Return ticket and lenght of stay

I'm going to Colombia for the first time this Sunday and hope to stay at least 4 months. I have two niggling questions:

1. How long will they stamp my passport for? I'm Irish so I don't need a visa. Also, if it's not for the full 4 months (which I'm sure it won't be) will I need to cross a border to extend it or can I get the local officials to do it?

2. I have a ticket into Colombia but my flight home is from Rio de Janeiro (I plan to make my way there after Colombia), will this be sufficient or will they want a return ticket from Colombia?

I probably should of thought of these a bit earlier than 5 days beforehand! Thanks for your responses.

By OhMy on Jan 28, 2008, 16:11 in Friendly Talkzone.

Robert Jorge says on Jan 28, 2008, 19:07:

Assuming the entry rules are the same for Irish as they are for US citizens, it will be no problem for you to stay up to 6 months. Most likely, you will receive a 60 day tourist entry stamp in your passport. The reason I say most likely, is that if you are fluent in Spanish, have a nice demeanor, you might be able to convince the agent to give you a 90 day stamp. Since you are Irish, you surely have a congenial demeanor, so Spanish is the only worry. jaja

Whatever stamp you get, whether it is 60 days or whatever, about 2 or 3 days before it expires, you will need to go to the nearest DAS post and apply for an extention stamp. It is also advisable to be fluent in Spanish, or take a friend who is. They will tell you the requirements, you will spend a day doing errands, and then you will receive a 30 day extension. That also costs about 65.000 pesos. You can repeat this up until you reach the 180 day mark. Then, you are expected to leave the country.

--"I believe in making the world safe for our children. But not for our children's children, because I don't think that children should be having sex." - Jack Handy

Gator says on Jan 29, 2008, 10:03:

Since 1 January 2007, Irish tourists who wish to visit Colombia temporarily do not require a visa. Initial entry will probably be OK but when you visit DAS for the extension you may have to produce a ticket out of Colombia-BTW how do you plan to get to Rio.?? Having tick to Rio would solve all the problems-if any.

"Brevior Sltare Cum Deformibus Mulieribus Est Vita!" .

OhMy says on Jan 29, 2008, 17:31:

Thanks for your replies. I'm going to Rio by land, well river via Leticia. So I won't have a ticket out. Although, I'm hoping it will be similar to when I travelled to Ecuador when Iberia (the airline I flew with) sold me an onward ticket that was fully refundable. Solved all the problems. The problem seems to be that when I have to get an extension this ticket won't be valid any more. Do any of you think this will be a problem?

PaisaTours.com says on Feb 2, 2008, 21:07:

If you've a flight out of rio you'll have no problems.