Colombian traveling with American Passport

RAAAY says on Aug 31, 2007, 08:42:

?.......hmmmmmm...................this is a tough one......

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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jg187 says on Aug 31, 2007, 08:47:

ray have you ever heard of anyone not being let in or out because of this situation?

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ColombianoGringo says on Aug 31, 2007, 08:52:

She is entitled to dual citizenship, but she if she has not been registered (Registro Civil) by your parents, then she is likely not "on the books" in Colombia.

I am a dual citizen with a cedula, yet I always enter Colombia with my US passport and have never been hassled. I go at least 4-5 times a year and enter at Bogota or Medellin with no problems.

If she was born in Colombia, they might make a snide remark, but will still let her in. If she was born in the US, then they won't even blink.

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jg187 says on Aug 31, 2007, 08:58:

Thank you C.G.

She was born in Colombia and this is the first time she goes back. It's been 30 years.

How about leaving Colombia? I have a feeling this is going to be stressfull!! lol

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ColombianoGringo says on Aug 31, 2007, 09:05:

Don't stress. She won't have any problems. My parents were both born in Colombia, but are naturalized US citizens and they usually enter Colombia with their US passports.

The only time you would need to use your Colombian passport is if you plan on staying for a long time and want to avoid the time limits of a tourist visa.

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jg187 says on Aug 31, 2007, 09:09:

C.G. you've been a great help and have set my mind at ease. Thanks again!

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msaucey says on Aug 31, 2007, 09:40:

jg187.... and to back up CG.... I used to enter Colombia with my Colombian Passport and exit with my U.S. Passport... and then they did a snide remark once.... and stop using my Colombian passport... I just use the U.S. passport to enter and exit...

The trouble about trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that you very often succeed. - CS Lewis

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RAAAY says on Aug 31, 2007, 09:45:

I didn't mean to make light of the question........and I apoligize for doing so..............but the part that I found funny was...........".or not let out of Colombia upon our return "

I found it funny............ the thought of an American citizen travelling on an American passport would be prevented from returning to America by the authorities here.........

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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jg187 says on Aug 31, 2007, 10:36:

i appreciate everyone's comments. thanks.

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airetuPaL says on Sep 1, 2007, 09:07:

Nada. I was born in Bogota and I travel frequently to Colombia on an American passport. The only restrictions your sister will have is the time allowed in Colombia, 30 - 45 days max on average. FYI, I suggest she get her cedula and Colombian passport asap, that way she can enter Colombia as a national without having a time limit.

Last time I was in Colombia (May '07) I submitted my paperwork. I will pick up my cedula in October this year. Nothing beats having a dual citizenship...especially for Colombia.

Suerte hermano.

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Robert Jorge says on Sep 1, 2007, 10:44:

airetuPaL wrote a good post. But, just to correct one thing: A US citizen entering Colombia "typically" receives a 60 day stamp. Less is possible, but VERY rare. More is possible too, and if your sister is fluent, if she asks nicely, the DAS agent might just give her a 90 day stamp. Then, regardless of the initial time stamp, she can stay in Colombia for up to a total of 180 days. She just has to get an extension at the local DAS office just before the expiration of her initial stamp, and repeat every 30 days until the 6 months are up.

The process for getting the extensions is a pain, but nothing to be intimidated by. You can google search it at the top of this page and find more details.

He who farts in church, sits in his own pew.

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ColombianoGringo says on Sep 1, 2007, 12:43:

If your sister wants to get her cedula, she can do it at your local Colombian embassy or consulate. It is actually more of a pain to do it Colombia right now because they are in the midst of changing evryone to new type of cedula. At the local consulate, you can get it a lot easier and possibly faster. My uncle got his here in Houston in about six months, while it can take a lot longer in Colombia these days.

You do need to make sure that your sister has been registered as the child of Colombian parents. She cannot get a cedula or passport without her Registro Civil de Nacimiento. If she does not have one, she can also take care of this at your local consulate.

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DallasCowboy says on Sep 2, 2007, 13:19:

The most forgotten little fact about dual citizenship.
If a colombian national became a citizen of another country before July 1991, he/she lost the colombian nationality. Period. You must reapply for colombian citizenship if you want to have the "dual" nationality. This fact is known by the DAS immigration officials at El Dorado. Be ready to substantiate this fact if you plan to use your US passport (or any other country's) while traveling in Colombia.

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ColombianoGringo says on Sep 2, 2007, 16:07:

I don't know where you got that information, but my parents became US citizens in the 80s and they have never had to reapply for Colombian citizenship. They vote in every Colombian election and have never had a problem renewing their Colombian passports or cedulas. I just called them and confirmed this with them.

Just two years ago, they entered Colombia with their Colombian passports because they were staying for over six months on that particular trip and they were not hassled at all by the DAS immigration agents.

Like with many Colombian laws, this one may not be worth the paper it is printed on when it comes to daily application and enforcement.

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jg187 says on Sep 2, 2007, 18:21:

hello all. here is an update:

when we arrived to medellin the following occured:

-my sister was told that she had to have her cedula and colombian passport, if she did not seek it out she would not be let out of the country. the das agent said that she had better go to the place where they issue cedulas and apply for one. there she is to get proof of this. according to the das agent she is to present this proof upon departure. he made it clear that he was putting "notes" in the system and that she better comply or else!!!

are these people serious???? can they actually stop an american citizen from leaving colombia??

