Marrying a Colombian for a visa extension

vladimiro says on Sep 26, 2005, 21:49:

Have you asked DAS what the fine is? I have a 2 year business visa and was supposed to register with DAS and get a "foriegner resident card" (cedula extranjeria) within a week of arriving. I only learned about this 5 months later and had to pay a fine of about $70 USD. I can't imagine a two month turist visa overstay would be more.

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calipro says on Sep 26, 2005, 23:11:

Jesse Getting a business Visa is a piece of cake if you have a corporation but you will have to leave Colombian to get it.

I don't know what the fine is for overstaying a tourist visa but that wouldn't be my primary concern. When you leave DAS might tell you that you can't come back for a year.

Think about it. Six months to a year with out any colombiana. That's worst than any fine they could ever dish out!

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johnboy77 says on Sep 27, 2005, 06:18:

Jesse,

The marriage visa is quick, but the marriage is not. You will need documents from your home country. You will need to prove that you are not married to anyone else, will have to provide a birth registration (the long form, not the birth certificate), and maybe a police report. If you are American, you will need translations and apostilles, if Canadian, translations and have the documents legalized at a Colombian consulate. The notaries alwasy slow things down by a few days....

Getting the VISA is VERY easy. I posted about this about a week ago if you can find it. A lot of the documents you can get ready before you are married (document showing activity, notarized copies of your new wife's cedula, a letter from her inviting you etc...).

But, I can't see how you can get married in this amount of time (perhaps you can). I got married in Colombia when you needed to get a marriage VISA first, and it took me about a month to get all my documents together, translated, and sent to the consulate in Toronto.

It takes 4 or 5 hours to get the VISA if you are married. They don't want pictures of the wedding or anything like that. The only document about the marriage that they need is the one the notary will issue you once you are married.

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carter says on Sep 27, 2005, 08:51:

whats the problem with paying the 15.000 to register with a University and then getting the student visa. Takes less time to organise than a wedding.

I have the business visa but that takes a bit more time and you have to leave the country also depending on what region you live the cost of registering a business can be expensive. Its a lot cheaper to do in Santander than it is in Bogota.

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BAQ says on Sep 27, 2005, 12:10:

STUPID This has to be one of the most ignorant ideas I have ever seen posted on this board, ESPECIALLY since he is only wants to overstay for TWO MONTHS.

Talk about IMMATURE !

One other thought Einstein, if you ever decide you DO want to get married “for love” in the future and you think you can do it in the United States, think again. The U.S recognizes marriage in Colombia, meaning you would need to return to Colombia and get a divorce before you could marry your NEW LOVE.

Don’t get a divorce and get married anyway in America (no one will find out right)? Well, if they do, you subject yourself to criminal charges or falsifying a government document and Bigamy.

Semper Fidelis !

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CaryGrant says on Sep 27, 2005, 16:56:

What BAQ said, x2 Get married to stay an extra couple of months? Nuts. How to explain to some future wife that you are a) currently married, but "only" in Colombia (which, as BAQ points out, is not true), b) divorced from a sham marriage (many women will wonder how seriously you take marriage), or c) lie.

Never think about HOW you could do something until you are sure you WANT to do it, because you will find a way.

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aztec says on Sep 27, 2005, 16:58:

This guy... ...must be 18 years old!

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Jesse says on Sep 28, 2005, 12:15:

Thanks for the advice....except for BAQ. . .almost everything I have seen you write has been negative, pessimistic, dramatic and even mean.

I agree a marriage is not what I want to do, and would be an act of desperation to avoid a serious fine, a night in jail or an ugly deportation. . .as many people warned me about, including BAQ, in a previous question. The idea was sprouted by many COLOMBIAN friends who have done this in the past.... not some immature and spontaneous scam . The two month part is just the immediate band aid fix as I am going to see my family for Christmas and am hoping I can find a way to get a more legitimate visa before I come back...but getting a resident visa NOW would make my life a lot easier and save me a lot of stress, money and hassle in the future.

Thanks to most of you for your positive and constructive replies, and I will definitely drop the marriage idea and go with my original plan of overstaying the visa and paying the fine. Best ways to ensure this fine is minimal???

J

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BAQ says on Sep 28, 2005, 14:09:

GROW UP You think my post was mean and negative? No, it was HONEST. I don;t candy coat things for people, I am honest, direct and to the point. So if you can;t handle that, find another board where people will tell you what you WANT to hear.

Lets see how you are starting out your life.....

1. Stay over illegally, breaking the law
2. Considered a "Sham" marriage which would include lies and deceit
3. Trying to find a way to skirt and violate the law

THE TRUTH is something you evidently have not learned yet. So allow me to share with you ANOTHER TRUTH. Unless you change the way you conduct your affairs, one day you will find yourself in trouble, in jail and having a reputation as an untrustworthy person.

Go home and talk to mommy and daddy. Maybe they can give you a refresher course.

Just a thought

Semper Fidelis !

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CaryGrant says on Sep 28, 2005, 17:54:

Still with BAQ on this... "The idea was sprouted by many COLOMBIAN friends who have done this in the past.... not some immature and spontaneous scam . The two month part is just the immediate band aid fix..."

Just because COLOMBIANs came up with the idea does not make it mature and sensible. You would marry someone as a 'band-aid' fix to a two-month visa problem? Nucking futs.

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tomtom33 says on Sep 28, 2005, 18:37:

Bad, bad, BAQ Guess Jesse hasn't read very much of your schitt.

Do you really think that whacking a nut-job with a 4x4 will get his attention?

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BAQ says on Sep 28, 2005, 19:08:

NOPE Well TomTom, I guess all I can say to him is "Here's your sign".

Jesse, let me give you another thought, "Integrity". It is the ONLY thing that no one can take from you, however when you piss it away with lies and deception, you loose your essence of being a man and being true to yourself.

Semper Fidelis !

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BAQ says on Sep 29, 2005, 11:00:

I Understand the IDEA GringoInBogota, I understand the "Idea". The problem I have with this ENTIRE situation is this. Here is a guy who for whatever reason has decided he wants to stay in Colombia and is trying to find any way he can to do it, via just illegally overstaying, a sham marriage or whatever he can dream up.

I guess what bothers me is the bigger picture. It just seems that people, and not just this OP think that if they don;t like something, they can do as they please and disregard the law.

At what point do we draw the line? What laws do we follow and what laws do we disregard because it is a "Minor violation"? Today it's a simple illegal overstay. What happens if tomorrow someone decides he wants some drugs or sex with a minor? Is smoking pot ok and not cocaine? Is Cocaine ok but not heroine? Is sex with a 16 yr old ok but not a 14 yr old? Is 14 ok but not 12?

Personally, I don;t care if he overstays, thats his business. The OP posted on another thread questioning what happens if he overstays and I wrote on that thread the consequences if he got caught.

I hope you can understand the point I am trying to make.

Semper Fidelis !

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