Describes the country's standards landscape, identifies the national standards and accreditation bodies, and lists the main national testing organization(s) and conformity assessment bodies.
Last Published: 7/12/2019

Overview

In Bolivia, each agency develops technical regulations for the products in the areas that it oversees.  Supreme Decree 24226 of February 8, 1996 ratified the contents of Decision 376 of the Cartagena Agreement Commission, which instituted the "Andean Standardization, Accreditation, Testing, Certification, Technical Regulations and Metrology System." 

Decree 24498 of February 17, 1997 created the Bolivian System of Standards, Metrology, Accreditation and Certification (NMAC System) in order to establish operational guidelines for the activities of standardization, metrology, accreditation, testing, certification, and all aspects related to quality of products, processes, and services.

Manufacturers or importers and service providers must demonstrate compliance with relevant technical regulations prior to marketing the good or service.  This can be done with the certificate of conformity issued by an accreditation body certified by the NMAC System.  U.S. testing laboratories do not operate in the Bolivian market.  The manufacturer or importer must submit these certificates to the purchaser or distributor.

In terms of technical standards, four institutions are responsible for the approval of technical standards, metrology and accreditation: the National Quality Council, the Bolivian Institute of Standardization and Quality (Instituto Boliviano de Normas y Calidad, IBNORCA), the Bolivian Institute of Metrology (Instituto Boliviano de Metrología, IBMETRO), and the Bolivian Accreditation Direction (Dirección Boliviana de Acreditación, DTA).

The National Certification and Standardization Organization, IBNORCA, is responsible for developing and performing technical standardization and the certification of products and quality systems.  It is a private, non-profit organization established in 1997. 
IBNORCA, as the national body for standardization, represents Bolivia in all relevant international organizations.  It is a correspondent member of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) (correspondent members do not take an active part in the technical and policy development work, but are entitled to be kept fully informed about the work of interest to them), a member of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), a member of the Pan-American Standards Commission (COPANT), and of the Mercosur Committee for Standardization (CMN).  It is also a member of the Andean Committee for Standardization of the Andean Group (CAN), and abides by its decisions.  Furthermore, Bolivia is a member of the World Trade Organization Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade. 
 

Standards

Testing, Inspection and Certification
The Bolivian Institute of Metrology (IBMETRO) is responsible for the custody and maintenance of national measurement standards, traceability of them to the International System of Units (SI), and the dissemination of accurate patterns through their services (traceability is used to refer to the unbroken chain of comparisons between an instrument's measurements and a known standard).  In addition to these functions, the IBMETRO is responsible for:

  • representing Bolivia at international outreach activities;
  • improving the technical competence and capabilities of institutions involved in conformity assessment implementation;
  • government policies to support scientific and technological development;
  • developing and strengthening a national system of metrology, in line with international practices.


The IBMETRO headquarters office is in the city of La Paz where their reference laboratories are located.  The reference laboratories are where metrology and calibration proceedings are carried out, and where the prototype meter, kilogram, and other standards are stored. 
IBMETRO has two regional offices, one in the city of Santa Cruz and one in the city of Cochabamba.  Regional offices are in charge of providing services in the area of legal metrology to the public.

Products coming from the United States will not have problems entering Bolivia if suppliers receive all information regarding the products' composition and components in advance.  The National Certification and Standardization Organization (NMAC) works according to a regulatory framework similar to that of the United States.

Under the NMAC system, products or services, which fall 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.

The Technical Directorate for Accreditation (Dirección Técnica de Acreditación, DTA) of IBMETRO was created by Supreme Decree 28243 of July 15, 2005 and assumes all duties and responsibilities of the former National Accreditation Organism (OBA).  Supreme
Decree 26095 of March 2, 2001 regulates DTA operations.  DTA can be contacted at:

Av. Camacho No. 1488 - Edificio Anexo
La Paz, Bolivia
Phone: 591 2 2372046, 2310037, 2147945

The DTA is a public body under the Ministry of Productive Development and Plural Economy, and is responsible for managing accreditation of conformity assessments throughout the country. 

The National Institute of Health Laboratories (Instituto Nacional de Laboratorios de Salud - INLASA) in La Paz 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.).

Publication of Technical Regulations
The Bolivian Institute of Normalization and Quality (Instituto Boliviano de Normalización y Calidad- 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.  In most cases, stakeholders have a meaningful opportunity to provide comments during the drafting phase.

Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are required under the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) to notify to the WTO proposed technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures that could affect trade. Notify U.S. (www.nist.gov/notifyus) is a free, web-based e-mail registration service that captures and makes available for review and comment key information on draft regulations and conformity assessment procedures. Users receive customized e-mail alerts when new notifications are added by selected country(ies) and industry sector(s) of interest, and can also request full texts of regulations.  This service and its associated web site are managed and operated by the USA WTO TBT Inquiry Point housed within the National Institute of Standards and Technology, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
 

Contact Information

Servicio Nacional de Seguridad Alimentaria y Agropecuaria - SENASAG
National Service for Food Safety and Security

Unidad de Medicamentos y Acreditación de Laboratorios - UNIMED
National Pharmacology Directorate
Plaza del Estudiante, esquina Cañada Strongest
La Paz
Phone: 591-2-249-0554
Web

Instituto Nacional de Laboratorios de Salud - INLASA
The National Institute of Health Laboratories
Pasaje Zubieta No. 1889
Miraflores
La Paz
Phone: 591-2-222-6670

Instituto Boliviano de Normalización y Calidad – IBNORCA
The National Certification and Standardization Organization
Calle 7 de Obrajes No. 545
Casi Esquina 14 de Septiembre
La Paz
Phone: 591-2-2783628
591-2-2788368 
e-mail
Web 

Servicio Nacional de Propiedad Intelectual
Calle Potosí esq. Colón
Edif. Atalaya, P. 3
(frente al Edif. Tobias)
La Paz
Bolivia Phone/Fax: 591-2-211-5700
Email
Web

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
U.S. Department of Agriculture
4700 River Road
River Dale, MD 20737
Phone: (301) 734-8073 (Emergency Services)
Phone: (301) 734-8097 (Veterinary Services)
Phone: (301) 734-8447 (Plant Inspection)
Web

Technical Office for International Trade
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Building 005, Barc-West
Beltsville, MD 20705
Phone: (301) 504 5605
Web

Aduana Nacional
Calle Av. 20 de Octubre No. 2038
Phone: (591-2) 2152901 or 215-2904
Fax: (591-2) 215-2904
Web

IBMETRO and DTA
Av. Camacho No 1488
Phone: 592-2-2372046,
Fax: 591-2-2147945
Web

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