CCC or others ..stamping of passport between Colombia and Ecuador

I have crossed the border between Colombia and Ecuador in 2 locations a number of times, in my Medellin registered car, and yes at the main crossing in Rumichaca you can easily slip through without getting stamped out/exit stamp out of Colombia nor getting entry stamp into Ecuador BUT.........yes what do you tell the first police when they ask for your passport?????? I recall it took me no more than driving 25 minutes into Ecuador and I was stopped.

Just saying, Godspeed!

[link under review]

@South American Voyager the cops never look at passport stamps..just the bio page..neither do airlines, banks health care companies, clinics, anybody accept immigration people and the only time some one looks at your stamp and sees if it is up to date and included in the Movimientos Migratoria data is when you pass through Migracioones i the airport on an international flight.

Also, I have been in buses and cars all across the colombia for almost 20 years, and the only time they have asked for my passport was during road checks by the police during the pandemic lock downs, checking thst we had all the required paperwork for travelling during the lock down, but the didnt look at my stamps...not in their " job Description"..

I dont drive myself, but have also been driven by private drivers all over Ecuador, and the cops have never stopped us to check ID.

In Colombia they do, but usually only the drivers cedula  even that is very  rare. The cops would never check the mess of stamps on someones passport.

I would be " legal" anytime I was in Ecuador  , only time I would be illegal is a few months a year in Colombia, and from decades of experience here, it would be extremely low risk travelling back and forth between the two countries if there is no passport checking/ stamp at the border.

Its unfortunate I have to be thinking like this since after being here legally for almost 11 years, the visa renewal.process has become.so convoluted, bureacratic, time consuming and costly, particularily for Canadians, as Canada did not sign the Hague convention and does not ha ve the appostille process, and Legalization process in Canada, is extremely cumbersome and becoming worse every year. Combine this with the Visa changes from the new resolution in Colombia last October and you have a situation that is completely screwed up  to make a polite under statement.

Thanks for the information South American Voyager. Can you tell me when you went from Colombia to Ecuador and when you went back by road?

I imagine the cop didnt check your passport stamps, just the cover page right? And I am sure they didnt have a stamping machine to stamp the passport.

So in effect you were in Ecuador illegally if you didnt have a stamp, or not because they dont really care when you go by land?

What happpened when you went back to Colombia,no migraciones stops and visa stamping?

As I stated,on our tourist trip to Tulcan, no one even looked at our passports or cedulas  neither going there or coming back.Not cops  not migraciones not aduanas...nobody.

Nico, I don't travel to Colombia any more in my

Ecuador-plated car.  Two years ago during the Situation, i

was denied permission  twice in one week  to cross --

by Ecuador border agents.  In Tulcan, I learned

how to cross over illegally one time, but it's best

I don't discuss that 'informal' crossing on a public forum.

It potentially problematic and not recommended when

the Rumichaca crossing is closed for whatever reason.

On my subsequent trips from Quito to Medellin

and Bucaramanga, I have always traveled

by commercial plane flights.

I have ruled out visiting Ipiales any more in the

foreseeable future.  On my last visit there a couple of

years ago, the lone table-games casino pit was closed

and noisy packs of wild dogs were roaming residential

streets at night.  The jacuzzi at the community center

was also closed.

cccmedia in Quito, Ecuador

Several years ago, before the Situation, it was the

normal course of business for cars to cross from

the Ecuador side of Rumichaca crossing with no

required passport check.  Just breeze through,

no limitation.

In order to get the proper passport stamp, one

pulled over and parked on the Ecuador side and

got on the passport exit-stamp line .. then crossed

into Colombia on foot or by car and got on line

for an entry stamp typically good for 90 days.

One time a Colombian official at the border told

me I was good to drive as far as Pasto without

an entry stamp.  Certainly many people were

doing business between Ipiales and Tulcan without

waiting on passport lines, on a regular basis.

Whether the above procedures, or lack of same,

are similiarly observed in the so-called

postpandemic era, I couldn't tell you.

