Overstaying your 180 days, my experience!

Hello Guys,
I just wanted to pass on my experience with a visit to the DAS regarding overstaying my 180 days in a 12 month period. Might be helpful to others.
Anyway, I overstayed by 22 days, after reading on PBH some others experiences, I went to the DAS on Calle 100 the day before leaving as you are unable to pay the fine and receive the proper document at the airport. Best thing for others to do, is not to wait in the downstairs area (this is only for the Bogota office on Calle 100), but go down the lane way on the left of the building and ask for the "Multas" which is on level 4.
(apologies, forgotten the full correct name of the office, but its "Multas Judicial something..?) As you exit the elevator, the office you are looking for is the unmarked office directly in front of you.
Go in and explain the situation, they will tell you you need to pay a fine, the fine varies depending on how long you overstay. My fine was 216,000 COP. (I spoke to 2 others there that day, there for the same thing. 1 mexican, his fine was 655,000 COP for a 5 month overstay and a french/canadian, his fine was 135,000 COP for a 8 day overstay). I do not know how they work the fine, as the lady I spoke with, did not look at any paper work or chart to figure it out, she just told me? So , I guess it depends on who you get and what mood they are in, like most things in Colombia, I guess.
The fine is payable at Bancafe, get a copy of the reciept and 2 passport photos. Go back to the DAS and they will fill out a report and ask you a lot of straight forward questions, about 20 in total at a guess. Also asked for the name and contact details of 2 people you know who are Colombians (although both them told me they were never contacted by the DAS?) They will give you some paperwork which you must then take downstairs to the main offices on Calle 100, and get them to process that paperwork. It takes them about 30-40 minutes, along with the usual fingerprinting, then they will give you a document called a 'Salvo Conducto' which you then present to the immigration at the airport upon departure.
I was told initially (as was the french/canadian), that you had to wait 24 hours for the paperwork to be completed. But as I was flying home the next day, they did it for me that day. As long as you get there early they should have no problems doing it for you in 1 day. I got there at about 8:30am, did the inital paperwork (took about an hour), then was told to come back at 2:30pm, (that took about another hour 30 minutes)
This was about a month ago, meant to post it then, but been so busy! Hope to return to Colombia very soon, i miss it sooo much!
Anyway, I hope this helps someone out :-)

P.S.- the Salvo Conducto is valid for 5 days. so you can go a few days earlier and have it done as well. And the Salvo Conducto costs an extra 36,300 COP as well as the fine!
P.P.S.- Also asked if the overstay and fine affected chances of re-entry into the country and was told that it does not.

By Bren68 on Dec 9, 2007, 20:51 in Visa & paperwork.

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dwmte7 says on Dec 9, 2007, 21:34: i over stayed my visa last time by 2 years...the fine was about u.s. $450.00...you figure? dwmte 0 funny, 0 helpful.

msaucey says on Dec 9, 2007, 21:54: Thanks for sharing, this question has been posted quite a bit without a reasonable answer.... The trouble about trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that you very often succeed. - CS Lewis 0 funny, 0 helpful.

Robert Jorge says on Dec 9, 2007, 23:47: Great post ... thanks for the first hand information. He who farts in church, sits in his own pew. 0 funny, 0 helpful.

scumbuster says on Dec 10, 2007, 13:03: I guess you want to take a box of candy with you! That works wonders on the officials in Moscow. Maybe world wide. 0 funny, 0 helpful.

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