In a bulletin dated 22 July 2026, the Federal Foreign Office revised its Bolivia guidance to reflect two regulatory developments that could catch business travellers off-guard. First, Law 1649, which enters into force on 1 August, imposes a US $15 ‘infrastructure preservation fee’ on all foreign nationals arriving at El Alto, Santa Cruz-Viru Viru and Cochabamba airports. Airlines may or may not collect the fee at check-in; the AA therefore urges travellers to carry small-denomination dollars or bolivianos for payment on arrival. Second, local health authorities in La Paz have introduced mandatory pulse-oximetry checks for passengers connecting to destinations above 3,000 m. Anyone registering an oxygen saturation below 84 % will be asked to rest for up to two hours in a medical bay before onward travel—a policy already causing missed domestic connections. The advisory reminds German companies running energy and mining projects that ambulance evacuation from high-altitude sites is limited; firms should position oxygen and acetazolamide stocks on-site and update duty-of-care records accordingly. No change has been made to the AA’s longstanding advice to avoid road travel after dark on the Yungas ("Death Road") corridor, where armed robberies continue despite stepped-up policing.
Source: German Federal Foreign Office
