CNG conversion
in Bolivia: what Patria
offers and who
can apply

What Patria offers: four separate services

DS 5726, dated 24 September 2026, created the Patria National Vehicle Renewal Programme. It also renamed EEC-GNV as EERV Patria, the vehicle renewal agency, and placed it under the Ministry of Public Works.

Start by choosing the service you need. If your vehicle already has CNG equipment and the cylinder needs inspecting, ask about that service. If you want to replace your minibus, ask about vehicle renewal financing. Submitting conversion paperwork is not the same as applying to buy a vehicle.

Who can apply: public transport and private vehicles

To finance a vehicle purchase through Patria, Article 3 of DS 5726 requires applicants to belong to the public transport sector and meet the requirements set out in the regulations. Having a registered vehicle or working as a driver does not automatically qualify you for financing.

If you have a private vehicle, ask about the CNG conversion service. The agency's website lists public transport, private and government vehicles within the scope of that service. This does not extend the vehicle renewal financing reserved for public transport to private vehicles.

Is CNG conversion free? What the support covers

In the 25 September announcement, Minister Mauricio Zamora said transport operators would not pay for the announced diesel-to-CNG conversion and that the fund would cover the kit. That is the support described by the Ministry. Before authorising work on your vehicle, ask the agency to confirm exactly what it will cover.

The official conversion component tables list labour, the cylinder and the kit, depending on the conversion option. For sequential injection, they also include assessments before and after conversion, plus calibration. The service is subject to a satisfactory assessment before conversion.

For private conversions, the agency's FAQ describes an option in which the applicant buys the cylinder or the kit. It says that if you buy the cylinder, the kit is supplied free of charge. Confirm which option applies to you and how the costs are split; the announced diesel support does not establish that every conversion is fully covered.

For the mixer-type kit (aspirado natural), the table says owners of engines with more than four cylinders must pay the difference in the cost of the gasoline injector emulator. This condition applies to fuel-injected engines. Ask for a written breakdown of what the programme supplies, what you must provide and whether the engine needs repairs before it can be converted.

Financing a replacement vehicle involves repayment. Support for conversion does not mean the programme gives you a new vehicle free of charge.

Documents you need to apply for CNG conversion

The official conversion service page, checked on 9 October, publishes the following checklist. Use it to prepare your application and download the letter template from that page:

1. 01
   An application letter addressed to the agency's Director General, specifying the conversion option. Check with the office how to address it; the published template still uses the agency's former name.
2. 02
   A copy of your identity card. For government vehicles, an assignment memorandum is also required.
3. 03
   A copy of the vehicle's RUAT registration document. If it is not in your name, add a copy of the sale agreement, a notarised power of attorney or a transfer document (minuta de transferencia).
4. 04
   A copy of the current SOAT insurance certificate.
5. 05
   A copy of a bill or payment notice for electricity, water or household gas.

Bring the originals specified by the agency so staff can compare them with the copies. If a financial institution holds the original RUAT document, the page allows a copy bearing its stamp and signature. If you are supplying your own equipment, also provide a copy of the IBMETRO inspection certificate and rubbings of the equipment's serial numbers.

How repayments at the fuel station are intended to work

The Ministry explains that Patria will use SIFICC, an IT system that links financing repayments to fuel consumption. It connects to stations through B-SISA and is intended to track and manage repayments on the financing received.

The decree leaves eligibility requirements and the repayment mechanism to the regulations. It does not set an interest rate, a maximum amount or a repayment period. In the documents reviewed for this guide, we could not verify a complete financing offer that would let you calculate your instalments.

Before committing, ask for the terms in writing: the vehicle price, deposit, interest, repayment period, any collateral or guarantees required, how payments are calculated and what happens if you stop buying fuel or cannot work. The planned system's existence does not establish that it is already collecting repayments at every station.

Your engine, the workshop and time off the road

Converting a diesel vehicle involves more than installing a cylinder. In the 30 September technical release, an Autogas representative explained that the process used on the Santa Cruz minibuses modifies the engine and its ignition system before the CNG equipment is installed.

To decide whether to go ahead, ask for an assessment of your engine and an explanation of how the vehicle will operate afterwards: which fuel it will use, the recommended equipment, expected range, warranty and maintenance. Work carried out on another minibus does not establish that your model can undergo the same conversion.

The agency publishes a workshop directory by department. Ask the regional office which workshop is authorised to carry out the service you need and whether a place is available through the programme. Being listed as a conversion workshop does not, on its own, establish that it can convert your diesel engine.

The published account of the Santa Cruz work mentions a five-day conversion. Treat that as a reference for that case, not a delivery deadline for your vehicle. Before planning your work schedule, ask when the workshop can take it in, how long the work is expected to take and what the arrangements are for returning it to you.

Is the switch worthwhile? Compare the same journey

A price per litre and a price per cubic metre are not enough to work out the savings. Compare the cost of covering the same distance with a similar load and in similar conditions. Include the other costs you would face: repairs before conversion, maintenance, financing repayments and lost earnings while the vehicle is in the workshop.

For the CNG comparison, use measured consumption from a comparable vehicle or a technical estimate clearly identified as an estimate. Multiply the cost per 100 km by the distance you cover in a working day, then divide by 100. Subtract that fuel bill and your other costs from your earnings to estimate what you would have left.

A savings percentage from another vehicle is only useful if you know which route, load and fuel consumption were compared. The official releases cited here do not provide the measurements needed to apply a savings figure to every vehicle.

Also check where you would fill up with CNG along your usual route. A long detour, an extra stop or insufficient range could change whether the switch is worthwhile. Confirm that the station is serving customers before planning your working day around it.

If you currently use diesel, our guide to the published price and DS 5741 explains the price we checked and how to calculate the cost of a fill. Check the observation date and confirm the station's price when making your comparison.

Your first step: confirm the service before preparing the paperwork

The agency's published toll-free number is 800-10-6505. Call or contact your regional office with three details ready: your city, how the vehicle is used and its current fuel. Ask which procedure applies and which workshop can help. The agency's directory helps you locate workshops; a call lets you confirm the service and availability.

If you already use CNG, also ask about the maintenance and cylinder retesting service. Cylinder retesting is known locally as recalificación. Among other documents, the agency requires the periodic inspection record and rubbings of the equipment's serial numbers. Its frequently asked questions distinguish annual maintenance from the more thorough inspection of the cylinders. These are separate procedures.

The step that saves you time is straightforward: confirm which service you need, whether your vehicle can be accepted and which costs you would have to cover. Then prepare the paperwork and book the vehicle into the workshop. That lets you decide on the basis of your own vehicle's needs, as well as the programme announcement.