I avoid Rumichaca because flying is a great

alternative and you don't need a car in

the Colombian cities.  Also, because Rumichaca

can be subject to closures, even unscheduled

ones.  One time the border was closed on a

Thursday evening at 6 p.m. and I was caught

without my car and my meds on the wrong

side of the border (Ecuador).  Fortunately,

I was able to verbally plead my case with a

border official and he graciously allowed me

to walk back across Rumichaca bridge to

return to Ipiales.

cccmedia

Well sounds way easier than the screwed up visa ñrocess they have now.

I wont be driving, just being driven over by trusted individuals and picked up by other trusted individuals on the other side.

Like I said I was just  there in the new year, and no pasdport or any type of check between Pasto and Tulcan

@ nico peligro - since you ask allow me to provide a bit more clarity but first of all I am not one to toot my horn and so you will never see me band standing about my travel history in Colombia and Ecuador so....

.......so the Readers Digest version of my background, my very first visit to Colombia was a 4 month stay in Bogota in the winter of 1990 and then over the next 3 plus decades I have a hundred or so visits until I decided to live full time in Medellin, Colombia which 6 years ago I purchased my apartment and 4.5 years ago bought a car........

.........so for 4.5 years now, with the only interruption of the 7 month lock down I travel everywhere in Colombia and Ecuador in my car and usually solo, just me and the road, and.........

.........over the past 4 years I have driven 100,000 km everywhere in Colombia and Ecuador, so much so that Colombia "has become small to me", I travel almost non-stop always starting/ending my road trips at my home in Medellin to take a break then wham I am off again, this is how I roll.

So yes I have driven across the border between Colombia and Ecuador a number of times, including the crossing at Rumichaca and also  at the much smaller and off the beaten path at Gran. Farfan International Bridge north of Nueva Lorja, Ecuador (Route E45).

One of my most memorable trips which was a dream for me was that in the summer of 2019 I drove the complete 800 km coastline of Ecuador on the E15 "Via del Pacifico" highway from the most northern coastal border (with Colombia) town of San Lorenzo then south stopping at almost every coastal fishing village and town and city desending south through Esmeraldas, Manta, Puerto Lopez then Salinas and out to the very end of the peninsula at  La Chocolatera and then of course inland throughout Ecuador and eventually drive north back into Colombia.

This being said and to answer your question, I just opened one of my passport page which shows just 4 crossings from Colombia to Ecuador and returned that I made in 2019 AND I have EXIT stamps out of Colombia then ENTRY stamps into Ecuador (with the same ENTRY/EXIT stamps on the return from Ecuador back into Colombia) and the ENTRY stamp for ECUADOR is written in "90 Days" in pen and the stamp itself is the same size, form and information that which the Colombian entry stamps is, they resemble each other in almost every regard.

Yes in both Colombia (mainly in the coastal cities where I am often, many times each year in Cartagena, Barranquilla, Santa Marta, Riohaca, Valledupar, etc..) I get stopped often at check points and in Ecuador have been stopped numerous times, they cops are all crocked there, scummy trash but it is what it is and looking for a bribe, many times in Ecuador on a 4 hour drive as example I will be pulled over 4 times at different locations, WHY so much?

Because my car (KIA) has plates/registration from Medellin and a 6'-7" blond haired green eyed California surfer looking guy is a target, again the cost of living my life and traveling, comes with the territory.

Of course I have a Colombian cedula and visa and Colombian drivers license for both auto and motorcycle, all active and in current up to date.

Hope this provides clarity.

And so true that you don't need to have a car in the larger cities, be it in Colombia or Ecuador, but the magic is the pueblos and happens when you don't expect it..............what I have seen and experienced in 4 .5 years and 100,000 km in Colombia I could teach a University professor with regards to Colombia history and highlights and regions and culture and just about everything else Colombia......

