Hi folks. My name is Ken.
After nearly 18 months of researching anything and everything about becoming an expat in Colombia,
and getting nothing but a barrage of conflicting and/or outdated information, I decided early in 2023
that my best approach would be to simply sell everything and move here. So, in late April, I had everything
I owned in the US sold, and I moved to Cartagena, where I am currently residing in an AirBnB.
My current thinking is that moving here without a lot of definitive answers was still probably the best
approach. I've learned quite a lot in the past 60 days. But the one thing left on my list of "Things To Do
Before Applying For A Pensioner's Visa" is the (apparently) new requirement for an FBI background check.
I even hired a professional Visa service in Medellin, and even they don't have a decent grasp on this step.
I have a couple of questions that I'm hoping some of you can shed some light on.
#1. Is this background check absolutely necessary? I'm hearing that some Americans get approved for their
visas without it, as long as everything else is complete and in order.
#2. If the FBI background check IS absolutely necessary, I have heard that you can only apply for one while
you are actually in the US. Is this the case, and if so, can someone walk me through the steps, please?
Is it as simple as downloading the blank form from the FBI website, flying to Miami and having your
fingerprints done at a post office, submitting this form, with the application fee, to the FBI electronically
on their website, and then flying back to Cartagena the next day to await the results?
Please!! Trying to get a full and accurate understanding of the Visa process in general and the Background
check in particular has been keeping me up at night for WEEKS!! I would very much appreciate some very
detailed guidance on this.
If there is anyone in Cartagena who has the answer to this conundrum, and would like a free lunch with a newbie
expat in the next several days, you get to choose the restaurant, and lunch is on me!!
Ken Moore
=====================================================