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Post by jimbeam7 on May 29, 2016 17:56:44 GMT -5
Can someone share with me what documents I will need for a Spousal Residence Visa for Colombia. We will be doing in Cali though DIAN, I assume this is easy enough to do myself - is there anything I need to watch out for?
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Post by buenopues on May 29, 2016 18:11:56 GMT -5
I'm not familiar with that visa but would it not be through Migracion Colombia?Unless things have changed I believe that procedure has to be carried out by the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores in Bogotá. I don't know if this would work for a first time visa but I do know that if one needs to renew a resident visa (now a requirement every five years) it can be done through one of the visa tramitadores of which there are several within a couple of blocks of Migracion Colombia in Cali. I used this service the last time I renewed my visa residente and it turned out to be very economical compared to flying to Bogotá, taxis and meals there etc. and of course a considerable savings in stress.
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Post by jimbeam7 on May 29, 2016 18:16:54 GMT -5
I thought they were part of DIAN but you could be right.
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Post by fishhead on May 29, 2016 18:19:18 GMT -5
First of all, DIAN was disbanded about three years ago. You would have to look for 'Migracion Colombia' (In Cali, it's still in the same building though). But Migracion Colombia doesn't issue visas, they just register it once you have it. If you are inside Colombia, only the Cancilleria in Bogota issues them. A spousal visa is called 'TP-10'. If you are outside of Colombia, it's better to get it in your country of residence at a Colombian consulate. As far as I remember, you definitely will need a marriage certificate and your birth certificate. Both needs to be either in an international version or with a translation into Spanish. All needs to be apostilled (which you can only get from the issuing authority, i.e. in your country of origin). You need copies of everything, including your passport and the last stamp of entry into Colombia, your wife's cedula and the application for the whole thing has to be done in the name of your wife. Here's more info: www.cancilleria.gov.co/tramites_servicios/visas/categorias/temporal/tp10If you tell us where you're from and where you want to apply (can't do it in Cali), some guys here may be able to give you some more targeted information.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2016 18:24:12 GMT -5
Can someone share with me what documents I will need for a Spousal Residence Visa for Colombia. We will be doing in Cali though DIAN, I assume this is easy enough to do myself - is there anything I need to watch out for? Yes, the most important thing to watch out for is a Colombian Spouse!
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Post by livinginmedellin on May 29, 2016 18:26:35 GMT -5
Can someone share with me what documents I will need for a Spousal Residence Visa for Colombia. We will be doing in Cali though DIAN, I assume this is easy enough to do myself - is there anything I need to watch out for? There is no such thing as a "Spousal Residence Visa for Colombia". However there is a temporary TP-10 spousal visa that is normally good for 3 years. See: www.cancilleria.gov.co/en/procedures_services/visas/types for the requirements. DIAN doesn't do visas - DIAN is the IRS of Colombia. And you can't do this in Cali, it must be done at the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores office located in Bogotá at Avenida 19 # 98-03, Torre 100 Building, 3rd Floor. The office is open from 7:30am until noon. This is the only place that issues visas in Colombia. Or you can do this in one of the consulates in another country or you can use a visa service remotely from Cali but warning this likely won't work since interviews of the couple in Bogotá is normally required (my TP-10 visa last year required interviews). This is what you will need if your spouse is Colombian based on my experience last year: - Copy of the first page of your current passport where your personal data is displayed.
- Copy of the page of your passport where the last stamp of entry or departure of Colombia is located.
- Colombian marriage certificate, marriage certificate from another country or escritura pública given to you by a notary to legalize a unión marital de hecho (civil union). This document must have been issued within 90 days of the visa application.
- Notarized copy of the Colombian ID (cedula) of your Colombian spouse (partner), must be dated within 90 days
- Notarized letter (in Spanish) from the Colombian national requesting the issuance of the visa. This should include some brief details of the relationship and that you intend to live together in Colombia, must be dated within 90 days
- Valid current passport with an expiration date of more than 180 days and two blank pages.
- If you apply for the visa in-person in Bogotá, you will not need photographs, your photo will be taken on site.
- A short interview of the couple is normally required in Bogotá (I needed an interview with my wife last year).
- Pay $50 for study and $205 for the visa, you can pay in cash with pesos or with a credit/debit card in the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores office.