.......yet so true in cities, be it when I am in my home city of Medellin or Cartagena or Barranquilla or Santa Marta or Bogota, or Buca or Cali or Quibdo or Cucuta or La Guajira or the Meta region or where ever I use the metro (like I did today in Medellin) or bus or taxi or simply walk, and bicycle too which I did today in Medellin centro at Plaza Botero and around.

Excuse the long winded story but just relaxing here on this beautiful midnight evening in my home in Medellin.

Thanks for the long winded story.

So the bottom line is depending on the crossing it is very easy to avoid migraciones on either side looking at your passport, last entry/ exit, stamping it and putting it on the computer?

@nico peligro I imagine it varies border to border and over time. It used to be Gringo's travelling to Cuba they would stamp a piece of paper that you could clip into your passport for the duration of you visit. Then you only had to be careful to not leave any electronic footprints such as credit card or atm transactions.

lpd

I read a blog post recently about a traveler from Colombia to Ecuador who said his bus was stopped two hours after traveling from the Colombian border and passports were reviewed for appropriate stamps.  So, if I were a U.S. resident living in Colombia and were to cross the border unstamped on the way to Quito from Colombia, I would want to do so in a private car with Ecuadorian license plates.

Thinking on the fly, if I was on that same bus with my Ecuadorian cedula on me, I could always just provide it instead of my passport, and say I never went into Colombia. 

6'7'' with blond hair?  I'm sure your look is very rare in ColOmbia.  How much for the bribes to cops?

@drpeterjstanton the "traffic infrigment fines" that I paid road side averaged around $40. USD but once had to pony up about $100. USD as like the officer told me "well there are 4 of us Ecuadorian officers at this check stop so we need to split it up with the 4 of us," hehehehe

@nico peligro The only problem is if you are traveling to a major city like Medellin it is a long trip by bus, Some people say flying wiuld live a digital footprint buy i doubt Colombia is that organized, I just like the intrigue of it. With the current visa climate i bet it is already being done, Would love to hear someones experience in 2023 travelling to a major interior city like Bogota and back to Ecuador

@lunamick you dont take a bus to Medellin. You fly  to Pasto near the Colombian -Ecuadorian border and take a Bus or private transport from Pasto to Quito

Actually, you do it in reverse. Bus Quito to Pasto (after having your passport stamped) stay for almost 90 days and fly back to Pasto and take the bust to Quito to get your 90 day extension, then reverse the trip.

All this time you are mostly in Colombia but officially in Ecuador.

The trip from Pasto to Quito by land is a little long, about 5hours, but not excessive.

@Mr. Barley you woudnt need the cedula if you had the entrance stampinto Ecuado, it is just as good

The point  is, you would have an Ecuador entrance  stamp, so it is when you entered the Colombian side you would have to worry.and if they dont stamp it at the border entering Colombia, I doubt anyone is going to check your passport on the Clombian side between Ipiales and Pasto. There was nobody doing that when I was there, the Colombian police dont do it , and  Migraciones people only stay at the borer,in the airport, or in the local Migraciones offices. I have never, ever run into a Migraciones person on the road or at an airport or hotel-

I do know ofone time when Migraciones people  were checking Passports at Cucuta domestic airline check.in, because of a bomb threat at the airport. My Venezuelan partner got caught with an unstamped passport , but the lady just gave her a tongue lashing and let her board.

I have never, ever otherwise seen Migraciones people at the security line on domestic flights in Colombia, and I have taken over at least a hundred domestic flights in Colombia.

Besides that, what some one says in a blog is suspect. If they wanted you to stamp your visa so muche, why dont they make sure you doit atthe border, like most countries?

I think would avoid travelling to San Andreas when I was "illegal". I think they have more migraciones people sticking their nose in things there.

Note that North Ireland and Republic of Ireland have the same set up as far as not stamping passports.

I would do at least one "Practice run" to see if this worked  good before I did it in real life.

I think maybe keep trying for a visa and string out your tourist visas is the best option for now.

Other option is reloctae toa coutry with amore reasonable visa system

@nico peligro

I made a tourist trip from Pasto to Tulcan by mini bus and there was no showing of passports or interaction with migraciones of either country there or back.

