New members of the Colombia forum, introduce yourselves here - 2019

Hello.
My name is Jonathan. I am hoping to move to Colombia from Canad but many obstacles, like not knowing anyone there, not speaking Spanish, and how expensive a business visa is ($25,000!) exist. Any help or advice is appreciated.

Hi,
My name is Tim, from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.  I moved to Colombia in September last year.  I visited Colombia many times in the past and love the variety of fruits here.  I speak some spanish and use duelingo to improve, taxi drivers are good teachers too.  I have Colombian friends who suggested I joinan expat group, so hence, I am here.
Thank you

Hello,
I'm Kelso, I am retiring soon and I would like to move to Medellin for a few months. I visited Colombia last year and loved it. I speak very good Spanish but with an obvious accent. I lived in Panama for a year when I was a teenager and really enjoyed it but it was too hot. Medellin has the perfect climate for me. I would like to spend a few months in Medellin to see if I would like to move there permanently. I also have a dog that I love but dont know if he can come with me.
Thank you,
Kelso

Coming from the US, bringing your dog is easy.  Call you vet, and confirm they are a USDA authorized vet.  If so, they'll perform an exam and give you a health certificate which must be either electronically signed by the USDA or you 'll need to overnight it to the local USDA office and they'll overnight it back to you.  Once you have the form from the vet, you'll have 10 days to enter Colombia with your dog.  (If it sounds complicated, failure to do so is only a $200 fine).  Keep in mind, that Bogota is the only airport that has a 24 hour animal inspection service available.

https://www.ica.gov.co/getdoc/67809a6d- … cotas.aspx

-Chris

Thank you for the encouraging information. I might be screwed though because my dog is a rescue and he looks like he might be part Pit. I dont know how they determine the dog breed at El Dorado. He's fixed, sweet, and a low energy dog.

What breed is on his vet records? My boy was also a rescue from a shelter and initially had 'pit' in the mix of what he was, but when I had trouble renting, my vet gladly changed his breed on his vaccications and records to 'Jack Russel-Mix' and even in the US living in a city where Pits are not allowed in any apartments, we've never had an issue. :-)  I've found through this whole process of becoming an ex-pat, you need to get creative with all your resources from vets, to using friends addresses for residency in non-income tax states and shipping your personal goods to  your new home in a cost-effective way.  I could literally start topics on all of these matters.  Feel free to reach out privately if you want some more details  about what i've done and learned so far!

I filled in His records to say: Border Collie/Boxer mix. Thank you for the information.

Hi everybody!
My name is Gopal,
I'moriginally from Venezuela where I graduated as a Professional Cook.
Currently living in Colombia for the last 5 years where I've worked as a Business Developer in different areas.
My family is from Palestine and they established in the middle 1950 in  South America.
So thanks that I have duo citizenship.
I'm looking for new opportunities since I recently arrived to Medellin.
Thanks for reading.
Best Regards

Hello,
My name is Sharon.  My husband and I currently live in Florida, USA.  We are approaching retirement age and thinking about where we can afford to live on Social Security and do some traveling.  Since I speak some Spanish a Latin American country seems obvious and the weather in Rionegro is perfect for us.  Our plan is to visit there later this year and see how it feels to us in real life.  My husband is a ham radio operator and hopes to find that there are like minded expats to be found in the area. Oh and we are vegan and pleased to see all of the vegan restaurants in Medellin!

Best wishes,
Sharon

I am bringing two russian vans, which I have driven with a bunch of friends from Mongolia into Cartagena the first week of july. The trip doesnt start until September but they arrive into port in July so I am coming over from the UK to collect them and park them up until September. My problem is temporary import permits. Both the vans are in my name and you can only bring one in per name. could anyone suggest any help?
colin

Hi Sharon, my family lives in Medellin and I was there earlier this year.

You can find a good expat community in the neighborhood El Poblado

Good luck!

Hey Tim, whereabouts in Colombia are you?

My gf and I are moving there later this year.

Hi forum members,

My name is Marco Guerrero. I live in Dallas, Texas.  My situation may be a little different as other expats, as I was born in Mexico from Colombian parents. I lived in Colombia until the age of 14 when I moved to the US.   I have been in the US for 35 years now.  I am seriously considering leaving the rat race here in the US and move back to Colombia.  My goal is to make real estate investments in Colombia and live a more fulfilling live.  I am planning to be in Colombia the week of June 22. If you have any events during that week, I would love to attend.

Love forward to being part of this group

Thank you

I am Temitayo Ogunti, a teacher in a school in Bogota, lived here with my family for one year now. I will love to meet new friends here and attend any organised events.
Thank you.