You can apply online for the visa but must go to Bogotá for the visa in your passport and interviews. I recommend bringing some photos and other evidence of your relationship. The visa agent we had last year said they are really cracking down on marriage visas due to fraud so he said they are now requiring interviews.
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Post by fishhead on May 29, 2016 18:28:20 GMT -5
DIAN doesn't do visas - DIAN is the IRS of Colombia. You're right. I was thinking about DAS in my earlier answer. Would have been nice to have DIAN disbanded though, wouldn't it?
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Post by buenopues on May 29, 2016 18:42:18 GMT -5
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Post by gallito on May 29, 2016 18:46:53 GMT -5
Yes DAS is gone;hallelujah,they were a bugger to deal with.The Colombia consulate offered a me spousal visa;said it would take a day with the necessary paper work.A visa TP-10 sounds like it fits your requirements. "Visa TP10: For the foreigner who wishes to enter Colombian territory as a spouse or permanent companion of a Colombian national" www.cancilleria.gov.co/en/procedures_services/visas/categories/temporary
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Post by livinginmedellin on May 29, 2016 18:55:32 GMT -5
There is no need for any apostilled documents if you were married in Colombia to get a TP-10 visa. I did this last year and none of my documents for the TP-10 visa were apostilled since they all came from Colombia. You only need apostilles for documents from other countries for use in Colombia. You definitely don't need a birth certificate for a TP-10 visa (this is needed for a marriage in Colombia though). You just need notarized documents for all Colombian documents. You would only need to get a marriage certificate from another country apostilled.
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Post by bickmed on May 29, 2016 18:57:05 GMT -5
Here are the requirements below (links); I did mine three years ago and it requires a visit to Bogota by you and your spouse - you will both be interviewed. Not everyone gets three years - depends on your interview; although I think they are a lot stricter with the latin americans. The Venezuelan lady my wife was talking to only got a year. After your visa is approved and stamped, you need to apply for your cedula. You can do that in Bogota, as long as you have the paperwork etc ready, and ask them to send it to Medellin. This is handy as the offices are close - otherwise, you can just do it in Medellin. You can submit the application online with all your documents and you need to pay 2 fees; one is a revision fee and the other for the visa. I just did my RE visa online, and they are quite strict about the letter, and your documents have to be in PDF. When you go to Bogota, get there as early as possible - the line last Thursday was evil. Luckily, for the RE visas, it was quick, however those waiting for spousal visas etc were still waiting when I left. When you have the notification of your visa, you will have 15 days to get there and have it issued, then 15 dys to apply for the cedula. 7 to 12 are the hours. You can pay for these visas with PSE - your wife will know what it is and (hopefully) have an account set up. Otherwise bank deposit or visa. tramitesmre.cancilleria.gov.co/tramites/enlinea/solicitarVisa.xhtmlwww.cancilleria.gov.co/tramites_servicios/visas/clases
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Post by bickmed on May 29, 2016 19:21:32 GMT -5
Maybe if you do the T10 online and get it approved with the letter your wife may not have to have an interview - for that one, we did it in person.
You can call the help line as well - they are very helpful, and the most I had to wait this time was 10 minutes.
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Post by livinginmedellin on May 29, 2016 19:33:19 GMT -5
Maybe if you do the T10 online and get it approved with the letter your wife may not have to have an interview - for that one, we did it in person. You can call the help line as well - they are very helpful, and the most I had to wait this time was 10 minutes. I applied for my TP-10 online last year and still the interviews were required so I had to go to Bogotá with my wife last year to get the visa. I have talked to two other expats recently that applied for TP-10 visas this year and they both said they also had to do interviews. In my experience in Bogotá they interview both spouses separately and compare answers.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2016 19:59:55 GMT -5
I went to Bogota for my TP-10 visa. I arrived at El Dorado at 8:00 am in the morning, and was out of Migracion Colombia by 11:00 am with the visa stamp in my passport. Pay attention to the document requirements provided in the links above, and the process will be a piece of cake. Also, make sure the registered copy of your marriage license has been issued and authenticated by the Notary within 90 days of your application. I know of one person who was denied for bringing a "stale" license. All the fees for the study and visa are paid at an on-site bank window after you check in with the receptionist. The Bogota visa center is at: Avenida 19 Nº 98 – 03 Edificio Torre 100 Piso 3º .