Out of curiosity, was the reservation for this mini bus made at the bus terminal or online? Do you recall the name of the company?

It was a tourist day trip trip with several tourist on board from all over Colombia

@Mr. Barley Also tourist trip. Was it a day trip? must have been

@lunamick

I googled it and found a excursions that took 10 hours, which includes about 2 hours of travel each way.

A site called Chip Viajero talks about how to arrive to the cemetery of Tulcan from Colombia. He says from Ipiales, (which I assume that tourist bus of Peligro from Pasto passed through) take a bus or tax to Tulcán.

"it isn't a requirement to pass through migration nor carry a passport."

So effectively, it is an "Ipiales option". However, who knows how many police controls one will find in the 20 hour or so bus trip to Medellín.

En la frontera se encuentran los colectivos y taxis ecuatorianos que van hasta la ciudad de Tulcän (no es obligatorio pasar por migraciön, ni Ilevar pasaporte) esto debido a que el transito hasta Tulcån es libre y no se necesita ningün requerimiento para poder ingresar.

@Mr. Barley first of.all I always flly, secondly I dont live in Medellin, third of all I have travelled all over colombia by bus and car for 20 years and have only been stopped once by cops to look at ID , during the pandemic when you needed special permission to travel and fourth of all, thry did not check to my passport stamps.

first of.all I always flly

Can you fly internally with an expired cédula or with a passport with an expired visa?

@Mr. Barley Yes of course. They dont check the passport stamps at the airports for internal flights. They just check your pictiure against your face and ticket.

They dont even check the cedula. Last internal flight in Colombia I just flashed my expired cedula cedula. I even asked the security guy if realized my cedula was expired. He said nom not in his "job description", he just looked at the face and the name and picture on the cedula to see if it matches the ticket. Same at the check-in counter. Do you think they have time to do Immigrations job?

Look , I wouldnt recommend this to anyone unless you are desperate to stay In Colombia more than 6 months, and if it is less hassle than getting a Colombian Visa.

My first choice would be to get a Colombian visa, and if not, a visa in another Latin country.

I would only use this option in a squeeze, while I was waiting for another country to give me and my wife a visa.

This option is a lot of hassle as well, as it would involve flying into Quito legally and getting an Ecuadorean entrance stamp, busing or private transport from Quito to Tulcan, walking or taking transport across the bridge to Ipiales and purposely ignoring the immigration offices on both sides (which I understand is extremely easy) , taxi or private transport from Ipiales to Pasto.

Then a flight to anywere in Colombia.

And then a few months later the other way, ignoring the Ecuador migraciones office.

I know from personal experience you can go back and forth from Pasto to Tulcan and back without visa stamps and talking to migraciones.

I also know from experience that between Ipiales and Pasto, and Pasto in anywhere else in Colombia, there are no immigration people. They are only at the border crossings ,at International departures, and at the Migraciones offices at the major cities. It is not in their "job Description" to be out on the highways. Neither is it the police´s "job description" to check passport stamps.

I have heard the cops check on the other side going back into Ecuador, but this wouldnt matter , as you would have an Ecuadorean stamp from a few months before.

There are lots of tourists going back and fourth between Tulcan and Ipiales from the Ecuadorean side to see Ipiales as well, You can see their liscense plates. Nobody going either way for a tourist visit gets their passports stamped.Who wants to stand in line for hours with a bunch of Venezuelans just to see Ipiales if you are an Ecuadorean, or Tulcan if you are Colombian.

That is why the make passport stamping "optional" there.

In the very unlikely event the cops in Colombia do check your passport, they would only check their data base for criminals, niot illegal gringos , extremely unlikely it would be cross checked with Migraciones Movimientos Migraciones data base,.

