Colombia visa application wont change status

@Wale Taiwo

Good luck this new goverment is a chaos! For a Marriage  visa renewal they are taking 5 months or more having to apply for salvaconductos my opinion apply when this goverment leaves office, even with a lawyer is taking that long.

Yes, this is common now.

I just went through the process.  My first application was withdrawn, saying a document was incorrect, even though we had sent a petition to them showing the correct document.  I had to apply again.  It sat in the first step of the process for 3 weeks before it moved.  I checked 3 days ago and it finally moved to "In Study".  Just heard from the lawyer today that I got my visa.

Everything is messed up.  Been hearing some are taking 60-75 days.

@mtbeNice

did you get 1 year? Retirement? Also what medical insurance did you have? Thanks

@Wale Taiwo Welcome to.our nightmare.

Just remember you are not the only one facing this situation.

There are a lot of other countries that have way easier Visa requirements.

Why are you so hooked on Colombia?

@mtbe well at least you finally got your visa MTBE

Congrats

@HutchX2020

Hutch remember this resolution was passed by the previous government.

But from what I heard from a recently unemployed Colombian geologist about the horrible mess they caused in the Ministeria de Energia, I am sure the new government could easily have caused the same porquería in the MRE, which we are now witnessing.

Same insanity has occured in Canada in the last 8 years

@lunamick

MTBh was renewing his marriage visa , and no medical insurance is required, if I remember well

    @mtbeNice
did you get 1 year? Retirement? Also what medical insurance did you have? Thanks
   

    -@lunamick

I was getting my M Visa (Conyugal - Marriage).  And, Yes, you do need to show insurance coverage.  I'm with an EPS (on my wife's plan), but also pay complimentary as well.  The Concilleria accepted a copy/certificate from the EPS that I was covered.  If you have an EPS or other here in Colombia, they probably have a link on their website to print a certificate....that's where we found mine.

@mtbe

You still did not answer the previous question how long was your visa given 1 year 3 years?

Same happened to us. And it’s been happening since the beginning of this year. Specially on the London Consulate.

    @mtbe
You still did not answer the previous question how long was your visa given 1 year 3 years?
   

    -@HutchX2020

Sorry Hutch:

My visa is 3 years....

@mtbe

Thank you kindly

@mtbe

I'm with an EPS (on my wife's plan), but also pay complimentary as well. 

Does that "complementary" provide repatriation to your home country?

@Mr. Barley

nope..no healthcare system.in Colombia private or public does..and its NOT required for cónyuge visa.

Go to the Cancillería website  and see aĺ the requirements

Google " cancilleria de Colombia..Visas" then follow links to appropriate visa types

I checked again on he MRE site, and you do not need medical insurance for a NEW cónyuge ( marraige ) visa.At least itbis not listed as a requirement.

Maybe you need to show you have been on EPS when you re-apply but they wont

Be asking for home repatriation.

Anywhere, there is nothing in the new resolution covering re- applying versus a brand new visa and whether there is a transition from this fancy emergency medical insurance with repatriation or no insurance at all to EPS once you get a visa.

Maybe it is covered under another law or bylaw.

It makes sense to me that one's Colombian spouse can bury you in Colombia.

However, I have read a few anecdotes on this site of the canciller asking for things that aren't listed.

In the case of the Mercosur M visa, insurance is not listed I don't think on the canciller's site, but on Jame's site he has this blurb:

New requirements for the Mercosur  visa are a criminal record report, and insurance which covers repatriation

Seems, from reading these blogs, this is not a good time to apply for a visa to come to Columbia.  Anyone have any insight on the visa situation now?  I am considering am M visa.  I want to stay for a year maybe.  I have been to Columbia a few times the last being 2 years ago.  I am considing settling in Manizales or Medellin.  How should one proceed at this point?

Not any better for a Visa in COLOMBIA. Situation could take years to fix.

Colombia is not an ex-pat friendly country in many ways.

Only good for snow birding

Here is the latest information I gathered from meeting with Lawyers in Medellin

Did you know by "Law" you are required to pay monthly EPS based on 5% of your monthly world wide income?

I had this confirmed by 2 highly respected Medellin lawyers and one visa agent-

it is for Visa renewals through the Cancilleria. Had it happen to me on my last attempt at a rentista visa renewal. And of course they only look at your visa stated income, not world wide income, which only DIAN would have access to through the world-wide CRS system, or , if you ara super-honest type, on your "Declracion de Renta".

