U.S. Embassy La Paz
Avenida Arce 2780
La Paz, Bolivia
Telephone: + (591) (2) 216-8000
Emergency After-Hours Telephone: + (591) (2) 216-8000
Fax: + (591) (2) 216-8111
Email: ConsularLaPazACS@state.gov

United States Consular Agency, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Edificio Empresarial Equipetrol, 4^th Floor
Intersection of Av. San Martin and Av. Las Ramblas
Equipetrol Norte
Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Telephone: + (591) (2) 216-8000
Emergency after-hours telephone: +(591) 2-216-8000
Email: ConsularSantaCruz@state.gov

List of Attorneys - U.S. Embassy in La Paz.

Is Bolivia a party to the Hague Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extra Judicial Documents in Civil and Commercial Matters?

• No.

How should requests be completed?

• Service of process in Bolivia may be accomplished by making a formal request via letters rogatory. 
• U.S. litigants seeking to serve process in Bolivia by other methods may wish to consult legal counsel in Bolivia for guidance.
• All requests should be translated into Spanish and completed in duplicate and submitted with two sets of the documents to be served.
• Bolivian law requires that any administrative or judicial cooperation should be presented to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which will contact the appropriate authority needed  to enforce the judgment.
• The requirements are:
  1. the name of the requesting authority or judge 
  2. a briefing of the request 
  3. a detailed description of the case in question and the official text of the law
  4. legal time frame to comply with the request 
  5. and any other necessary information

Additional information 

• The United States and Bolivia are parties to the Inter-American Convention on Letters Rogatory and Additional Protocol. 
• The U.S. Central Authority for the treaty is the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, Office of Foreign Litigation, Washington, D.C. 
• Requests for service under the Inter-American Convention on Letters Rogatory and Additional Protocol may be sent to the U.S. Department of Justice's contractor, ABC Legal, for transmittal to the Bolivian Central Authority.
• U.S. litigants seeking to serve process in Bolivia by other methods may wish to consult legal counsel in Bolivia for guidance.

Service on a Foreign State:  

• See also our Service Under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) feature and FSIA Checklist for questions about service on a foreign state, agency or instrumentality.

Prosecution Requests:   

• U.S. federal or state prosecutors should also contact the Office of International Affairs, Criminal Division, Department of Justice for guidance.

Defense Requests in Criminal Matters:  

• Criminal defendants or their defense counsel seeking judicial assistance in obtaining evidence or in effecting service of documents abroad in connection with criminal matters may do so via the letters rogatory process.

Is Bolivia a party to the Hague Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil and Commercial Matters?

• No.

How should letters of request be completed? Do they require transmittal via diplomatic channels?

• All requests for obtaining evidence, including requests to compel evidence or to take voluntary depositions, may be submitted via the letters rogatory process.

Requests from Bolivia to Obtain Evidence in the United States: 

• The U.S. Central Authority for the Hague Evidence Convention is the Office of International Judicial Assistance, Civil Division, Department of Justice, 1100 L Street N.W., Room 8102, Washington, D.C. 20530

Are foreign attorneys permitted to take depositions of willing witnesses without the involvement of the host government or courts?

• Bolivia is not a party to the Hague Evidence Convention. Local authorities do not permit foreign persons, such as American attorneys, to take depositions for use in a court in the United States.
• Requests for obtaining evidence must be submitted via the letters rogatory process.

May local attorneys directly petition a court to conduct the deposition of an unwilling witness or must this be requested via letters rogatory?

• This must be requested via letters rogatory.

Is Bolivia a party to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement for Legalization of Foreign Public Documents?

• Yes.
• Bolivia’s competent authority for the Hague Apostille Convention will authenticate Bolivian public documents with Apostilles.

How can I U.S. public documents for use in Bolivia?

• For information about authenticating U.S. public documents for use in Bolivia, see the list of U.S. Competent Authorities.
• To obtain an Apostille for a U.S. Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States of America, contact the U.S. Department of State, Passport Services, Vital Records Office.