A shame Pasto only has direct flights to Bogota and Cali. Of course, I would probably fly Quito to Medellin in case I want to talk to Christoph, James, Diana, or Alan, before making my way to Armenia

What I would like to see incorporated in the Pasto option, is a way to live those 6 months on cash-only basis.  Of course, this could be relatively easy if someone is married to someone with legal status and their own bank account. Of course, even the flight from Pasto could be paid for using somebody else's card.

What I would like to see incorporated in the Pasto option, is a way to live those 6 months on cash-only basis. Of course, this could be relatively easy if someone is married to someone with legal status and their own bank account. Of course, even the flight from Pasto could be paid for using somebody else's card.
-@Mr. Barley

And Of course when I say cash-only, I mean without leaving a digital trail from Atm withdrawls.

@nico peligro curious besides Venezulans, what happens to someone(gringo) who enters the country illegally?

Banned for many years?

Have there been any cases?

Would hate to spend even a day waiting in a jail cell waiting to be deported.

now that visas are being rejected could become more common?

Sorry lots of question to which there may be no hard data

@Mr. Barley Forget it--you think that migraciones keeps track of that?

If I di that -which  would be my very last choice- and would only be for a couple months unti I gaot a visa and settled somewhere I would have zero problem using bank cards, internal flights, staying in hotelsusing medicina prepagada

They have to catch you with your Passport inside the country before they would do anything,

@lunamick Jail cell? That is bizzare paranoia beyond belief. That only happens in Venezuela, and for political reasons, nothingto do with a foriegner being there ilegally, which is no skin of their back

The rapists and narcos are being let out of jails.

You wont be put in jail for migration or tax issues. In the extremey unlikely bzizare case that they caught you wanted you out of the countyr (and I have only heard of one case involving a German who as here illegally for 30 years) they would either ship you out right away, or you leave yourself and pay yourself voluntarily

On James immigration site, he says the rules now charge you a million per month of overstay. Though if you were in the country wthout a stamp, and the number of days were indeterminant, who knows what the precedent is? Could be  1 million a month since last exit stamp, plus a fee for being in a country without an entrance stamp.

I do know Venezuelans who have over satyed their permit for years and they just talked their way out of it.

Some say Venezuelans are adifferent case, due to "brotherly Love" between the 2 countries, but I think a few 100 mil pesos could do just as good as any "brotherly love"

Anyway, we talked about this thread too much. It is almost as if you guys are interested in doing this thing on a regular basis, not as an emergency "last ditch" option, but have all these paranoid idesa of what can happen.

Personally, I hope I never have to use the "Pasto" option.

If you are not wanted full time in Colombia, best to locate somewhere else, even if it costs a bit more, a bit further from home, or whatever.

Go where you are treated best

Or like CCC, be a real nomad and only come for 182 days a year.

@South American Voyager - Hello, I imagine you have some great Colombia stories. I'm trying to spend as much time as a I can in Medellin. I'll be back in November. I know my six month visitor visa is based on the calendar year but my question is: if I arrive in November, should I leave at the end of 23 or the beginning of 2024 for a stamp to sort refresh the calendar year? I can figure out part about leaving after three months. Perhaps we can connect in Medellin. I'm in Laureles. R

@Spyro Jace Sorry for the late reply

If you come in November, Dont leave over the New Year. You will have a 90 day stamp, so you will be good until near the end of February. 2 weeks before your 90 days is up, apply online for a 90 day extension. That will get you until late May. Then , if you cant get a Visa in that time, you will have to leave , but you will still have around 31  unused days you can use in 2024. Its 180 for calender year, Renewal every 90 datys for another 90, only 2 renewals without leaving the country.

I am not 100% sure if you have to leave after the second 90 days if it stretches into the new year. You MIGHT be able to get a second renewal for 31 days without leaving, but I highly doubt it. The rest  I am 100% sure of, as I am doing it my elf,have done it before, and have checked it thoroughly

Thanks so much Nico. Yes, it sounds like the extension is the way to go. I believe I have 40 some days left in 2023. My return to the US is mid June. I can find a good reason to explore in Ecuador for a couple weeks where I haven't been yet. Your tips are much appreciated. S