How to Import a Chinese Electric Car into Bolivia in 2026

Updated 30 Oct 2026. Craveuo is an export platform, not a car brand and not an official dealer or agent of any brand. We do not clear customs in Bolivia. Nothing here is a promise, legal advice or a quote.

Short answer

The 0% ICE excise on new pure-electric cars and new petrol plug-in hybrids runs only to 31 Dec 2026 under Decree 5653, and we found no rule for 2027, so a car that clears after that date may pay more [1][5]. Customs duty is listed at 0% under a 2021 decree, and IVA of 14.94% is the main tax [2][3]. Before anything ships you need the manufacturer's original letter and an IBMETRO certificate for the Vice-Ministry of Transport's prior authorisation [13][14]. Without them we cannot say a car will clear, so ask first.

Before you ship: three checks

1. ICE in 2027. Decree 5653 stops at 31 Dec 2026 and says nothing about the next year. Ask your customs agent which date counts for your car and what rate applies after it.
2. Manufacturer's letter. For a new vehicle the prior authorisation asks for an original note from the manufacturer addressed to the applicant, plus a technical sheet, a test report, a notarised sworn declaration and the IBMETRO certificate [13]. Ask whether your seller can get that letter before you sign. We cannot promise it.
3. Your powertrain. In the decree annex a new petrol plug-in pays 0% but a one-year-old one pays 10%, a diesel plug-in pays 15%, and range-extenders are not named [1]. Have your agent classify the car first.

Models to ask about

China guide prices, not delivered prices. For Zeekr, see our premium cars guide for Bolivia.

Taxes in 2026

• A new customs tariff took effect on 1 Jan 2026. Press said electric vehicles keep or receive expanded reductions but gave no rates [8].
• Decree 5653 sets ICE only. Decree 4539 limited its ICE cut to five years from 7 Jul 2021 [2]. The rate after 31 Dec 2026 is to be confirmed.
• IVA: 13% or 14.94%? Both figures appear in our sources. Law 843 sets the general rate at 13% (version of 31 July 2026) [6]. The effective rate is 14.94% [3][7]. Our reading: IVA is included in its own base, so 13 ÷ (100 − 13) = 14.94% of the price before IVA (base: [9], a private tax site, not an official text). Do not add the two rates together. Our totals below use 14.94%. Your customs agent confirms the base.

Age limit: buy new

Decree 2232 limited imports from 1 Jan 2016 to vehicles up to one year old [4]. We found no 2026 text confirming this. The Decree 5653 annex lists passenger-car rates only for new and one-year-old vehicles (our reading) [1]. The 2006 import regulation bars vehicles whose steering was converted abroad and requires right-hand-drive vehicles to be converted in a national free zone, so choose factory left-hand drive [10].

A separate rule defines a "new" vehicle as one whose model year equals or follows the import year (Resolution 156/2020, 30 July 2020, citing Decree 28963) [11]. This is not the same wording as "up to one year old" above. Which rule applies is to be confirmed with your customs agent. Our advice stays the same: buy new.

Emissions: Euro II

Imported vehicles must meet Euro II or equivalent. Electric-only vehicles are excluded from the environmental certificate (Decree 4373, 19 Oct 2020) [12]. A plug-in hybrid has an engine, so check with a licensed customs agent in Bolivia.

Customs steps and documents

• The importer registers with the Aduana Nacional (Form 170). A customs agent is optional, but we suggest asking a Bolivian customs agent (despachante de aduana) which approvals and seller documents your import needs before you order. The DUI declaration goes through SIDUNEA, taxes are paid at Banco Unión within three business days, then a green, yellow or red channel applies [3].
• Documents: original commercial invoice showing FOB value, bill of lading, packing list, Parte de Recepción, Andean Value Declaration above US$5,000, and insurance and freight invoice copies. A certificate of origin is needed only for tariff preferences [3]. Bolivia's approvals (next bullet) also ask for a manufacturer letter and a test report [13].
• Approvals before shipping: IBMETRO must issue a Certificado de Aceptación (Ministerial Resolutions 064/2022 and, for hybrids, 119/2025). It is required for the prior authorisation from the Vice-Ministry of Transport (IBMETRO, checked 2026-10-28) [14]. For new vehicles that authorisation asks for a technical sheet, a test report, a notarised sworn declaration, the manufacturer's original letter addressed to the applicant, and the IBMETRO certificate (VUCE, checked 2026-10-28; page footer 2024) [13]. Ask the seller early whether they can supply these. We read these pages while checking a plug-in hybrid, and we do not know how they relate to the Aduana regulation below. Both are to be confirmed for your model.
• The Aduana published a regulation on certification of imported vehicles (RD 01-039-25, 26 May 2025) [15]. We could not read its text, so its requirements are to be confirmed.

Shipping to a landlocked country

Bolivia has no coast. In 2025, 96% of imports arrived by road, and the Arica and Iquique routes through Chile were among the three busiest [16]. A car shipped by sea reaches a Pacific port, then moves overland to Bolivia under customs transit. Port options are Arica or Iquique in Chile, and Matarani or Ilo in Peru. Bolivia's port-services agency ASP-B acts as the state's customs agent for Bolivian cargo in foreign ports. It reports traffic through Arica (Chile) and through Ilo and Matarani (Peru) (ASP-B article, 2025) [17]. Iquique also handles Bolivia-linked transit cargo (DF, 2026-01-02) [18]. Ask your forwarder and customs agent which port can handle vehicles for your shipment, and who runs the road leg. We found no transit times. Zeekr cars go through Peru: they land at Matarani and continue overland to Bolivia.

Registration in Santa Cruz and La Paz

Plates and vehicle registration are municipal competences, coordinated with the national police through the RUA registry (decree of 6 May 1997) [19]. We found no current checklist for Santa Cruz de la Sierra or La Paz, so the steps are to be confirmed with your customs agent and the municipal office. Nobody can promise the outcome.

Plug-in hybrids (example: Lynk & Co 900)

Most of this guide is about pure-electric cars. A plug-in hybrid has an engine and a battery, so a few rules differ. The Lynk & Co 900 is our example.

Warranty terms for a China-spec 900 are set by the carmaker. CRAVEUO EV Export does not promise a warranty. Ask for the written terms of your exact version and the name of a workshop in Bolivia before you pay.

China-side rules

Pure-electric passenger cars need a Chinese export licence from 1 Jan 2026 [21]. A car registered under 180 days before export needs the maker's after-sales confirmation [22]. Batteries ship as UN 3556, Class 9 dangerous goods, mandatory since 1 Jan 2026 [23].

How to work out your own total

Use the car price from your written quote. Your agent confirms each base when you order.

For every US$10,000 of customs value with 0% duty and 0% ICE, IVA is about US$1,494 before other clearance charges. This leaves out China-side costs, Chilean port and road charges, agent fees, registration and the exporter's margin. The real total is higher.

Door delivery

Our default quote is delivered to your door on DAP terms, with a local customs agent we recommend. It is not DDP: you pay the taxes Bolivian customs assesses. We take no payment before a signed contract. We cannot promise registration or warranty. See all models and our FOB to landed price guide.