-another thing, we befriended a woman on the plane who was in a similar situation (she has a cedula but no colombia passport) they basically told her the same thing. i am baffled by all this crap!!

so can they actually do this and has anyone ever heard of someone not being let out of the country??

thanks

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Robert Jorge says on Sep 2, 2007, 20:38:

jg187, I am confused. #1, Why didn't she just use her US passport? #2, I think you are saying she used a Colombian passport. If this is true, she couldn't have a Colombian passport without the cedula. #3, If she used a US passport, there is no way they could or would even know to hassle her UNLESS she volunteered the fact she was a Colombian citizen. #4, I have never heard of such an experience as yours, so I don't have any (good) advice. But I can't imagine that the DAS would be able to keep a US citizen, traveling on a US passport from leaving. What are they going to do, arrest her? I get a wierd feeling there have been details left out of your story or something. If everything you said is 100% accurate and complete, I would consult the US embassy and an attorney. Good luck with the embassy. I have heard nightmare story after nightmare story of people's experiences with the US consulate in Bogota. Good luck, and I look forward to hearing more.

He who farts in church, sits in his own pew.

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ColombianoGringo says on Sep 2, 2007, 23:12:

The DAS agents typically will look at you place of birth if you look Colombian or have a Latin last name.

I think there bite is worse than their bite. My parents travel to Colombia at least once or twice a year and almost always use their US passports. I will call my dad tomorrow to confirm this.

They sometimes get a snide remark from the type of asses that look down on people who had the audacity to emigrate from Colombia. We have one of those types on PBH.

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jg187 says on Sep 3, 2007, 07:13:

thanks for the advice.

she is traveling with a US passport only.

the das agent asked her if she had her cedula and colombian passport. to which she replied that she did not have either of them. he then went into how it is the law blah blah blah. he then asked when she became an american citizen (1993). then he said what i mentioned in my previous post.

i told my sister that i think these are just scare tactics but she doesn't want to risk not being able to go home. so today we are going to apply for a cedula (my mom finally found her registro civil). i think this is all a waste of time. i just don't see how they can keep an american citizen from leaving.

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Gator says on Sep 3, 2007, 08:03:

Mrs. Gator occasionally gets a hard time when using her US Passport so she just presents her Colombian passport and Cédula most of the time when leaving colombia

"Credidi pretio parvo emere et magno vendere tibi in animo fuisse!" .

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Sep 3, 2007, 08:44:

I have entered Colombia twice this year with my British passport and had no problem, they asked me if I own a Colombian passport and i said no, and they didn't do or said anything else, they didn't even asked for my cedula.

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vicshere says on Sep 3, 2007, 09:02:

could it be some smart ass DAS agent trying to implement an non existent gringo tax or a bribe

listo

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chewy says on Sep 3, 2007, 10:33:

I just got back from Cartagena and traveled to Medellin via bus (Brazilia) and if you go there about an hour before the bus leaves you can ask for lower rates (regatear). It takes 14 hours but I stayed in Monteria one night just to ease the ride some. I stayed in several hotels in Medellin and the best by far was La Paz (18 USD per night and they take Visa). There are very few hotels that take credit cards in Medellin and this La Paz (Calle 57 No. 50A-87 www.hotellapazmedellin.com) is right next to the train station (Metro). All I used was my US passport. I was surprised of how clean and low crime Medellin is. Nothing like what I heard off. Also you can eat fresh clean food at Exito cafeteria and pay with your Visa. And the people? They are a different breed. The nicest people you will ever meet in your entire life.

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DallasCowboy says on Sep 3, 2007, 20:20:

ColombianoGringo:

Maybe you and your parents would likt to take a look at this page:

http://www.consulcolombia.us/doble.php

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ColombianoGringo says on Sep 4, 2007, 08:00:

As I mentioned, they have never had the slightest hassle upon entering Colombia and never re-registered as Colombian citizens. They have Colombian passports and cedulas. They had no problem registering me as a Colombian citizen a few years ago.

This may be the law, but as with many Colombian laws, the interpretation and enforcement can vary greatly depending on the consul, notario, judge or cop you happen to be dealing with.

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msaucey says on Sep 4, 2007, 12:02:

I'll back up CG... My mom has dual citizenship and I know she has not re-registered and she just had her Colombian Passport renewed at the Consulate office in L.A., and they still didn't mention that she needed to re-register....

The trouble about trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that you very often succeed. - CS Lewis

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jg187 says on Sep 4, 2007, 17:22:

one thing i did notice on my sisters passport was that when they stamped it it says "ley 43 93", on mine it doesn't say this. have any of you guys ever noticed this before?? unfortunately my parents don't have a scanner so i can show you.

we've had such a good time here and this is the only thing that has taken from our experiences here. oh well i guess we'll just have to battle to get out of here! lol

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ColombianoGringo says on Sep 4, 2007, 17:50:

Well, that is the law that DC mentioned. Maybe you can ask the DAS agent on the way out and let us know.

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jg187 says on Sep 4, 2007, 17:54:

i leave sunday so, i'll post when i get back to miami.

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Gator says on Sep 7, 2007, 07:41:

Stamp deals with dual citizenship status.

"Credidi pretio parvo emere et magno vendere tibi in animo fuisse!" .

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zlcraz6 says on Sep 20, 2007, 23:21:

i have both citizen ships and i been always told that even if your an american citizen you need your colombian passport to leave the country i had to renew last year cause almoust got stuck in bogota

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