Hello my name is John. My wife Vanessa and I arrived here two weeks ago from Florida with the intention to buy a condo and settling here.
We booked a flight to Bog to secure long term visas for ourselves but then Learned the tax situation here for expat residents is untenable. We have changed our Bog trip to a sightseeing adventure and will forget about being tax residence for now until we get some more definitive answers.  There is so much wrong information on the internet and even the lawyers can’t agree on the taxing of retirement and pension income from the US. Even on here the messages are indecisive on that question. When we get back to Medellín we will try a second lawyer but for now it looks as if Colombia is out of the question. Cuenca or Panama will probably be our final destination.
It’s a real shame we both love it here. Years ago I worked here with a multi-national, I always expected to make it my second home one day.
I dragged my wife here with great stories of the place and got her all excited to attending eafit university. Now that she loves it, it’s hard to get her excited about anywhere else.

windboater wrote:

even the lawyers can’t agree on the taxing of retirement and pension income from the US. Even on here the messages are indecisive on that question.

Although this thread is reserved for introductions, I must point out that DIAN, the taxing authority of Colombia, is quite clear on what you mention above:

1.  You are considered a tax resident of Colombia if and only if you spend more than 183 days total in-country in ANY 365-day period, not necessarily a calendar year, and
2.  Only Colombian pensions get any special tax treatment.  Foreign pensions of any kind are considered to be income, and are not exempt.  They are subject to being taxed in their entirety, as part of the impuesto sobre la renta, the tax on income.

A link from the horse's mouth (DIAN) on what is considered fiscal residence for tax purposes, in paragraph 1:

https://www.dian.gov.co/impuestos/perso … dente.aspx

A link from a site which specializes in explaining Colombian tax laws, here specifically the part about foreign pensions of either a Colombian or a foreigner, saying  "Estas pensiones no gozan de exención de manera que en su totalidad son gravadas con el impuesto a la renta", "These pensions do not enjoy exemption, so that in their entirety they are taxed with the tax on income":

https://www.gerencie.com/pensiones-exen … ombia.html

Hello. I'm Jenyve and I have lived in Colombia in the coffee region since 2015. I would like to get as much information about Barranquilla as I can, regarding family style neighborhoods to rent 3 to 4 bedrooms, schools for children from primaria to the bachillerato program, family type things to do, best family beaches, a great group of expats, perhaps, and so on. My goal is to move to the Atlantic region very soon. Of course, I will look through the information that has already been posted, but if anything in particular comes to one's mind that may be useful, I would truly appreciate the sharing. Glad to be here. Looking forward to learning more and helping others. Ciao.

Hi all,my name david ,I live florida.I would like to retire and move to the Rio Negro area next year with my wife .Any advice would be greatly appreciated.Is there a restaurant or venue that you guys frequent. Thanks very much.

Before you make any of the fun arrangments like, preliminary trips to check the place out, be sure to check with a competent US attorney on matters concerning living in Colombia. I wouldn't recommend taking any advice here or from others who offer there services in this reguard. if you rely on information on the web and don't start contacting attorneys until after you arrive in country,As I did, you will set yourself up for a very unpleasant fall.
Even then you can receive wildly inaccurate information from one attorney to the next, necessitating contacting a second and possibly a third as a tiebreaking.
I've come to the conclusion, somewhat reluctantly, that many of those pushing these countries have a really financial incentive to mislead you in many reguards.
Just to name a few gotcha regarding Colombia:
You will be told Colombia doesn't tax your retirement,  (it doesn't! if it's Colombian retirement, if it's  from anywhere else, you are fair game and the tax man cometh) .
Those 401K and IRAs you paid so deerly to stash away for tax free income, You are tax on those in Colombia.  In fact all your worldwide income is doubled taxed.
Don't believe you make that much income in retirement, believe me its probably enough for them to charge you 39% tax.
Got some good deductions?, think they will save you? They have an Alternative Minimum TAX to take care of you. Dodged that bullet?
If all that doesn't frighten you away, there is a Wealth tax. Add up everything you own: IRAs, 401ks, cash, house, cars, other investments even anunties. Then be prepaired to kick in one to two % of the total each year.
Once you include these taxes you will quickly see Colombia isn't the inexpensive place to live you once thought.
While Colombians have a rich history of tax avoidance and are probably the least complient tax payers in latin american, US citizens are some of the most compliant in Colombia, mostly because Uncle Sam feeds the Colombian government everything they want to know about what you earn and own.
Before our tourist visas expire we must hotfoot it to another country to avoid the Colombian tax guillotine.
It's a shame for us as we planned our entire retirement around investments in Colombia. Now, we will get our Colombian fix in 6 months tourist streaches and leaving the investing to other countries.

Good evening everyone I have been in town about 6 weeks, Barranquilla, getting my feet wet and making new friends. Can anyone direct me to the best way to find a 2 bedroom***

Dear Noel,

Find a bi-lingual driver and visit buildings in appropriate neighborhoods that have signs such as Aquilo Depto. in the window areas or near the lobby.

