Hi all,

I just want to clarify the petrol situation in Bolivia to help those of you who may be struggling to understand it. It is not a case, as some believe, of corruption or ripping off the rich foreigner.
There is another post on this topic elsewhere in the Hubb so i'll try not to repeat things.

The government in Bolivia heavily subsidises the cost of gasoline. Rightly or wrongly (and for the sake of tourism, i believe wrongly) the government has determined not to extend that subsidy to foreign registered vehicles (note i did not say foreigners). Therefore locals pay bs3.74 per litre while foreign registered vehicles pay bs9.18 per litre.
That is the law. The guy you meet at the fuel station is not making it up, he is simply doing what he is told. Furthermore, most stations now have cameras installed, specifically focused on numberplates, so he must report his sales correctly.
A further complication is that when they sell fuel to a vehicle with foreign plates they must issue two receipts. Here is how it works:
You buy 20 litres of fuel. You will get a receipt on the fuel station's letterhead for bs3.74 x 20litres = bs74.8. You will then get a receipt on the national fuel supplier's (YPFB) letterhead for bs5.44 x 20litres = bs108.8. Add the two together and you have 20 litres x bs9.18 = bs183.6. One receipt forms part of the fuel stations sales tax calucation, the other goes directly to the government to record sales to foreign registered vehicles.

Unfortunately not all fuel stations have the required foreign sales receipt book, or as i have discovered, the person assigned to managing that receipt book is not always there so the fuel station cannot sell you fuel at all!!

So what can you do? Well, standing there loudly proving your ignorance while dressed in over $1000 worth of clothing, standing next to your $5000+ plus bike with thousands of dollars worth of accessories is probably not going to win you any friends - and may even involve the police as Tobi pointed out.
Remember that the fuel station attendant probably earns in a month what you will spend in food and lodging for the day.

Try one of these:
1 Fill up on the black market along the highways. You'll pay between bs5-7 but at least it is less than bs9.18!!!
2 find a vehicle with local plates and offer to pay 1bs more per litre if the driver will allow you to syphon from his gas tank.
3 park your bike around the corner and walk in, or send a local in, with fuel canisters.
4 offer the fuel station attendant some extra money if he fills you up at the local price.

I don't recommend option 4 but it is possible. Options 2 & 3 are logistically a nightmare and could turn filling up into a tireesome process. But that is the way it is i'm afraid.

I hope that clears the situation up for you. And i hope our confused fuel situation doesn't affect your enjoyment of Bolivia.