Colchane - Pisiga border | Customs and Immigration

BOL to CHIL

Don't do anything on the Bolovian side. All the offices (finish of TIP of car, Passports (stamp ou BOL and stamp in CHIL), pet import) are AFTER the "welcome to Chile" sign.

Take care you queue up with your normal car on the really right lane (pass the trucks on the gravel!!). You will be stopped before the welcome sign and there, a officer guide the cars/trucks/buses to the correct lines with free spaces.

If you are in line, go to the building before you. The different windows are all in one line - normally easy, for us crazy because of holidays/christmas. Total chaos.
You have to fill:
- the aduana form for Bolivia (the same when you enter the country) per QR code, wifi is there
- for Chile: 1 form for the car and 1 form per person for the aduana declaration (in paper, take a pen with you!! As we were here, the forms layed on the side where the buses stop.)

Then you are ready for the windows 1. Aduana BOL (TIP cancel) 2. Migration BOL (passports) 3. Migration CHIL (passports) 4. Aduana CHIL (TIP and on the way to the luggage control pet papers (SENASA)

ATTENTION!! The migration asked us about the money we have, we told them (we had only what we changed before and that wasn't a huge amount) and then the officer told us, that's not enough for 3months in Chile. We told him, we have credit&bank cards. Then he wanted to see our saldo on our bank account.
Because of holidays, so many people were here, that the internet doesn't work and we could not show him. He was finally okay, but if you want to be prepared, perhaps it makes sense to make a screenshot of your accounts...?

After the windows you can drive on to the controls - here one officer entered with a drug dog into our car and a second officer checked the data of our car. That was all. No food control even though we declared we have some small leftovers.

There are not really clear signs on that border, but if it's not crazy full of people like actually, I think you can pass without big problems.

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We couldn't cross the border with the  car we bought in Chile. The reason given to us was that we were not resident in Chile and that we had only a temporary RUT. We had all the necessary papers and a copy of the chilean law saying we are authorized to cross the border as strangers with a chilean car. But they said that OK, it was good for Chilean law, but the problem was for Bolivian law. They said we could maybe ask the consulate of Bolivia for a special authorization. I dont know the truth in bolivian law forbidding foreigner to enter the country with a chilean car without being chilean resident when chilean law authorized it but it's not like you can argue. Well, at the end, we had to turn back...

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Chile -> Bolivia
30 min...no big busses....laughable vehicle inspection...no special copies needed.

There are some barriers, police buildings and army trucks around. Drive past all of them even though it feels weird. The border checkpoint for both countries is way past this marker and actually on the Bolivian side in a long rectangular building. Make sure to first enter this one on the right, short side. An unfriendly lady will take pictures of your passport (don't know why) and hand you a form. Take it and fill out some info about your vehicle. This paper will be stamped at every step to make sure you passed all the stations.
You are now ready to enter the main building. First Chilean Aduana and PDI. Then Bolivian entry formalities, followed by your self declaration. This is done online via QR- Code (wifi available). Last step in here are your vehicle formalities. The same guy doing the registration then checks your vehicle. Quick glance, asked wether we had fruit and vegetables, we showed him our tomato, he didn't care. He then points you to a container next to the electronic barrier. 15min up to this point...new record for us

The guy in the container is the one actually registering your vehicle and handing you copies of it. He struggled quite a bit with our Alaskan vehicle, so he increased our border crossing to 30min. Still...record time.

All in all an easy and fast crossing. Due to lack of signs a bit confusing at first glance but once you find your way it's quite efficient. Plus point: There is some infrastructure afterwards, selling snacks, sim cards and money exchange. They gave us good rates on our CLP.

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Chile -> Bolivia
The Chilean aduana did not allow us to go throught the immigration process with our chilean van, even with our Rut, Padron and papers up to date and in order. The chief of the chilean aduana told us that he can’t take the risk to let us out of the country and not come back with the vehicule (meaning sell it elsewhere), because they (chilean aduana) would be responsible for the missing car.
Maybe it was a bad day and bad luck for us but its frustrating…

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bol-> chile covid regulations: only 40 people are allowed to pass by foot... in the morning. I had a really hard time, because they don't think that bicycles are vehicles haha. there's a loooong line up of trucks, busses, cars. so best to get there early in the morning. i spoke to the big boss, after annoying bolivian and chilean border guards. it's complete mayhem!! but they were super nice afterwards. only took me three hours hahahaha.

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Chili > Bolivia with a french motorhome.
Beautiful landscape from 3000m to 4300m.
Border passing took us 1h30 because this border is a mess with all the buses full of Bolivians and the organization of the aduana is bad. Chileans working there look like having a punishing job.
For foreigners vehicle at your name, you need a copy of your passport and a copy of the vehicle paper.
Bolivian aduana checked our motorhome twice!
but didn't found the fruits for our kids.
and tried to make trouble for our wine bottles.
as I never found any information about this
BE AWARE THAT :
Bolivian aduana don't accept fruits, vegetables, eggs(they let us our 6 eggs BTW), and meat. not more than one packet of olives.. and not more than 3 bottles of alcohol/person.
Maybe they won't check you but be aware of this.
I'm glad we were prepared for this, just in case, so we went through without issues.
change some bolivianos at the border with Chilean pesos because of the official road toll on the way to Oruro.