Also, my visa "interview" was not much more than intake of basic information. No personal or trick questions nor a separate interview with my wife. We were in the office with the immigration officer not more than 5 minutes. When he finished the paperwork, he gave me an invoice with the visa fee, and instructed me to take it to the bank window. I saw him again 20 minutes later when he handed me my passport with the visa.
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Post by bickmed on May 30, 2016 8:14:14 GMT -5
We were interviewed separately as well, then together. Nothing stressful though, was pretty easy.
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Post by coolcoil on May 30, 2016 8:43:33 GMT -5
Here is an excellent article from Medellin Living that documents the process in detail: medellinliving.com/marriage-visa-tp-10/If you are already married, you may want to consider getting your visa from a Colombian consulate in the USA. I did that for my first visa and it was a lot less hassle than having to travel to Bogota. Colombia has consulates throughout the USA in many major cities. You can find them on Google. They will have a visas page that will tell you what you need to do. ... I assume this is easy enough to do myself - is there anything I need to watch out for? It depends on what you think is easy. A lot of posters here consider this process "easy" because they speak Spanish, have past experience with Colombian bureaucracy and this process is not horrible compared to some others in Colombian government. As you will see in the ML article, there are a bunch of hoops through which you must jump. I don't know your experience level with immigration issues, but spousal visas are not as easy to get as many neophytes assume. I was in that boat many years ago. Until I was rudely awakened, I assumed that getting my wife a residency visa in the USA would just involve a quick trip to the embassy with our marriage certificate in hand. Silly me!
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Post by scumbuster on May 30, 2016 9:03:37 GMT -5
If your currently living in Colombia you have to do it there. But if your still living in the US I would recommend using a Colombian consulate in the US. Eliminates the need for all the translations and there are virtually no waiting lines. in and out. They sent my passport back to me fedex and I had in my hand with visa in 5 days. They also speak English which was huge for me. Saved having to have my wife handle it 100%
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Post by livinginmedellin on May 30, 2016 9:04:34 GMT -5
Here is an excellent article from Medellin Living that documents the process in detail: medellinliving.com/marriage-visa-tp-10/If you are already married, you may want to consider getting your visa from a Colombian consulate in the USA. I did that for my first visa and it was a lot less hassle than having to travel to Bogota. Colombia has consulates throughout the USA in many major cities. You can find them on Google. They will have a visas page that will tell you what you need to do. ... I assume this is easy enough to do myself - is there anything I need to watch out for? It depends on what you think is easy. A lot of posters here consider this process "easy" because they speak Spanish, have past experience with Colombian bureaucracy and this process is not horrible compared to some others in Colombian government. As you will see in the ML article, there are a bunch of hoops through which you must jump. I don't know your experience level with immigration issues, but spousal visas are not as easy to get as many neophytes assume. I was in that boat many years ago. Until I was rudely awakened, I assumed that getting my wife a residency visa in the USA would just involve a quick trip to the embassy with our marriage certificate in hand. Silly me! The hoops to get a spousal visa in Colombia are nothing compared to the hoops to get a spousal visa in the US. I have talked to a number of expats that have mentioned the challenging process they they had to go through to get a US spousal visa. In Colombia you can get the spousal visa pretty quickly after applying online followed by a quick trip to Bogotá for the visa and likely the need for interviews these days. In the US it can take upwards of a year to get a spousal visa. Not to mention the costs and tons of paperwork to get a US spousal visa including the requirement for documented evidence of a bonifide marriage plus an interview at the US embassy in Bogotá that can be difficult.
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2016 10:00:38 GMT -5
If your currently living in Colombia you have to do it there. But if your still living in the US I would recommend using a Colombian consulate in the US. Eliminates the need for all the translations and there are virtually no waiting lines. in and out. They sent my passport back to me fedex and I had in my hand with visa in 5 days. They also speak English which was huge for me. Saved having to have my wife handle it 100% I agree. I applied for my first TP-10 visa at the Colombian consulate in NYC. It was easy, paid the fees in cash (USD), and in 3 days, my visa was ready. One time I made the mistake of using an agency in Laureles, Medellin, for a renewal (because I was lazy). It took 8 days to get my visa, and I only got a year instead of the standard 3-year term. The cost of the service was 525,000 pesos including the fees. When the agency called me to pick up my passport, they told me that they made a mistake and wanted another 250,000 on top of the original price. Of course, I balked, and then a lot of drama ensued. We ended up in front of a fiscalia who ordered him to return my passport (with visa), and for me to pay the balance of what was owed on the original balance. I did my next TP-10 renewal at Migracion Colombia in Bogota, and it was a piece of cake.
