Trip to my country

jbmcvey says on Mar 10, 2004, 02:47:

Wait Do not travel until you have your citizenship. As a native Colombian, the U.S. Embassy will flag you and notify officials of your presence. You might also like to know. if you join the US Armed Forces, your new goverment will require that you submit a leave form and obtain country clearance prior to arrival. Even then, your cannot travel freely. You are limited to certain Hotels and areas.

Welcome to the USA, home of the "I will control every aspect of your life" government.

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Gator says on Mar 10, 2004, 08:34:

Be CAREFUL While you can leave the USA on you PR card you can't get into Colombia without a passport.

Why have you waited this long to apply for citizenship?

You should be concerned about the military service. Your only choice, at this point, is to obtain a Colombia passport from a consulate and travel on that. When you leave, at your age, you will have to show DAS proof of military service or that you are exempt.

Best advice-do NOT make this trip until you get everything naile down.

"Credidi pretio parvo emere et magno vendere tibi in animo fuisse!" .

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vladimiro says on Mar 10, 2004, 09:06:

Check with a Colombian Embassy and Laywer US Citizenship might not get you out of Colombian military service because you will still be considered a Colombian citizen by the Colombian Government. Check with Colombian COnsulate and a lawyer, but you are most likely exempt. Anyone with a high school diploma is exempt, and foriegn residents may be as well.

As Tinto said, you can probably buy your way out legally (that is what I have to do when I travel to another country that I am a citizen of and has a simular mandatory military service law.)

Ofcaorse, you need to be absolutely sure before you go, or you might be spending the next couple years chasing in the jungle:)

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camilo says on Mar 10, 2004, 09:12:

Anyone with a high school diploma is exempt. That is a lie. Everyone with such degreee has to go to the military.

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sebasenbogotá says on Mar 10, 2004, 11:41:

Buy a temporal one at the consulate I have a cousin who studies in France, and he bought a temporal one, I think for 3 years at the Colombian COnsulate in Paris.
Also I did all my military papers in 2002, and anyone under the age of 18 was exempt but had to pay some kind of money directly to the Defense Ministry (legally, I mean without third parties), they take your parents income and put it into a math formula, and then tell you how much do you have to pay. That is in COlombia, I don't know abroad. And also it probably depends on the military district you are in.
http://www.ejercito.mil.co/servicioMilitar.asp
They have complete info in Spanish.

Suerte ! Sebas

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simplicia says on Mar 10, 2004, 12:24:

I would be interested in this subject as well since my son is also American and Colombian. He holds both passports. I have heard if you are not in college, when you graduate at 17 you must either enter the military or serve in the local police force and that they are having kids in the military serve in the city they are from. I dunno if that still applies. Definitely, do not go until you have all your papers in order!

simplicia

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sebasenbogotá says on Mar 10, 2004, 13:33:

My experience As I said I had to do the process in 2002, what happened was that all the people under the age of 18 that was graduating, didn't have to go to the military, but had to give a contribution in money, depending on your parents wage. I didn't matter wheter you were going to college/university or not.
The guys that were over 18 were supposed to go, but I don't know about them.

Suerte ! Sebas

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fearless7 says on Mar 10, 2004, 14:50:

Gracias Thank you everyone for the advise. I will futher look into the matter with the consulate and a lawyer. I would also like to thank again Peter and everyone else who contributes to this site. It's a site that gives fellow colombians like myself the chance to know more about my country and fellow colombians, even though I have not been there since I was born. I hope to contribute to the site in any way. Gracias.

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litost says on Mar 10, 2004, 19:31:

I think you're fine My brother is also a US Resident/Colombian citizen, he has gone back and forth frecuently and never even been asked to show his military card... neither have I, although I have double citizenship I will always show my colombian passport when applicable, and I've never been asked to show military card neither.

To be on the safe side, however, you should go about defining your military situation by going to the nearest consulate and simply demanding the form, filling it out, getting together the documents required and paying the money they say.

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fearless7 says on Mar 10, 2004, 22:52:

Gracias Thanks for the advise and I really like your pictures in your gallery litost.

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Andres V Torro says on Apr 22, 2004, 18:10:

HI Sebas,

Have just found your reply to Fearless regarding Military Service and that is a great help. Also great photos of Periera! Have downloaded one of them as background on my PC. I think my birthmother lived in Periera - have you heard of Barrio Coronado near Telecon - supposed to be close to city.

Thanks mate

Andres

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