É«»¨ÌÃ

@nico peligro

My bad, I would not consider a DUI a minor traffic offense, I stand corrected.

lp

WelI, finally got

My Rentista visa.

But who knows how long it is good for.

The Langon.ladycssid they could give it only for 6 months.

That is ridiculous.I have gotten for 3 years before then 1 year ( which I complained about).

Now 6 months? After spending a coupl ñe grand and at least 100 hours of my time  getting the police report  , financial  docs, apostilled translated, buying useless redundant medical insurance , making and paying for  the application and lawyer, paying the the cedula  and visa registration  fees, etc,  etc. And they can give me 6 months, which will basically be useless, as I travel a lot , espescially in the next 6 monhhs  ..will be out over 2 months..and a tourist stamp is just as good for me.

Maybe next time I apply the will give me 3 months.

Anyway, wait and see.Maybe I am too negative.

@nico peligro

I gotta agree with you, that sucks balls.

elpt

Makes the Pasto  option a lot more enticing, since I.have a few mountains left to climb.in Ecuador anyway.

I wonder how hard it is to get a visa there lately so I dont have to sneak back and fourth every 3 months?

Maybe CCC knows..

Anyway she sent a  letter asking for a 2 year visa, based on the fact I had so many visas before  and have basically been living here for 11 years.

She said with the new regs, they only give 6 months the first application  sometimes because they want to make sure people stay for the full length of the visa and apply again after the first visa is issued.Thats the " story" anyway. So obviously, with my previous history  this would logically not be an issue.

Cancilleria using logic?

From previous experience I have my doubts.

On Tuesday or Wedndsday I get my Visa and we will see.

@OsageArcher reading that it says only good for three years. What after living in columbia for three years I have to return to US and do process over again so I can get my 5 years.

@nico peligro bribed you say? Is that still possible.

    @OsageArcher reading that it says only good for three years. What after living in columbia for three years I have to return to US and do process over again so I can get my 5 years.        -@jeffreymarks

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Jeffrey, what gave you the idea that you need to return to the States to renew a Colombia visa?

Brother Archer posted three times on this thread, never implying a necessity of returning to the USA to submit a visa application.

We are laypersons, not attorneys, on this site.  I suggest you contact a Colombia attorney due to the large number of anecdotal reports by É«»¨ÌÃs on É«»¨Ìà forums,

indicating that in the Petro years .. Colombia's Migración deciders have become more finicky than ever.

cccmedia in Santander

@jeffreymarks dont know what you are referimg to.

@jeffreymarks

talk about Puttingthe cart before the horse.

There is no guarantee they will even give  you a visa, and 3 years  is the maximum they give out for Pensionado visas. Quite often they are giving1 year and less now a days.

    @jeffreymarks
talk about Puttingthe cart before the horse.
There is no guarantee they will even give  you a visa, and 3 years  is the maximum they give out for Pensionado visas. Quite often they are giving1 year and less now a days.
   

    -@nico peligro

This - and similar comments in other forums and even Facebook - make me think that one should consider retirement in other countries, like maybe Paraguay or Spain...

I am currently on a tourist extension, courtesty of É«»¨Ìà Group,

giving me additional time and up to 180 days in Colombia

with no exposure to Colombia income taxes.

This is a favorable option for snowbirds or anyone for whom

180 days in Paradise is sufficient for each annual estancia.

Pro tip.... If you tell Migración at the airport that you are coming

as a tourist and the agent asks for details of your tourist activity,

you can tell the agent "medical tourism" and that should

satisfy them.  Worked for me.

cccmedia in Santander

@ChineduOpara It really depends on what is motivating you to expat in Colombia. In my case my wife has all of her family there so other locals they may or may not be more financially attractive are not so because of familial concerns. There is no such thing as one size fits all. Heck, at the end of the day family may actually be a reason to NOT live in Colombia. Gotta just jump in and get your feet wet. IF I was not married to the Chicken of the Sea, I would buy a sailboat and be very nomadic for as long as possible, retaining my US citizenship and not remaining in any country long enough to incur taxable status. I MAY still do that via airlines, buses, and so forth whilst returning to Colombia often enough to maintain my M marriage visa and see what shakes out with Petro, visas, and general circumstances.

Aruba is very close to  Colombia and I have opportunities there, although it is not so cheap.

regards,

elp

IF I was not married to the Chicken of the Sea, I would buy a sailboat and be very nomadic...
    -@Lpdiver

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Past age 50 at the time, my maternal grandmother, Dot G.,

once explained her limitations by saying "I'm not a spring chicken

anymore."

My younger sister, Judy, age 6 at the time, asked in awe,

"Grandma, did you used to be a chicken?!"

Arent kids cute a a certain age?

But not for too long, espescially if they.are not yours, with the " baby daddy" lurking in the bachground.

    @ChineduOpara It really depends on what is motivating you to expat in Colombia. In my case my wife has all of her family there so other locals they may or may not be more financially attractive are not so because of familial concerns. There is no such thing as one size fits all. Heck, at the end of the day family may actually be a reason to NOT live in Colombia. Gotta just jump in and get your feet wet. IF I was not married to the Chicken of the Sea, I would buy a sailboat and be very nomadic for as long as possible, retaining my US citizenship and not remaining in any country long enough to incur taxable status. I MAY still do that via airlines, buses, and so forth whilst returning to Colombia often enough to maintain my M marriage visa and see what shakes out with Petro, visas, and general circumstances.Aruba is very close to  Colombia and I have opportunities there, although it is not so cheap.regards,elp        -@Lpdiver

Bro, you married a tuna? How does that even work?

😂

j/k

I know what you mean... "Not all countries or cultures are good for everyone, and not for all phases of their lives".