But they are the only government body currently trying to enforce this law.  No other agency, like Mini-Salud, or the EPS providers themselves, is going around making expats pay their "Fair Share" . Almost everyone pays the minimum , around 150 mil a month

This only applies for rentista , pensionada and digital nomad visa and a few others, you actually supposed to get fancy emergency medical Insurance , with repatriation to your "Home" country on new visa applications after October last year. If it is a visa renewal, You can try and use a "grandfather" or "transition" clause and use your EPS in lieu of the costly emergency medical/repatriation insurance, if you are renewing an old "M" visa, but you risk the Cancilleria asking for Planillas proving you paid 5 % of your Visa stated income into the EPS system in the last 6 to 12 months prior to the application. And if they do ask , and you dont "rectify" the situation by backpaying your EPS payments and updating the planillas, they will probably deny your visa.

Also, if you apply or re-apply for a Penionada visa after October last year, you are PROHIBITED from being on or using EPS. You have to use the fancy emergency medical / repatriation service and nothing else.

NOT-This does not AT THIS TIME apply to Marraige Visa or applying for an "R" Visa, based on accumulated time (including based on a previous Pensionada visa), and I dont think for an inversionista visa. They are not asking for health care data for these visas (maybe for inversionista,I dont know)

Best not give your EPS certificate and information when applying or re-applying for a visa. It only causes problems. Unless they ask. If you are applying for a Conyuge visa , or other that they do not require income information, it is unlikely they will ask for Planillas ,. They usually only check that for visas based on income to check that you are paying 5 % of your stated visa income.

And maybe in my case, they were being particularly rough on me , because of my previous EPS history.

Anyway, EPS is not a requirement for any new  visa now- even if you renewed an old one and where on it previously.Best not to bring up the subject, unless they ask.

@Digitarius You can come for a year  wth just a passport.

Come about July  5  with 90 day visa, get a 90 day extension after the first 90 days, leave the country the end of the year for a day or 2 , come back in  January 1 or 2 the following year and stay 90 days and get another 9o day extension-gets you to near the end of June the following year.

You are allowed 180 days in any calender year.

Thats the option I would use if you have flexibility in your schedule and only want to come for a year.

Way better than the Visa hassle.

@nico peligro  Actually i am considering a place to retire and Manizales sounds great.  As for a visa I will enter the country on a 90 day but will apply for the M visa when I am there.  How does that sound.  I keep hearing it's getting more and more difficult to get a visa there.   

Like other Latin counties, things change very quickly when the government changes.  The visa process was much easier before the current government came into office.  What you are hearing is correct.  There is no telling what will happen after the next government change, so be prepared.

I encourage you to visit fo the 90 days and maybe even extend it to the 180 days.  Then start your M visa once you have a good feel for the local culture.  Manizales is nice and we consideted it at one time.  I wish you the best.

@twinwolf just cruising the threads to check if there was anything posted on acceptable health Policies people came up with for Pensionada, Rentista, Digital Nomad visas

Couldnt find any so far

But I would like to point out that these new changes tio the Visa laws in the cancilleria were made by the PREVIOUS government not this one

I am sure not saying they helped the situation at all

@mtbe

        Three months ago i renewed my RES VISA and had no problems .

I was able to apply and pay for my visa online Sunday. I am applying fir a type M Conyuge visa. I was asked for no police records, no financials, no insurance in the online application, although I have been told that they do have the option to ask for items not listed in the online form. I will update as I get information.

lpd

@Digitarius

Anthony, I would get to the general area where I think I might like to live and land in an AirBnB or Hotel for a week or so. I would then spread the information that I am looking for a room in a house to rent. I have done this about a half a dozen times and all were okay. Five of them were great and one was okay. I typically had kitchen use although many times my name was just thrown in the pot for the day. I had laundry, internet, cable and tons of company. Originally I would use couch surfers; but, I don't know if they even still exist and a short stay in a hotel if fine by me. At any rate I have a wife from Medellin and ten brother/sister in laws so finding a place is moot.

Back to the room in someone else's home. About half the time I had one of the suicide shower heaters installed and always made sure I could lock my bedroom door and often installed my own lock; with the owners permission of course. This approach gets you out of the Gringo bubble and will help you integrate more easily. You will always have an eager assistant to guide you about town or assist with local matters like getting set up with a sim card for your phone etc.

The main  ways I found these situations were; staff at the hotel where I was staying. I would as the clerk, I also tip the maid and they have been good sources. Another common source was the local panaderia where I would take my breakfast every day. Now one huge advantage of this sort of set up is that when you want to hop over to the adjacent country you now have a resource to store some of your belongings. Sometimes it was offered free, sometime I paid a small charge and sometime I would just pay the monthly rent while gone.

