If you will run a business on your own in Bolivia, the simplest vehicle is an empresa unipersonal (sole proprietorship). You register it 100% online on the portal of the Servicio Plurinacional de Registro de Comercio (SEPREC, Bolivia's commercial registry), using Ciudadanía Digital (the government's digital ID), and the fee is Bs130. If you have partners, an SRL (sociedad de responsabilidad limitada, a limited liability company) requires a public deed signed before a notary, and SEPREC charges Bs455 to register it plus Bs192 to publish the deed. In both cases, the registration, called the matrícula de comercio, must be renewed every year. All fees and timelines in this story come from SEPREC's 2026 procedures guide, in its October 19, 2026 version.
Dollar amounts are approximate, at the Banco Central de Bolivia (BCB) official rate of Bs11.75 per US dollar, valid November 10, 2026. The rate has floated since June 2026 (background, in Spanish); see today's value in our dollar tool (in Spanish).
Costs at a glance
| Step | Sole proprietorship | SRL |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | Bs130 (≈ USD 11) | Bs455 (≈ USD 39) |
| Publication of the deed | n/a | Bs192 (≈ USD 16) |
| Yearly renewal | Bs260 (≈ USD 22) | Bs455 (≈ USD 39) |
Notary fees for an SRL are paid separately and are not in SEPREC's guide.
Why registration is required
Bolivia's Código de Comercio (Commercial Code, art. 25) requires every merchant to register with the Registro de Comercio (the commercial registry), keep accounting records and meet their tax obligations. Decreto Supremo 4596 (a supreme decree, issued by the executive) tasks SEPREC with granting that registration and renewing it every year.
Sole proprietorship or company: the difference that matters
- Empresa unipersonal (comerciante individual, or sole trader). An individual who regularly carries out commercial activity. Under SEPREC's guide, each person may register only one sole proprietorship. It is not a company: the owner is the individual, without the limited liability that the Commercial Code grants to SRL partners.
- Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada (SRL). Partners are liable only up to the amount of their contributions (art. 195 of the Commercial Code). It needs two or more partners (art. 125) and no more than 25 (art. 196). Capital must be paid in full when the company is formed (art. 199), and the founding contract must be executed as a public instrument (art. 128).
- SEPREC also registers general partnerships (sociedades colectivas), limited partnerships (en comandita) and corporations (sociedades anónimas), each with its own rules. The current guide does not provide for a private single-member company.
Step by step: sole proprietorship
- Get Ciudadanía Digital. The registration form is approved through it. You can sign up at ciudadaniadigital.bo, in its app or at a registration point. The online sign-up asks for a Bolivian identity card, a foreigner's identity card issued in Bolivia (cédula de identidad de extranjero) or a Bolivian passport, so a foreigner without Bolivian residency documents cannot complete this step (details, in Spanish).
- Log in to tramites.seprec.gob.bo with your Ciudadanía Digital credentials.
- Fill in the online registration form. It is a sworn statement and includes a name check (control de homonimia), which confirms your trade name is not identical or similar to one already registered.
- If your activity is regulated by law, upload the regulator's authorization as a PDF.
- Pay the Bs130 through the portal's payment platform.
- Download your registration certificate (with a QR code) from the "Mis certificados" tray. The 2026 guide says it is issued immediately once payment is made. If the application is flagged, the reason appears in the "Observados" tray and you fix it online.
Step by step: SRL
- Name check. The legal representative logs in to the portal with Ciudadanía Digital, fills in the form and pays. Within a maximum of 8 business hours, they receive an email if the name is available. The name is then reserved for 10 business days, counted from the day after that confirmation.
- Public deed of incorporation (escritura pública de constitución). There are two routes. Online, the notary issues the deed as a PDF with their digital signature through the notaries' system (SINPLU). In person, you take the original or a certified copy to a SEPREC office.
- Power of attorney for the legal representative, only if the deed of incorporation does not appoint one. If the representative is a foreigner, you also upload proof of residency in Bolivia or a certificate from the national migration authority.
