I'm a minor in colombia (IMPORTANT PLEASE ANSWER PLEASE)

august says on Sep 17, 2007, 18:34:

Jonjon, are you applying for a US visa or something? If so, do you know which one? http://www.unitedstatesvisas.gov/ is a good place to check for details.

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jonjon1324 says on Sep 17, 2007, 18:39:

no no i dont need a visa or anything
im a u.s. citizen
i live in the u.s. i just came here for vacation
and they wont let me leave without permission letters from my parents

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august says on Sep 17, 2007, 19:26:

Alright Jonjon, this http://bogota.usembassy.gov/acs-notaries.html seems to say you need to talk to a Colombian notary if the letter is for use in Colombia. Seems you can click on the directory of notaries link, then on the Excel symbol on the next page. Yeah, that gives you a list of Medellin based notaries. Good luck man. Get to class!

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CristalM says on Sep 17, 2007, 20:19:

Everything I have read and everyone official I asked tell me that non-colombian minors do not need permission to leave the country. I teach at a school with lots of american national kids and they never need permissions to leave the country. It is only children of Colombian nationals who are traveling on colombian passports that need this letter. Hope this helps...My kids are going alone to the states in a few weeks and their dad is in Saudi Arabi and I am here, so they better not need anything!!!!

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john_stark says on Sep 17, 2007, 21:03:

Take car1's advice. Your mother, even though she is with you, has to produce a letter from herself. We went through this with the DAS ourselves as stupid as it sounds.

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jonjon1324 says on Sep 17, 2007, 21:28:

So she just has to go to a notary, and NOT send it to BOGOTA?

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john_stark says on Sep 17, 2007, 21:33:

Just go to the notaria and get them to prepare the paper, sign it and notarize it. They'll know what to do once you explain the situation. Basically she authorizes herself to take the child out of the country.

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coffee beaner says on Sep 17, 2007, 21:33:

CristalM, they will ask you for permission letters from the parents regardless of where the parents are from, My aunt has had these permission letters done for my 10 year old cousin every time he has gone to Medellin in the past 2 years. Start looking into it before you send your kids to the States because they won't let your kids out of Colombia if you don't have this paper work.

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capitan_centella says on Sep 17, 2007, 21:45:

Yeap, an NOTARY(notaría) is a place in colombia where they keep all legal records. So at your arrival, go to any NOTARY (Notaría) and pay like 5 dollars (unos 11.000 pesos) and then make the piece of paper (The letter of your parents, make that in spanish, most of our "NOTARIO" don´t speak english.) get "AUTENTICADO". The "AUTENTICADO" its just a signature from "NOTARIO" saying that is a legal letter. You can do that in one hour top. Remenber to xerox it and carry a copy WITH YOU. Otherwise the police officers can take you to the us embassy and claim that you´re an abandon child in a foreign country.

And welcome to colombia. . .

"When you open your eyes, you turn around with the world, But it can change, if you only close it, and see a dream to yourself." Me.

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honey says on Sep 17, 2007, 22:07:

JONJON:

I speak from personal and direct experience -

I travel to Cali, Colombia about 4 times a year with my daughter since she was 2 (we live in NYC) . Before each and every trip I am told by my travel agent that I need permission letters from her dad for her. Of course, before my first trip I called the Colombian Consulate to inquire. I was told that I did absolutley need it. Her dad signed the permission letter at the Consulate (and paid) and then had the letter sent to Bogota, and then from Bogota had it sent to me while I was in Cali.

After a couple of times of traveling to Colombia and never being asked for the letter I actually went up to a DAS agent and asked what the deal was with this requirement. He said that she didn't need it because she had a US passport. Even so, I have personally seen minors (US citizens) traveling with their parents prevented from leaving Colombia because they did not have the letters.

As with many aspects of Colombian life, there is conflicting information. Since it seems that you were already actually stopped at the airport and prevented from returning to the States I would send both letters to Bogota.

Below is what appears on the Colombian Consulate web site:

PERMISO A MENORES

Este documento es exigido para salida del país o expedir pasaportes a menores de edad en Colombia


CONFORME A LA REGULACION COLOMBIANA
Solo los menores nacidos en el extranjero pero con domicilio en Colombia requieren permiso de salida de los padres; quienes hayan nacido en el extranjero e ingresen a colombia como tales no requieren el mencionado permiso.


La firma del cónsul o agente diplomático se abonará por el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Colombia para lo cual una vez tenga el permiso debe enviarlo a la oficina de Legalizaciones del Ministerio.

Transversal 17A #98-55
Bogotá
Fax 522 3538
Telefono:525 1862 o 525 1860

Es menor de edad toda persona menor de 18 años y en Colombia se requiere permiso para salida del país o para expedir pasaportes


PARA SALIDA DEL PAIS



En general, para salir de Colombia todo menor de 18 años nacional o extranjero debe presentar:

Registro de Nacimiento

Permiso del padre que no viaja con el menor

Si alguno de los padres no está presente en Colombia para otorgar el permiso a su hijo, debe acudir al Consulado de la jurisdicción en la cual resida y tramitar el permiso.

Para ello necesita lo siguiente:

Cédula de ciudadanía o pasaporte vigente. y una fotocopia de la misma.
Si el padre es extranjero debe presentar pasaporte vigente o licencia de conducir.
US$19.oo dólares en efectivo.
Cuando se desconoce el paradero de uno de los padres, el otro debe realizar un poder ante el Consulado, autorizando a un familiar o conocido, para que en su nombre y representación, solicite para el menor, ante el ICBF, el permiso de salida de Colombia.

Vale la pena advertir que en el poder debe constar el número de la cédula del autorizado.

Dicho poder debe ir acompañado de la fotocopia de la cédula de ciudadanía del que da el poder.

En el permiso de salida del país debe ser uno por el Padre y uno por la madre y en cada permiso puede incluír los nombres de los hijos que viajan el mismo día.

Para el permiso de salida del país de los menores en otros países debe contactar el Consulado del respectivo país para obtener la información concreta.

Nota: estos permisos tienen una vigencia de cuatro meses a partir de la fecha de expedición.





jonjon - cover all your bases and call the phone number, that is your best bet at this point.

Life is what happens when you're busy making plans - John Lennon.

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dwmte7 says on Sep 22, 2007, 08:13:

simply go to das with your mother and attend the paperwork there. period.we've dealt with this on several occassions. you can get the forms from any avianca office.

dwmte

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jonjon1324 says on Sep 25, 2007, 14:40:

QUESTION!!
okay so turns out we dont have to send our letter to the consulate
but
okay so my dad sent the letter with the apostille and everything
BUT he didnt put the date of when im going to travel (Cuz we havent bought the ticket)
so my mom put the date on hers
but im wondering
are they NOT gonna let me travel just because my dad didnt put a date on his? cuz i think thatd be a pretty dumb reason to not let me leave this country

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jonjon1324 says on Sep 26, 2007, 17:46:

anyone?

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john_stark says on Sep 26, 2007, 20:06:

Put a date on the damm thing.

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christobeldawg says on Sep 26, 2007, 20:09:

why not?

admittedly, arriving can feel great too

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jonjon1324 says on Sep 27, 2007, 14:20:

john_stark, do you mean I should just write the date on it? Will they accept that?

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ColombianoGringo (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Sep 27, 2007, 15:49:

As with many laws and regulations in Colombia, this is pretty randomly enforced. My kids travel with US passports and were born in the US. I have never been asked for a permission letter when leaving Colombia, but I always take one just in case. I think it may be enforced more strictly if the child was born in Colombia.

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