Fabiani, directly:
client relationship officer - Kunal
Ministry of Economy and Public Finance Central Bank of Bolivia National Chamber of Commerce Registry of Commerce - FUNDEMPRESA