Bolivia Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in bolivia, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Standards for Trade
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Overview  

Bolivia, in most cases, adopts a standard based on the technologies that are developed globally and those that the government believes are most favorable for Bolivia are approved and standardized for internal use.

The Bolivian System of Standardization, Metrology, Accreditation and Certification (NMAC System); made up of the Bolivian Institute of Standardization and Quality (IBNORCA), the Bolivian Institute of Metrology (IBMETRO) and the Technical Directorate of Accreditation (DTA). The SNMAC was created by Supreme Decree No. 24498 of February 17, and in 1997 with the objective of providing and guaranteeing quality products and services to Bolivians.

The NMAC System pursues the following objectives:
a)  Promote and encourage the culture of quality in the Plurinational State of Bolivia.
b) Carry out and guarantee standardization, metrology, accreditation, conformity assessment, technical regulations and all aspects related to the quality of products, processes, and services.
c) Contribute to the strengthening of export capacity and promote investment in the productive sector, through continuous quality improvement.
d) Guarantee the safety and health of human, animal and plant life, the protection of the environment and the protection of consumer interests.
e) Ensure compliance with legitimate objectives and compliance with International Agreements related to Technical Obstacles to Trade (OTC) related to the activities of the National Quality System.
 

Standards

Three institutions are responsible for the approval of technical standards, metrology, and accreditation: the Bolivian Institute of Normalization and Quality (IBNORCA), the Bolivian Institute of Metrology (IBMETRO), and the Technical Directorate for Accreditation (DTA).

IBNORCA is responsible for the technical standardization and the certification of products and quality systems. It is a private, non-profit organization, representing Bolivia in all relevant international organizations. It is a correspondent member of International Organization for Standardization (ISO). IBNORCA is a member of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the Pan-American Standards Commission (COPANT), the Mercosur Committee for Standardization (CMN), and of the Andean Committee for Standardization of the Andean Group (CAN). Furthermore, Bolivia is a member of the World Trade Organization Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade.

IBMETRO is responsible for the custody and maintenance of national measurement standards to the International System of Units (SI), and the dissemination of accurate patterns through their services. In addition to these functions, the IBMETRO is responsible for: the technical competence of institutions involved in conformity assessment implementation, government policies to support scientific and technological development, and developing and strengthening a national system of metrology in line with international practices. The IBMETRO reference laboratories are where metrology and calibration proceedings are carried out, and where the prototype meter, kilogram, and other standards are stored. IBMETRO has regional offices that oversee services in legal metrology to the public.

The DTA is a public body responsible for managing accreditation of conformity assessments throughout the country. The National Institute of Health Laboratories (INLASA) coordinates the quality assessment program for the Bolivian laboratory service network. INLASA also standardizes technical procedures for laboratory diagnosis during the preparation of biological products (vaccines, PPD, etc.)
 

Testing, Inspection and Certification

Products coming from the United States can easily enter Bolivia if suppliers receive all information regarding the products’ composition and components in advance. The NMAC works according to a regulatory framework like that of the United States. Under the NMAC system, products or services falling under a specific technical regulation must meet its standards, whether they are produced in Bolivia or are imported. In the absence of national technical regulations, the products or services must comply with the technical rules of the country of origin.

Publication of Technical Regulations

IBNORCA is the office responsible for publishing voluntary standards and notifying private and public organizations of those standards. Mandatory standards are issued by supreme decrees and are published in the official Bolivian government gazette www.gacetaoficialdebolivia.gob.bo. In most cases, stakeholders have an opportunity to provide comments during the drafting phase. Generally, the public is given six months to comment, but the Bolivian government does not always adhere to set timelines.

Contact Information

 

Use ePing to review proposed technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures. 

The ePing SPS&TBT platform (https://epingalert.org/), or “ePing,” provides access to notifications made by World Trade Organization (WTO) Members under the Agreements on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), distributed by the WTO from January 16, 1995 to present.  ePing is available to all stakeholders free of charge and and is a versatile tool that can be used to

•    Follow and review current and past notifications concerning regulatory actions on products, packaging, labeling, food safety and animal and plant health measures in markets of interest,
•    Receive customized e-mail alerts when new notifications are distributed,
•    Find information on trade concerns discussed in the WTO SPS and TBT Committees.
 

Per obligation under the TBT Agreement, each WTO Member operates an Enquiry Point. National TBT Enquiry Points are authorized to accept comments and official communications from other national TBT Enquiry Points, which are NOT part of the WTO or the WTO Secretariat. All comment submissions from U.S. stakeholders, including businesses, trade associations, U.S domiciled standards development organizations and conformity assessment bodies, consumers, or U.S. government agencies on notifications to the WTO TBT Committee should be sent directly to the USA WTO TBT Enquiry Point. Refer to the comment guidance at https://www.nist.gov/notifyus/commenting for further information. This guidance is provided to assist U.S. stakeholders in the preparation and submission of comments in response to notifications of proposed foreign technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures. 

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

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As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

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