Mods ( At least give an explanation for removing a post )
Posting this in case it helps someone avoid the stress I went through.
Background: I work in the US and hold an Indian passport. Planned a Bolivia trip in November.
Like many people, I checked what I thought were reliable sources and concluded that Indian passport holders get visa on arrival for Bolivia:
Both strongly suggested VoA, so I felt reasonably confident.
To be extra cautious, I tried applying for a Bolivia visa online anyway… and that’s where things started going sideways:
No option to pay visa fees via credit card
Only option: wire transfer to a Bank of America account
No routing number provided
Bolivian embassy phone numbers in LA were completely unreachable
After days of no response, I decided to take my chances.
Airport disaster @3am
I had a LATAM ticket with a connection in LA (operated by Delta codeshare).
At 3am check-in, Delta flat-out refused to let me board without a Bolivia visa.
I explained:
- I had a connection in Lima (which I can enter visa-free)
- I planned to get the Bolivia visa there
No luck. Since the ticket was booked via LATAM, Delta wouldn’t modify the itinerary either.
In a last-ditch panic move, I guessed the Bank of America routing number (California), wired the visa fee (+$40 wire fee), and my application finally moved to “under review.” But by then, I’d already missed the LA flight.
My friend who I was traveling with suggested a backup plan:
Fly to Lima, regroup, and figure it out from there, since I qualify for visa free entry to Peru since I had a valid H1B visa. He continued to LA; we picked a well-known spot in Lima to meet if we lost contact.
Called LATAM:
- $350 to change my return
- 2+ hour phone call
- Converted itinerary to SFO → Lima round trip
Got rerouted via Atlanta (delayed by 2 hours, of course).
While waiting, I turned to Reddit and found multiple success stories of people getting a Bolivia visa in Lima within a day. That gave me hope.
I filled out another visa application, printed all documents at the lounge, but couldn’t pay the fee yet (Lima consulate requires local payment).
Sprinting through ATL
Huge ATL airport. 20 minutes to transfer. Delta flight attendants were absolute legends:
- Showed me the airport map
- Found my next gate before landing
- Gave me the fastest route
Lots of running, a train, more running. I was the last person to board the Lima flight. Gates closed minutes later.
Landed in Lima. Slept a few hours. Next morning, walked into the Bolivian embassy in Lima and wow, what a contrast.
They:
- Accepted walk-ins
- Reviewed my application on the spot
- Sent me to a nearby bank to pay the visa fee
- Asked me to update the reference number and reprint
The bank staff even let me print my updated application there.
Ran back to the embassy before noon. Officer said everything looked good and told me to come back after 4pm.
Picked up my passport that afternoon with a stamped Bolivia visa 🎉
One more twist (because why not)
Our La Paz → Uyuni flight was scheduled for Saturday 7am. I couldn’t reach BoA Airlines support in time.
Turns out: if you miss that flight, there are no flights until Wednesday.
So we:
- Booked a late-night La Paz → Lima hop
- Rushed hotel → airport → back again
- Flew at 1am
La Paz airport at that hour has nothing open. I crashed on a bench for an hour from pure exhaustion.
But… we made it to Uyuni.
Was it worth it?
Standing on the Uyuni salt flats for three days? Absolutely unforgettable. A core memory. I’d go through this ordeal again without hesitation.
Huge shoutout to my friend for staying calm, flexible, and supportive throughout. He has a US passport and zero visa issues, which really highlighted how uneven this experience can be.
Moral of the story
If you’re traveling on a not-so-strong passport:
Do NOT rely solely on Wikipedia or even government PDFs
Always verify via IATA Timatic, which airlines actually use for boarding decisions - iatatravelcentre
Hope this helps someone avoid a last-minute airport heartbreak. Happy (and better-prepared) travels ✈️