That said I would then visit other counties near by such as Panama, Ecuador, Peru and sample the whole buffet rather than just one course so to speak.

Also keep in mind that if you are in Colombia for more than 183 days you have become a tax resident regardless of your actual visa status and MAY owe taxes or need to file taxes.

Good luck

lpd

@Lpdiver thanks for the advice, I am looking to rent a small apartment not a room in someone elses house I don' t like that type of living for me.  I need my space big time.  But I will let it be known I am looking for a place.  There are so many places I want to visit but not necessarily live, so yeah I will do that.  I didn't know about the tax situation thanks for the heads up. 

@Wale Taiwo  They do have a phone number if you feel your Spanish is up to that level.

Si tiene alguna duda por favor comuníquese a las

líneas de atención al ciudadano: Bogotá: +57 (1)

3826999 - Número gratuito nacional: 01 8000 938

000.

lpd

@Tail Gunner Renewing a RES Visa is the easiest. Espescially for Conyuge status, which should be a "slam dunk"

But MTBEs experience shows that even if you are a long term resident , married to a Colombiana, and have all the human rights laws Colombia has signed into on your side, some peon Azzhole agent in the Cancilleria can still make life misereable for you.

And as far as new Pensionada, Rentista visas, Digital Nomad, it gets worse from that, allthough you can get lucky here as well an get a Cancilleria agent or consulate official that ignores the parts  og your application that are obviously defficient.

i.e. healthcare policy that only covers 2 months in Colombia, when the new resolution clearly states it should cover the entire time of your visa-which is one year minimo. I heard of a Canadian who applied at the US embassy in Ottawa, and the embassy let that one slip by and gave him a visa ,

The point is , the Visa process is way more complicated than 5 to 10 years ago, and last October (due to changes made previously during Duques reign) got even more complicated, and now with Petros people  heading alll the ministerios and replacing staff at mid and upper levels. even worse.

Pay your money, take yer chances.

@nico peligro

Above mentioned issues being the driving reason for my application for a visa via the wife and then in three years citizenship. All to avoid the hassle factor.

lpd

@nico peligro countries like which please?

México, Panamá, Perú and even Argentina ,  Bolivia , Paraguayare easier than Colombia

My friend in Mexico just showed one of  his bank accounts  was asked a few questions and got a permanent life time visa on the spot.

@mtbe Do you have the name and number of your lawyer? How much does it cost to do it through a lawyer? I am about to request a visa and not sure if to do it myself online or through a lawyer... thanks!

@Lpdiver

Hi, I want to apply for digital nomad visa, am already here since 1.5 months and have now all papers required, including health insurance with repatriation if needed. I am not sure if I can do the apostillado in any office around or if it needs to be in a certain place? And would you advise to do it myself or go through a lawyer?

@ccebhei Apostilling in your home country

@nico peligro how to do so? Specially as I am spanish, but my employment contract is from Turkey not Spain, and insurance from Puerto Rico, not Spain...

Quick update - I was waiting for my extension of my tourist days and as it took so long and my departure date close - otherwise you do have to pay a fine - I went to the office. Turns out: when I applied online, the system did not work and so I tried several times to submit until it finally did. I got a confirmation of the last attempt, but turns out there was one other attempt that went through - but I did not get a confirmation on that. So they approved that one, but as I did not get a confirmation of the submittal, I also did not get the approval status. The other one, the last attempt and the one I got the confirmation of the submittal, was seen by them as a duplicate and not worked upon. So I was waiting for nothing. Going to the office solved the issue in 15m. I got my passport stamped rather than a separate paper, which is easier for me.

So if nothing happens, it might be good to go and check!

@ccebhei

Thank you for this update. I've had similar problems. I've applied online various times. I have a reference number. I went to the office & was promised I'd get a confirmation email soon  ........ My permit end date was 23rd October. I am no longer in Medellin & haven't been back recently to find out what's going on so I'd love to hear how yours goes as I'm really at a lose as what to do next. (I have been told that if I overstay illegally I'll get a small fine & not to worry .......... ) Fingers crossed for you.

@anikkurkjian

My tourist day extension was approved - its just that I did not get the reference number because the system did not function well, and so I did not get the approval email. I had a reference number, but it related to a later attempt to submit my request, and this later attempt + second reference number was treated by them as a duplicate (not worked upon). So when I went to find out what happened, they checked it and stamped the approval the old way in my passport, since anyway I was there.

I have to say that they still do this manually, keep track of the applications and the approvals etc, its not automated at least in the office I was in. So it would be best if you go to any office close by...