Ask doormen in the porterías to connect you with renting owners, offering a modest reward if the deal goes through.

Check the local papers and follow up by phone and-or a visit to unit(s) during your jaunt.

Call owners at phone numbers that may be listed on some window/lobby signs.

Spell-check-plus from your post...
amoblado .. aire acondicionado .. para las utilidades ..
desde el principio de septiembre (months are not capitalized)....

Before visiting any apartment, best to find out whether a fiador (guarantor) is required .. or alternatively, how many months in upfront payment may be necessary.  Individual owners may be less stringent in the fiador requirement than if you go through a rental agency.

cccmedia

windboater wrote:

Before you make any of the fun arrangments like, preliminary trips to check the place out, be sure to check with a competent US attorney on matters concerning living in Colombia. I wouldn't recommend taking any advice here or from others who offer there services in this regard. if you rely on information on the web and don't start contacting attorneys until after you arrive in country (As I did), you will set yourself up for a very unpleasant fall.
Even then you can receive wildly different information from one attorney to the next, necessitating contacting a second and possibly a third as a tiebreaking. ...

In fact all your worldwide income is doubled taxed first in the US and then in Colombia.

This thread, as Brother Archer noted above, is for personal introductions, not detailed tax information.

However, the Windboater post I am referencing needs correcting.

1.  The professional that tax-leery prospective Expats should contact would be a Colombian accountant, not a US attorney.  Accountant services in Colombia are typically less expensive than attorney services, so consulting a Colombian tax attorney is not indicated. 

2.  The poster states that all income is taxed first by the USA and then "double taxed" in Colombia.  This is not correct.  Long-established rights to deduct the USA payment are honored by Colombia.

----

Further commentary on tax issues should be posted on new or existing tax-related threads, not on this intros-only thread.

cccmedia
member, expat.com experts team

Hi David, im also a Floridian, Rio Negro is a fine choice. While Medellin,  and by extension the rest of the valley bills it self as the city of eternally spring, its more like eternal summer. Rio Negro is now the city of eternal spring being several degrees cooler than the valley floor. Real estate prices are lower than the valley but the apartments are generally smaller in terms of sqr meters. facilties like hospitals are mostly new.
Being a professional with assets and presumably income, I urge you to contact a professional accountant to discuss your tax liabilities in Colombia as there is tons of false information published about how  cheaply you can live here if you dont include taxes. Check out my other post on taxes.
Good luck.

Yes, the numbers in pesos looks innocent enough , but convert them to dollars and it paints an alarming picture. An American with only standard social security and no other income or assets can expect to pay $13,467.66USD to the Colombian. This is in addition to his US tax bill.
Add an IRA  (taxible in Colombia) and maybe a small Pension as I have, and you are looking at an extra $25000 in taxes yearly.
Thats nothing like free!
OK, if you are making money from Colombia but im retired and a net contributor to the country.  While there are still pleanty of countries who dont tax my social security why would anyone burden there retirement budget with all those extra taxes.
This also assumes you dont own enought assets worldwide to fall under the colombian wealth tax. If you do then budget another of 1% to 2% a year you must also pay  Colombia. There is also an Alternative minimum tax.
Im not looking for free but Colombia is a-far-cry from FREE. Thank you for your comments.
Windboater

Well, i wanna say thank you for your services, i have been wanting to to ask a lot of questions about moving to Colombia and i am glad you are here to guide. My name is Innocent and i am from Nigeria, i have intention to come further my studies in your country but i still have issues of translating my Certificates from English to Spanish. And also do not know how to evaluate ourdegrees and that of Colombia.. Please help me

Hello everyone,

This is a little reminder that this thread is for new members to introduce themselves and talk about their plans in Colombia briefly.

Please feel free to create a new thread on the Colombia forum for whichever query you may have or any information you wish to share.

Thank you,

Diksha
Team Expat.com

Hello everyone ,will be in Medellin next week, any body interested in playing tennis

Hi All,

For years i have been traveling up and down to Colombia and never could really settle due some health issues now last treatment and then finally here forever. I live with my girlfriend and we rent out furnished apartments in the El Poblado area and we also administrate them for the owners we take care of the renting them out, the bills and cleaning.

kind regards,

Benito

Hi Dave,

Rio Negro area is very nice to retire, if you have any questions feel free and ask me.

My name is Brian. I live in Michigan USA. I am a winemaker. My wife and I plan to visit Colombia for the first time next February. We are considering eventually retiring abroad but that is probably 10+ years in the future.

We will fly to Pereira and rent a car for 2 weeks and hope to see Manizales, Jardin, Filandia, Salento, Pijao and Buenavista.

My father and step-mother retired and moved from Washington State to Ecuador about 8 years ago. I have visited them twice in Ecuador. They love it there but he has encouraged us to also check out Colombia.

