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working long-term on a tourist visa?

 
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irishvan



Joined: 06 Apr 2004
Posts: 38
Location: brazil

PostPosted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 6:09 pm    Post subject: working long-term on a tourist visa? Reply with quote

I was just told that you can only stay in Colombia for 6 months in 1 year. Is this true? I thought you could just keep leaving the country and renewing your tourist visa every 3 or 6 months, like Argentina.

thanks in advance.
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G22



Joined: 25 Oct 2010
Posts: 89

PostPosted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 6:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

No that isn't true. You can leave and re-enter as much as you like, however if you overstay your visa they will fine you at the airport when you go to leave the country. The fine is based on how long you've overstayed your visa and can be quite high if you've overstayed your visa for a long period of time. That is a tremendous hassle that you will want to avoid.

You can work at various institutes with just a tourist visa, but you won't be getting one of the better jobs w/o a work visa, which they have to sponsor. Working long term on a tourist visa wouldn't be ideal because you would have to keep leaving and re-entering the country, which is obviously expensive or incur a large fine. Your best bet is to find one of the institutes that offer a work visa or to get one of the numerous other visas that allow you to work legally in the country.
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windowlicker



Joined: 05 Jun 2008
Posts: 183
Location: Bogot�, Colombia

PostPosted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 4:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

G22 wrote:
No that isn't true. You can leave and re-enter as much as you like


I don't know exactly how this works in practice, but I'm pretty sure what you've said is incorrect. The Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores website explicitly says a maximum of 180 consecutive days in the same calendar year:

http://www.cancilleria.gov.co/services/colombia/visas/visitor/tourist

Do you have personal experience staying 180 days, leaving, and then re-entering again on a tourist visa? In four years here I've never heard of anyone doing this, and it was my understanding that it wasn't possible.
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irishvan



Joined: 06 Apr 2004
Posts: 38
Location: brazil

PostPosted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 5:00 pm    Post subject: working long-term on a tourist visa? Reply with quote

Thanks for the replies folks. I have found someone to sponsor me anyway, but I would just like to add that this is the same law as in Argentina. (180 days in 1 year)
However, I had met people who had been renewing their tourist visa every 3 months for up to 7 years Laughing
In Buenos Aires this only involved a 90minute return ferry trip to Uruguay.
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MNguy



Joined: 01 Feb 2010
Posts: 129

PostPosted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 2:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

windowlicker wrote:
G22 wrote:
No that isn't true. You can leave and re-enter as much as you like


I don't know exactly how this works in practice, but I'm pretty sure what you've said is incorrect. The Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores website explicitly says a maximum of 180 consecutive days in the same calendar year:

http://www.cancilleria.gov.co/services/colombia/visas/visitor/tourist

Do you have personal experience staying 180 days, leaving, and then re-entering again on a tourist visa? In four years here I've never heard of anyone doing this, and it was my understanding that it wasn't possible.


I've never heard of it either-six months in a calendar year is what I was told, but the last time I was in Colombia DAS was still around. YMMV.
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shebab



Joined: 17 Sep 2003
Posts: 168

PostPosted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 5:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great...another gringo who wants to take jobs away from qualified, English speaking Colombians and avoid paying taxes...don't complain afterwards about the caliber of job offers available on a tourist visa....
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G22



Joined: 25 Oct 2010
Posts: 89

PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2013 7:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

windowlicker wrote:
G22 wrote:
No that isn't true. You can leave and re-enter as much as you like


I don't know exactly how this works in practice, but I'm pretty sure what you've said is incorrect. The Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores website explicitly says a maximum of 180 consecutive days in the same calendar year:

http://www.cancilleria.gov.co/services/colombia/visas/visitor/tourist

Do you have personal experience staying 180 days, leaving, and then re-entering again on a tourist visa? In four years here I've never heard of anyone doing this, and it was my understanding that it wasn't possible.


Yes, I actually was dumb enough to do that. It is entirely possible as long as you pay the exit fee. Immigration laws in Colombia don't seem to be enforced to stringently.
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MNguy



Joined: 01 Feb 2010
Posts: 129

PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2013 9:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

//

Last edited by MNguy on Wed Feb 27, 2013 11:43 pm; edited 1 time in total
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MNguy



Joined: 01 Feb 2010
Posts: 129

PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2013 9:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ahh, nevermind, I just re-read your first post.
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