I always get a bit stressed going to the border to renew my Visa. It never seems to come at a good time. When I get to my destination, usually Copacabana, I can never really relax 100% because, in the back of my mind, I’m wondering how many days I’ll get this time.
This last trip was no exception, although for slightly different reasons. This time, the problem came from protesting between Puno and the Bolivian border. I’d heard about protests in Ica on the way to Lima. But it was a complete surprise when my bus stopped before even getting to the fork in the road where the right branch goes to Desaguadero and La Paz while the left takes you to Casani and Copacabana.
I just waited patiently for a bit to see what would happen. Up ahead, one could see a few protesters milling around some large rocks in the road. After waiting for maybe fifteen minutes or so, it became obvious that they were not going to move the stones and the bus was not going to be going anywhere. I’d heard that it’s often possible to walk past the blockade and pick up another form of transport on the other side. As I had to cross the border, I decided to take my chances.
As luck would have it, the bus I was on was filled with more Peruvians than tourists and as we walked towards the barricade I decided that it would probably be best to stick with the locals.
After crossing the first set of stones, we piled into the back of a moto with a flatbed behind it. All in all, it would take me a moto, a collectivo and three taxis before I could finally reach Copacabana and collapse in a hammock.
The border crossing itself was simple enough. Upon exiting Peru, one needs to go to the police office first to have your tourist migration card stamped, then to the immigration office. This is normally not a problem although, if you cut it too close to when your visa is up, they will have to look it up on the calendar.
One caution here is if you have had a “right to sign contracts” stamped in your visa.
When I first came to Peru, I had read that this right to sign contracts might be necessary for getting work or renting an apartment. It might be necessary for some jobs but, in those cases, your employer should get you a Working Visa. You are not likely to need it for renting a place to live.
More importantly, if you get to the border with one of these stamps, you will be asked for paperwork from Sunat. I told them that I didn’t work. They insisted I must have been because I had the stamp. Finally, they told me I needed a form from Sunat saying that I didn’t make any money and that I needed to go back to Puno to get it. I said no. Then they said I could print the form off the Sunat website. Better, but there is no Internet in Casani which meant I had to take a moto to a nearby town to print off the form and sign it. Much better than going back to Puno but better to just avoid getting the stamp in the first place unless you absolutely know you need it.
Once you get your exit stamp from Peru, you walk across the border and head into Bolvian immigrations to get your entrance stamp into that country. If you are American, you need to pay $135 for a visa which is good for 5 years with which you can spend a total of 90 days per year in the country. They will also ask you if you have had a yellow fever vaccine but, in my experience, don’t push the point if you don’t have proof of it with you.
When I first got my Bolivian visa, they asked if I had a photocopy of my passport. I did not and had to make one for them. Then they asked if I had a passport sized photo. The answer to this was also no. They then asked me for $10 which I had assumed was for taking a photo. It wasn’t.
This trip through the border went as smoothly as normal. The exit from Bolivia, however, was a bit more complicated. When I was due to leave two days later, the protesting had gotten worse. So bad, in fact, that we actually had to exit by boat. Which meant going to the border, getting the exit stamp from Bolivia, then the entrance stamp into Peru and then going back across the Bolivian border illegally to take a boat from Copacabana.
The agency assured us there would be ground transport when we arrived. There wasn’t at the first place, although I think the boat captain was confused about where he was supposed to take us. We got back on the boat and there was indeed a representative of the agency at the second landing site. But no bus. Since he had arrived from Puno that morning, the protests had moved and the way back was no longer clear.
After waiting for 2 hours, he finally decided it was best for us to start walking. Two hours later, we were still walking and the sun was getting close to setting. Finally, one taxi out of the many cars that had passed us was willing to brave the trip. Only five of us out of the thirty or forty from the boat were able to pile in. And pile in we did.
I felt really bad when we caught up to the guy who had been carrying one of my backpacks. We slowed down, I reached out the window to take it back from him and we sped on our way. I was hoping that he would show up in the Puno bus station before I left for Cusco so I could buy him a beer but no luck. I left him with no Cusqueña but definitely my undying gratitude.
Be sure to check the immigration requirements before you visit South America. If you’re planning a multi-country trip, it may be more convenient to book through an agent such as this specialist in South America tour packages.
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