Tobacco, comprehensively
Tobacco in any form is barred, and the entry names cigarettes, cigarette papers and even packaging. This is a wider bar than the restricted-tobacco rules seen on other lanes.
Bolivia
Shipping to Bolivia from the United States
The product most senders reach for first is not on the menu here. Priority Mail International does not run to Bolivia at all, so there is no ordinary parcel tier to fall back on. The choice narrows to a light packet under 4 lb or the express product, with nothing in between, and a consular invoice enters the picture at a low value. The products, the paperwork ladder and the prohibitions below were read from the country listing on 2026-08-08.
Country listing, datedConsular ladder notedCrossing priced by a person
A gap in the ladder
No ordinary parcel product runs here, so the step from a light packet is straight to express.
The middle rung is missing
On almost every international lane the ladder runs light packet, ordinary parcel, express. Bolivia removes the middle rung. The country listing marks Priority Mail International not available, which is rare, and it changes how a shipment of any size has to be planned.
| Product | Status to Bolivia | Weight ceiling | Declaration |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Global Express Guaranteed” | Suspended | Not accepted | Suspended for lack of air transportation, 29 September 2024 |
| Priority Mail Express International | Available | 66 lb | PS Form 2976-B inside PS Form 2976-E |
| Priority Mail International | Not available | None | Product does not run to Bolivia |
| First-Class Package International Service | Available | 4 lb | PS Form 2976 |
The gap matters most for the ordinary mid-weight box. A parcel of five, ten or twenty pounds, the everyday size, has only one postal home to Bolivia, and it is the express product with its express price. Under 4 lb the light packet works; over 4 lb the jump is straight to express, with no cheaper parcel option beneath it. That reshapes the sensible plan, which is either to keep a shipment genuinely small or to accept the express tier for anything heavier.
The paperwork ladder starts at a hundred dollars
Bolivia layers its own document requirements on top of the customs form, and both thresholds sit low enough that ordinary shipments cross them. The listing sets out two rungs.
- Over 100 dollars in value. A commercial invoice signed by a Bolivian consulate is required, prepared to the consular requirements Bolivia sets.
- Over 500 dollars in value. An import permit is required in addition, which is the recipient's step at the Bolivian end.
- Pharmaceutical and medicinal products. These need approval from the Bolivian health authority whatever the value, so verify acceptability before mailing.
- Used clothing. A disinfection certificate from a competent authority is required, with the wrapper endorsed to show it is enclosed.
The consular invoice is the step that catches senders, because 100 dollars is a modest sum and the requirement is not a formality that can be added after the fact. It has to be arranged before the box goes, and Bolivian consuls sit in several United States cities, so it is a local errand rather than a mail run to La Paz. Build the time for it into the plan, and pair it with an honest, itemized description, since the same invoice feeds the duty assessment at the far end.
Tobacco, lighters and a longer list
Bolivia's prohibition list is longer than most in the region and it reaches goods that travel freely elsewhere. Two entries stand out because they are common items a sender might not think twice about.
Pocket lighters
Pocket lighters are prohibited outright, so a lighter tucked into a gift box is enough to hold the parcel. It is an easy item to forget is on the list.
The wider bar
Arms and ammunition, gambling devices, obscene printed matter, counterfeit currency, trademark-infringing articles and the usual valuables round out the list.
Because Priority Mail International does not run, declared-value protection on that product is not a question that arises. Merchandise cover on this lane belongs to the express product, and the prohibition on valuables applies there as everywhere, so precious metals and jewelry are out regardless of which service carries the box.
Duty in bands, then the IVA
Bolivia applies import tariffs in bands, and United States trade guidance lists them at 0, 5, 10, 20, 30, 35 and 40 percent, with the highest rates reserved for textiles under the national tariff schedule. Value added tax, the IVA, is stated at 13.3 percent, applied on an accumulated base that raises the effective rate once customs fees are added. A landlocked country reached only by air also carries warehouse and handling costs at the point of entry, which is part of why the air-transportation note on the suspended express-guaranteed tier is more than a footnote here.
None of that is postage, and this site collects none of it. It is why the consular invoice, the declared value and a precise contents list carry unusual weight here: all three feed the number Bolivian customs puts to the recipient before the parcel is released.
Pricing a lane with no middle tier
Only United States domestic labels come off this checkout, so no Bolivian figure appears above and none is implied. A number guessed at this end would fall apart the moment the box actually moves.
The domestic leg, the run to a gateway that feeds the South American air network included, takes the calculator about two minutes. For the crossing, hand the box dimensions, the packed weight, an itemized list of contents and the Bolivian address to freight review, where a person settles on the product, express or light packet, and puts a price on it. Arrange the consular invoice first for anything over 100 dollars, because it governs the timeline more than the service choice does.
Common questions
Can I use Priority Mail International to Bolivia?
No. Priority Mail International is not available to Bolivia on the country listing read 2026-08-08. The working choices are First-Class Package International Service up to 4 lb and Priority Mail Express International up to 66 lb, with Global Express Guaranteed suspended for a lack of air transportation.
How heavy a package can I send to Bolivia?
Anything over 4 lb goes on Priority Mail Express International, which carries up to 66 lb, because there is no ordinary parcel product to Bolivia. Under 4 lb the light packet is an option. There is no middle tier between the two.
Does Bolivia require a consular invoice?
The listing states that a commercial invoice signed by a Bolivian consulate is required for shipments exceeding 100 dollars in value, and that an import permit is required when the value exceeds 500 dollars. Both are the sender's responsibility to arrange before mailing.
What does Bolivia prohibit by post?
Tobacco in any form, cigarettes, cigarette papers and packaging are prohibited, and so are pocket lighters. The list also bars arms and ammunition, gambling devices, obscene printed matter, counterfeit currency, trademark-infringing articles and the usual valuables.
Will the recipient pay tax in Bolivia?
Import tariffs run at 0, 5, 10, 20, 30, 35 and 40 percent, with the top rates on textiles, and value added tax is 13.3 percent, per United States trade guidance read 2026-08-08. Pharmaceutical and medicinal products also need Bolivian health authority approval.
Where these rules come from
- USPS Postal Explorer, Individual Country Listing — Bolivia — Priority Mail International marked not available, the 66 lb express ceiling, the 4 lb light packet, the consular invoice over 100 dollars, the import permit over 500 dollars, the tobacco and pocket-lighter prohibitions, the pharmaceutical approval and the used-clothing disinfection rule. Read 2026-08-08.
- United States Department of Commerce, Bolivia Customs Regulations — the 0 to 40 percent tariff bands with the top rates on textiles and the 13.3 percent value added tax. Page last published 25 March 2026, read 2026-08-08.
- USPS, International Service Alerts — checked for Bolivia, which does not appear among the suspended destinations, though its Global Express Guaranteed tier is separately suspended. Page updated 7 August 2026, read 2026-08-08.
Product availability and consular procedure change without notice. Everything here reflects those pages on 2026-08-08; reconfirm the consular-invoice step in particular before you commit to a mailing date.