Exploring Bolivian Addresses: A Comprehensive Guide

Bolivian addresses are formatted as follows:

Recipient name {thoroughfare type[]}Thoroughfare name [, ]house number SETTLEMENT.

When written in Spanish, the word for street, 'calle', is rarely included. The Spanish thoroughfare type, when included, is written separately from the thoroughfare name and with a lowercase first letter.

Addresses may also be written in Quechua or Aymará.

Bolivian address format

The address format in Bolivia is as follows:

Recipient name {thoroughfare type[]}Thoroughfare name [, ]house number SETTLEMENT

The thoroughfare type, when included, is written before, and separately from, the thoroughfare name. It should be written with the first letter in lower case. The comma after the thoroughfare name is optional.

When addresses are written in Spanish, 'calle', the Spanish word for street, is rarely written. Addresses may also be written in Quechua or Aymará.

• C. Litoral # 1352, La Paz
• Av. Charcas N° 1217 Casi 2Do Anillo, Santa Cruz
• Barrio Petrolero, Manzano 8 Av. Amazónica, Riberalta, Beni
• Av. César Cronembold # 115, Santa Cruz
• Calle Bolívar esq. España, Cochabamba
• Av. Mcal. Santa Cruz # 1295 esq. Colón Ed. Perrin P3 Of. 7, La Paz

Street names and numbers

Bolivian addresses are written in the following format:

Recipient name {thoroughfare type[]}Thoroughfare name [, ]house number SETTLEMENT

The thoroughfare type is written in lowercase and separately from the thoroughfare name. The Spanish word for street, calle, is rarely included in addresses.

Addresses may be written in Spanish, or in one of Bolivia's indigenous languages, Quechua or Aymará.

• C. Litoral # 1352, La Paz
• Av. Charcas N° 1217 Casi 2Do Anillo, Santa Cruz
• Barrio Petrolero, Manzano 8 Av. Amazónica, Riberalta, Beni
• Av. César Cronembold # 115, Santa Cruz
• Calle Bolívar esq. España, Cochabamba
• Av. Mcal. Santa Cruz # 1295 esq. Colón Ed. Perrin P3 Of. 7, La Paz

Settlements

The settlement line in a Bolivian address is the fourth element in the address format. The address format is as follows:

Recipient name {thoroughfare type[]}Thoroughfare name[, ]house number SETTLEMENT

The settlement line in a Bolivian address refers to the city, town, or village. For example, in the address "Av. Mariscal Santa Cruz # 148 - Caranavi, Caranavi", the settlement is Caranavi.

Bolivia is divided into nine departments: Pando, La Paz, Beni, Oruro, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz, Potosí, Chuquisaca, and Tarija. These departments are further divided into provinces and municipalities. The settlement line in a Bolivian address typically includes the name of the city or town, followed by the department or province. For example, in the address "Barrio Petrolero, Manzano 8 Av. Amazónica, Riberalta, Beni", the settlement is Riberalta, Beni.

The largest cities or towns in Bolivia include Santa Cruz de la Sierra, El Alto, and Cochabamba. The capital city, Sucre, is the constitutional capital and seat of the judiciary, while La Paz is the administrative capital and seat of the executive, legislative, and electoral branches of the government.

Phone numbers

To reach someone in Bolivia by phone, you will need to know the country code and the area code. The country code for Bolivia is +591, and this is followed by an area code which ranges from 2–7, depending on the location. For example, the area code for La Paz, Oruro, and Potosí is 2, while the area code for Santa Cruz, Beni, and Pando is 3.

When calling Bolivia from the USA or Canada, the international prefix is 011, so the full number to dial would be 011 591, followed by the area code and the subscriber number. The subscriber number is 7 digits long. For mobile numbers, the first digit is always a 7. So, a call from North America to a mobile number in Bolivia would look like this: 011 591 7 ??? ????.

It is also possible to buy a virtual phone number in Bolivia. This is a real phone number that is not connected to any physical phone line or SIM card. Anyone in the world can buy a Bolivian virtual number, and calls can be forwarded anywhere worldwide at the cost of a local call.

Country calling code

To call Bolivia from another country, you need to dial the country calling code of +591. This is followed by an area code, which ranges from 2–7, depending on the location. For example, to call a landline in Bolivia from the United States or Canada, you would dial 011 591, followed by the 8-digit phone number. To call a mobile phone in Bolivia from the US or Canada, you would dial 011 591 7, followed by the 6-digit number.

Frequently asked questions