I just wish we had some stability re: Health Insurance system in Colombia over the next 8 years. I'm using "8 years" as a horizon, because if I do pull the trigger and buy property in Colombia - then do the inevitable/necessary remodeling - I'll wanna make the most of it and LIVE IN IT for as long as possible (approx 8 years), to recoup my investment while avoiding the hassles of apartment search, renting, etc.

@cccmedia 🤣🤣 did my husband write that because that’s us he wants to buy a sailboat and travel and me. I’m not into it. I am the I’m the chicken of the sea.!

@cccmedia  that’s what we’re thinking of doing and then spending six months somewhere else I don’t know where that somewhere else will be, but we’ll figure it out maybe Mexico?

@crespobrenda After Colombia, consider Paraguay... but also Mexico because many expats/nomads feel comfortable there. And if you're rolling in dollars/wealth, also consider Costa Rica or Panama...

Can anyone tell us which bank to use in Colombia  we want to open a bank account for the purpose of using it to have in Columbia my husband wants to take sailing classes and things like that. Is that possible if if we don’t live there? What’s the best bankthat gives you the best rates?

I don't think there are any good banks, certainly not compared to the level of service and convenience you may have come to expect from US banks...

One of my Colombian sisters-in-law uses Davivienda and has for a number of years.  I'm not sure what banks other adult family members use.  Any and every bank I've seen there is always with long, slow-moving lines, and they all charge for various services that are not charged in the US.

You must investigate several or many for yourself and do point-by-point comparisons to see which bank offers you the best situation and the lowest cost, for your intended uses which may not be the same or the best for other expats.

If you don't live there - many who are in that situation find that withdrawing cash money from ATMs as needed, using your US bank account card, is all that is necessary.  If however you have local bills it may make sense to have some money in a Colombian bank account to more easily pay those bills.  But many banks will not allow you to open an account without a cédula, the national ID card, although technically your passport should be sufficient.

@crespobrenda

BancoColombia Is the best

But it.will be very difficult.if you dont have a cedula.They.are getting stricter all the time.

Better to get a Charls Scwab account and draw money.out at Davavienda ATMs.

@nico peligrosos

How do you know that? - cómo lo sabes?

@nico peligro

How do you know that?

@nico peligro

In Arizona, all ofenses stay on your record for 99 years.  The local police report for the misdemeanor DUI was 15 years ago; doesn't matter, I have been driving since 1964 accident free. No chance to get any infraction changed in Arizona.  Fortunately, I have another option that should work.

Patricia

@crabpc19481 good morning you say you have another option what is that option? If you don’t mind me asking thank you very much Brenda.

@espejito

Extensive personal direct experience

I have a bancolombia and Davavienda account, and I can tell you from.personal.experience.in both cases, if you have to go.into a bank and your cedula has expired, they wont serve you personally insude the bank .in.many cases, and may even close your account. Best to avoid such situations.

So forget about opening an account without a cedula.

Some people said they did it without a cedula, but I know no one.personally who have.

Geymt a us Charles Schwab account.

For what it's worth, now I'm living in Medellin (far outside the city) on the northern end of the valley which I love, and opened my Bancolombia account long before I had my cedula (with passport) but so true that when my cedula was obtained I had to go through the hassle of changing everything over from my US Passport to my newly obtained cedula.

My Bancolombia account was opened about 8 years ago in an office in Laureles BUT the manager was a good friend of my attorney so he "vouched" for me and was able to obtain it.

Since then I have obtained Bancolombia credit cards and use them often, have transferred large amounts of money through and with the help of Bancolombia branch managers for large purchases and frankly have overall a good to even great experience with Bancolombia.......................

................but my only problem is that I now receive between 12 to 20 calls each day from Bancolombia, Tigo, Claro, various home furnishing companies (eg Fallabella) and a host of other banks wanting my business and wanting to give me loans and credits etc., etc........so I never answer my cell phone anymore for the past 5 years, it's annoying but the price we /I pay being a good responsible client.

I too also have my Charles Schwab account and has served me well of the past decades.

Great valid point in the above to not let your cedula expire as you will have issues with your Colombian bank, any of them.

@South American Voyager

Thats why I have 2 bank accounts and several other methods to get money into Colombia, because  with the Rentista v type visa its not worth the hassle and expense of getting my visa renewed every year.

Hope there is no more external fraud ( which happened with Davavienda,) or internal fraud/ corruption ( like happened with Bancolombia) during my.cedula expiration  period , which occured in the past.

@South American Voyager we looking for a good lawyer in the area. My husband and I are from the United States and we would like to give visas but we understand that we have to get a lawyer.  If anyone could recommend one for us will be there for the month of October looking at different areas and hoping to meet up with some ex-pats in those areas. Thank you for any information. Appreciate it.

@crespobrendLangon and Chris Moeller are 2 best lawyers for expats in Medellin area.

But to be blunt  unless you apply for a marraige vías with a local, mobody in Colombia is going to help you with a DUI on your record.

Agree with nico peligro on his two mentioned lawyers for Medellin as Chris Moeller was recommended to me back in 2017 for my apartment purchase which he was a god send with helping me navigate through it all AND Chris is "the attorney" that I mentioned (Post #69) was responsible for "vouching for me" before I had obtained my cedula and because of his introduction 8 years ago to his friend, the Bancolombia branch manager in Laureles, I was able to open my personal Bancolombia account.

Again I am a very satisfied Bancolombia account holder, have multiple Bancolombia credit cards, paid off RE mortgages, large wire transfers in past years and best of all I travel Colombia almost non-stop and Bancolombia has a presence almost every city, pueblo and seaside village so very convenient.