- Payment. Bs455 for registration and Bs192 for publishing the deed in the Gaceta Electrónica del Registro de Comercio (the registry's online gazette): Bs647 in total, about USD 55.
- Certificates. You receive the commercial registration, the registration of the deed of incorporation and, if applicable, of the power of attorney. The timeline is 24 hours from the business day after you complete the online form (online route) or file at an office (in-person route).
Foreign companies
A company incorporated abroad can operate in Bolivia through a branch or permanent representation, which SEPREC registers under a separate procedure (no. 9 in the guide). It requires a notarized deed of opening that includes the parent company's founding documents. The fee is Bs584.50 (≈ USD 50) plus Bs192 for publication, and the yearly renewal is also Bs584.50.
Yearly renewal
The matrícula must be renewed every year, also at tramites.seprec.gob.bo, and you do not need Ciudadanía Digital for this step. You fill in the renewal form and, when required, the Encuesta Anual de Unidades Económicas (an annual business survey), and pay:
- Sole proprietorship: Bs260 (≈ USD 22).
- SRL, general partnership or limited partnership: Bs455 (≈ USD 39).
- If you owe more than five years, a lapse charge is added: Bs78 (≈ USD 7) for a sole proprietorship and Bs136.50 (≈ USD 12) for an SRL.
When renewing, you can update the address, phone numbers, email and fiscal year-end date. If your NIT is active, the certificate is issued immediately. If not, SEPREC runs a financial review and issues the certificate within up to 48 hours from the business day after payment.
What is the deadline? It depends on your activity's fiscal year-end, and SEPREC often extends deadlines through administrative resolutions (resoluciones administrativas, RA). In 2026, for businesses with a December 31 year-end (commerce, services, banking, insurance and others), the deadline was extended to June 30 (RA 226/2026) and then to July 31 (RA 231/2026). For industry and oil, with a March 31 year-end, the deadline ran to September 30 (RA 247/2026). Before each deadline, check SEPREC's notices.
If you don't renew, SEPREC warns that businesses that miss the deadline are purged from the registry, are barred from commercial activity and may be audited by the Autoridad de Fiscalización de Empresas (AEMP, the business oversight authority). SEPREC also notes that a current registration is what gives access to bank loans, public procurement and contracts with entities that require up-to-date documents.
Registration and NIT: two separate steps
The matrícula comes from SEPREC; the NIT (Bolivia's tax ID) comes from the Servicio de Impuestos Nacionales (SIN, the national tax service). One does not replace the other (how to get a NIT, in Spanish). They are linked: at renewal, SEPREC checks online with the SIN whether your NIT is active, and that decides whether the certificate is issued immediately. The SIN sets the NIT requirements, so confirm them through its official channels before you start.
Common mistakes
- Assuming the registration lasts forever. It must be renewed every year, even if sales were low.
- Letting the NIT go inactive. With an inactive NIT, renewal is no longer immediate and goes through review.
- Moving offices without notice. The Commercial Code (art. 30) requires you to inform the registry of any change in your business. Data changes (procedure no. 46) are free, but your registration must be renewed.
- Picking a name without checking for look-alikes. If it resembles one already registered, the application is flagged and you must propose another.
FAQ
Can I start as a sole proprietorship and later become an SRL? Yes. The guide provides for the transformation of a sole proprietorship into a company (procedure no. 11). It requires a public deed, a special balance sheet, notice to creditors and a renewed registration.
Can I do everything online? The sole proprietorship and the renewal, yes. The SRL too, if the notary issues the deed with a digital signature through SINPLU. Otherwise, you file the documents at a SEPREC office.
How do I track my application? At miempresa.seprec.gob.bo, with your application code, under "Estado del trámite" (application status).
Fees and timelines were checked on November 10, 2026, in SEPREC's official guide. They can change: confirm at seprec.gob.bo before paying.