We enjoy bird watching and plan to do some of that next February.

Hi everyone. My name is María, originally from Venezuela but living in Bogotá since 8 years ago. I work as a math professor at university. I am  considering  to move to Barranquilla to start a new job position there, so any suggestion is welcomed. I am particularly interested in finding out about cultural options that may be in the city, and perhaps they are not so easy to see from outside. I am hoping that Barranquilla is more than a merry large town!😊.

Hola,
    I am currently living in San Diego,Ca,retired,and just turned a youngish,active 73 today(Jan 8).I have a friend that now resides in Sabaneta,owns a condo there and loves living in the Medellin area.
  I am planning on my first visit to Columbia(Medellin) to check things out first hand for perhaps relocating and applying  residency.I lived in Panama about 5 years ago for nearly two years and didn't really like it there.My friend in Sabaneta moved there from Panama and life seems so much better living for him.
         I am reading up and viewing lots of the youtube videos on Medellin retirement living,ect.I like what i have viewed so far and thus my urge to visit.I have traveled the globe a lot in my life but haven't been to Columbia so far,my Spanish is muy malo so far.
      If i were to locate my monthly budget would be around $1300 total to live on there.If anyone could give me some information and feedback on one bedroom type rentals(pricing,ect) particular in Sabaneta or other quality areas would be greatly appreciated.
     Of course i want to avoid "gringo" pricing and any scams.
                                                                                                                  Regards,
                                                                                                                  Arthur Howard

Hard to avoid gringo pricing and attempted scams in Colombia, especially if your Spanish is not that good.

But you can try to get "real" prices for housing, at least.  On Locanto for Sabaneta you can see some apartment rental prices, many of them offered by owners (although agencies also advertise, the advertisements are free and so owners take advantage of the listing service):

https://www.locanto.com.co/geo/915387/A … /Sabaneta/

If you are more adventurous and want to immerse yourself in the culture, as well as possibly meet some very fine people and also save a lot of money, you could look for a rented room, many of which come completely furnished (amoblada), with private bath (baño privado, baño independiente) and sometimes you can even get a kitchen (cocina), food (alimentación), washing machine (lavadora) or laundry (servicio de lavandería) included (perhaps for an extra charge):

https://www.locanto.com.co/geo/915387/H … /Sabaneta/

You can look at rentals for Medellín in general and pick neighborhoods or other cities on the right hand side of the page:

https://medellin.locanto.com.co/

For Medellín in general look under INMOBILIARIA and then click on Apartamentos en arriendo or Habitaciones en arriendo for apartments or rooms, respectively.

If you could stay with your friend while looking for your own place that might be ideal.  Or you can use AirBNB while you're looking around and possibly negotiate a lower longer-term rate for several months before moving into your own place:

https://www.airbnb.com/s/Sabaneta--Colombia

Your income is a bit over 4 million COP per month at the current exchange rate which puts you soldily in the middle class, even the lower edge of the upper middle class, in Colombia where for formal employment, where one has a legitimate employer, the minimum monthly salary including transport allowance is only about 980,000 COP for 2020, about 300 USD per month.  For informal employment people must scrounge on their own and they can make much less although some may make more - and only about half of the working population in Colombia has formal employment.

Hi, Arthur just saw your message asking about Sabaneta.  Im been there twice for 3 months each time. can't stay longer otherwise I get stuck in the Colombian Income Tax Trap. It's a wonderful place. Downtown has a small town feel, with lots of little shops and outside panaderias (bakeries) that stretch out onto the sidewalk. Its usually a bit cooler than Medellin.
Rents can be reasonable if you avoid the multitude of foreign investors who have moved in trying to make a killing off the tourists.  The locals are wonderful but you should take some Spanish classes before you leave your country, so they will feel comfortable interacting with you. If you aren't afraid to speak in a language you aren't comfortable with, they will do the same and together you will communicate just fine. You will laugh together and make friends.
As far as pricing it runs the gamut. For reference go to airBnB. Push the price slider all the way to the left past all the investor units. We usually find wonderful places around $20 a day and even below.
We always rent entire units on a monthly bases. This trip we found one for $12 dollar a day but last trip we paid 18 per day. These are nice one B one B unit with Kitchen, on high floors (above 10) in newer building with guards and a pool. you want to be that high if the apartment doesn't have air conditioning. Not so much for the heat control but for street noise abatement.
Do not put in dates in AirBNB, at this point, when you are absolutely ready to book then put the dates in.  Doing this prematurely just allows the system algorithms to jack up the prices. Even though you haven't booked anything yet the next time you visit, the prices will be adjusted upward, sometimes significantly! It's just like the airline sites. if I can answer anything else get me know. windboater.

Hi,

I invite you to follow this topic on this new thread:
https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=880400

Thanks!