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My work visa

This is the story of how I finally got my work visa, after living in Colombia on a tourist visa for many months.

(Editor: the requirements have changed since. To find out real requirements for a work visa, see this page of the Colombian Consulate in the US)

I was told you need to leave the country to get a working visa. (If you're in Colombia) In other words, you have to get it in any country that's not Colombia (It doesn't have to be your homecountry)

I was in Colombia already, so the most convenient place to get it was Ecuador. I needed a contract and a bunch of papers by your employer.

Most notably, I needed a paper that says they'll pay for me if I get repatriated or get in trouble with the law.

I also needed a paper that they have no more than the maximum of 20% foreigners in their service. Also a paper that says I am qualified for the job and one that says they did a selection and I was the man for the job. And I may be forgetting one or two more...

And I needed a certificate of good health (no blood test required), which in Ecuador takes at least a few days to get, so you should get in in Colombia or your homecountry. And I needed two officialized copies of your contract. Also photocopies of my passport and some photos.

Basically, loads of papers.

Once I got them all, I had to make two packages, one the originals and one with all photocopies.

I brought that to the Colombian consulate (I was in Ecuador, remember?). They checked them out, and the next day I needed to talk to the consul, pay the fee and one or two days later I got your visa. The consulate people in Quito are ok.

The visa cost me 205 US dollars.

But when I got back to Colombia, I had to pay again to the DAS for an 'ID card'.

I'm really happy I have it now, it's a one year visa, but it wasn't easy...

Good Luck! Contact the Consulate in Washington, DC for more info if you want to work in Colombia.

By Peter (Moderator) on Feb 21, 1999, 13:03 in Friendly Talkzone.

Peter (Moderator) says on Nov 11, 2003, 13:04:

What a pain By Jasper 2003-01-28 If you are thinking about working as a teacher and you want a work visa you will need a teaching qualification. This rule is quite new. So, no teaching qualification, no work visa as a teacher.

I'm trying to get a work visa and I've been at it for about 9 months. The buerocracy is ridiculous (but it's the same everywhere to apply for a work visa). You have to get all documents that you need to be entitled for a work visa legalised in your home country and then translated by an official translator, plus they have to be notarised.

This takes a long time.

You also need a certificate from the police in your home country which states that you don't have a criminal record. This has to be legalised in your home country and then translated by an official translator.

On top of this you first have to find a company that is going to go through quite a lot of hassle to go through this on your behalf, but a lot of it is up to you and no-one else. Finding a company prepared to do this was in my experience quite difficult.

It isn't cheap and I find myself asking is it worth it. Better still, find someone to do it all for you.

Poor but snappy

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Peter (Moderator) says on Nov 11, 2003, 13:04:

Trouble when you want to leave By Jairo, hyrooduber at hotmail.com 2003-05-16
I ran into trouble when my contract finished. With only a few weeks of the 2 year contract left, the school who employed me pointed to the clause in my contract that said they were only liable to pay my repatriation costs to "country or place of origin". They argued that since I had transferred to that school from another school in Colombia, Colombia was my "place of origin". After a lot of ugly arguments and threats, I got my ticket home by continually asking them "to put it in writing so I can take it to DAS"
I have since learned this is a common scam at many private schools in Colombia.

Poor but snappy

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Peter (Moderator) says on Nov 25, 2003, 09:43:

What counts as a teaching qualification? Does a university degree count as a teaching qualification? I have a degree but it's a BSc not a BEd, is this good enough or do I need to get a TEFL certificate too?

Poor but snappy

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glacierdaz says on Jan 18, 2005, 14:40:

Agreed Yah I have run into the same red tape. After thinking it would be easy to get a job with a degree and TESL certificate, the DAS told me otherwise. I ahve really enjoyed my time here in Bogota and was eager to teach english, however the new Colombian law has left me headed back to the ice and snow of Canada. Yikes ! I will look for another country to teach english perhaps in Asia where the money is much better. Nevertheless, I will return here to enjoy the culture, the people, the food and the reasonable prices.

D

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Ivan Thompson says on Jun 25, 2005, 10:43:

Temporary work visas Could anyone tell me if I get a job offer as an English teacher in Bogota could I apply for a temporary work visa while I am over there or would I have to leave the country to do this?

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mitch_usa99 says on Jun 21, 2006, 19:11:

Work Visa a Problem? Hey,
After reading all the testimonials of everyone, it seems to me that getting a working visa is very difficult. I am planning to work in Colombia as an English teacher, and I have few questions to ask:

1. Can I have the documents notarized in my home country? But translated in Colombia and apostilled in Colombia? How does the "apostilled" work anyway?

Please give any suggestions on how I will go about it. I have not looked for a company to sponsor me. But just in case, I want all documents ready before I head out to Colombia. Thanks alot for all inputs, greatly appreciated.

Mitch

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wabbits says on Jul 3, 2008, 12:59:

Does anyone have a good link for the consulate in Washington DC. All the links listed here seem to be dead.

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