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So I am Polish and have Chilean motorcycle with my name in padron. I passed without problem, chilean aduana only asked me about my RUT number but if you have vehicle in Chile with your name you should also have RUT. Everything is in one building, 5 checkpoints I think. Took me less than hour to pass everything. Got 180 days to come back to Chile. Btw the road from Huara to this border is beautiful!

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Bad luck crossing the border here today with our chilean car and without residency in Chile.

We had a long negociation with the chief of the Chilean Aduana and even when showing her the printed law, along with the declaration jurada.

Crossing into Bolivia from Chile seems to be very complicated in the north due to a lot of chilean stolen cars being sent to Bolivia to get sold.

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Entering Chile: Immigration and aduana (Bolivian & Chilean) are in 1 building, so very easy. They are not the fastest though. Make sure you pass all the trucks (we took the buslane since the carlane was closed). They double check the car. First one person asks for fruits etc and quickly checks the car. After the entire proceeding another one comes and checks again. Beautiful bordercrossing.

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Bolivia - Chile: They open at 8 am and close at 8 pm. We have been there at 8am and it wasn't too bad. It took us 1,5 hours and after all the border crossings in Central America this one is well organized.

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from chile to bolivia it took us 1hour with our sprinter van. we had to pay 20 bols for registration and fotocopies in a container. we even got 180 days for the car.

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Bolivia to Chile.
This border crossing is chaos- no real system for buses, cars, camiones. Or people. It is a joint office for leaving Bolivia and entering chile - people and cars process in same building.

First try not to get stuck on the road behind buses and trucks- cars can kind of route around the right on the dirt and pass.
When you get to the office - cross the people line to the left corner and get the papers- 1 for cars and one each for people. Then pass all the people again and there is a hallway on the right for the offices/windows at the 'back' this is exiting the car from Bolivia. Locals will have tons of papers- you only have the new paper for chile you just got, your tip from Bolivia, and the guy will give you one more to fill out. MAKE SURE YOU GET THE CHILE PAPER STAMPED HERE not just the now old Bolivia one.
Then pass Bolivia migration- you exit and again get the chile paper stamped here- don't forget.
Then go to chile migration- get you stamped in. The next window aduana is for the car. This window needs the chile form with both Bolivia stamps.
Then pass to the customs screening- people papers here. And they made us bring some bag from the car to screen.
Then we went outside and dealt with the terrible car fila system and moved our car forward to get the official check. Pretty quick and painless check. Don't have any fresh food.
No mandatory security here.
It's a difficult process but in all less than 4 hours.
Some say evenings better. Closes at 8pm

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If you have a chilean car at your name and you're not a chilean resident, be aware that this border will be difficult to cross leaving Chile.

Step 1 : we went to the aduana chilena which told us that it wasn't possible to exit Chile in this condition. However, the guy (Enrique Hernández Poblete) was very helpful and ask us to do the following steps.

Step 2 : We asked to the aduana boliviana if they had an issue with letting us entering Bolivia with a chilean car as french people. They said no problem if the car belonged to us. We went back to the first office with this additional info.

Step 3 : The chilean guy then told us to meet the boss of the aduana chilena (Beatriz Reyes) and ask her if it was ok to leave Chile with our car and with a notarial paper (this "declaracion jurada" tells you promise to return in Chile with your car in less than 3 months, be sure to have it done in a notarial office before reaching the customs).
If you have luck and play smart, the boss will stamp your notarial paper.

Step 4 : We went back again to the first office with this stamped paper and followed the classic process.
It took us 2:30, even though there was no queue.

PS-1 : best solution is to have a declaration from the consulate of your country instead of a notarial document.

PS-2 : there is a toll on the road to Oruro (a real one which gives you a receipt you must show when arriving in Oruro). Change your money in order to have 10 BS for it.

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Bring foto copies of the drivers license, passport and title if you enter Bolivia

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chile->bol
as backpacker in a bus (Trans Lujan) the passage was VERY simple and fast! we only stopped for 15min so people can buy food. a rapid exit/bordercrossing (not even opened my big backpack!)

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veeeeery slow border! well over 2hrs queue just to clear chilean exit customs!! This was our third entry to Bolivia (previously at other crossings) but this is the first time they inspected the truck and took our fruit and uncooked meat. Raw ggs & cheese are ok (unlike entering chile), plus cooked meats are ok.
If you want a bolivian sim card and/or credit you can buy in the food store on the village plaza.

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Coming from Chile to Bolivia: The Bolivian Customs at this boarder take away as well all the fresh food (like Chile does): veggies, fruits, meat, cheese. It's a very slow going boarder.

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Chile to Bolivia

Coming from Chile drive along the big chilean border post. past it there is the Bolivian post on the right hand side for both leaving Chile and enter Bolivia. The Chilean Aduana ask for a Certificado de inscription y anotaciones when travelling with an Chilean car. after Chilean Aduana you visit Chilean PDI, Bolivian immigration, The Bolivian food check (Yes they checked our car, we were flabbergasted and because we weren't expecting this they 'stole' our apple and potatoes) and finally Bolivian Aduana. No further problems, although it took a while even when no other people were there.

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