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Post by livinginmedellin on May 30, 2016 10:12:28 GMT -5
If your currently living in Colombia you have to do it there. But if your still living in the US I would recommend using a Colombian consulate in the US. Eliminates the need for all the translations and there are virtually no waiting lines. in and out. They sent my passport back to me fedex and I had in my hand with visa in 5 days. They also speak English which was huge for me. Saved having to have my wife handle it 100% I agree. I applied for my first TP-10 visa at the Colombian consulate in NYC. It was easy, paid the fees in cash (USD), and in 3 days, my visa was ready. One time I made the mistake of using an agency in Laureles, Medellin, for a renewal (because I was lazy). It took 8 days to get my visa, and I only got a year instead of the standard 3-year term. The cost of the service was 525,000 pesos including the fees. When the agency called me to pick up my passport, they told me that they made a mistake and wanted another 250,000 on top of the original price. Of course, I balked, and then a lot of drama ensued. We ended up in front of a fiscalia who ordered him to return my passport (with visa), and for me to pay the balance of what was owed on the original balance. I did my next TP-10 renewal at Migracion Colombia in Bogota, and it was a piece of cake. Visa renewals are done at Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, not Migracion Colombia. Migracion Colombia doesn't issue visas, they only register visas with a stamp in your passport and issue cedulas. After having a TP-10 visa for 3 years you can get a resident visa (RE visa).
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2016 10:56:26 GMT -5
I agree. I applied for my first TP-10 visa at the Colombian consulate in NYC. It was easy, paid the fees in cash (USD), and in 3 days, my visa was ready. One time I made the mistake of using an agency in Laureles, Medellin, for a renewal (because I was lazy). It took 8 days to get my visa, and I only got a year instead of the standard 3-year term. The cost of the service was 525,000 pesos including the fees. When the agency called me to pick up my passport, they told me that they made a mistake and wanted another 250,000 on top of the original price. Of course, I balked, and then a lot of drama ensued. We ended up in front of a fiscalia who ordered him to return my passport (with visa), and for me to pay the balance of what was owed on the original balance. I did my next TP-10 renewal at Migracion Colombia in Bogota, and it was a piece of cake. Visa renewals are done at Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, not Migracion Colombia. Migracion Colombia doesn't issue visas, they only register visas with a stamp in your passport and issue cedulas. After having a TP-10 visa for 3 years you can get a resident visa (RE visa). Yes, that's correct, visas are processed at the MRE visa center. To avoid any further confusion, the MRE visa center is located at: Sede Norte: Avenida 19 Nº 98 – 03 Edificio Torre 100 Piso 3º Bogota. Once you have the visa, it needs to be registered within 15 days if issue. In Medellin, the visa can be registered at the Migracion Colombia office (the old DAS complex) at Cl 19 #80A-40. Application for a cedula extranjeria can be done at this site concurrently.
TP-10 visa holders are eligible for RE visas in 3 years instead of the usual 5. However, if the TP-10 visa holder has been outside Colombia for more than 6 months, during the 3 year period, the clock resets to 0. This happened to me when I was outside the country for 8 months in 2011. I am currently on my third TP-10 visa, and am now eligible to apply for RE because I have 5 years of "unbroken" residence in Colombia. I will ride out my TP-10 visa until I get within a few months of expiration before I do the tramite for an RE visa.
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Post by caliconnection on May 30, 2016 13:29:07 GMT -5
The hoops to get a spousal visa in Colombia are nothing compared to the hoops to get a spousal visa in the US. I have talked to a number of expats that have mentioned the challenging process they they had to go through to get a US spousal visa. In Colombia you can get the spousal visa pretty quickly after applying online followed by a quick trip to Bogotá for the visa and likely the need for interviews these days. In the US it can take upwards of a year to get a spousal visa. Not to mention the costs and tons of paperwork to get a US spousal visa including the requirement for documented evidence of a bonifide marriage plus an interview at the US embassy in Bogotá that can be difficult. The hoops to get a spousal visa for the US are nothing compared to the hoops to get a spousal visa for Canada. For one, the spousal visa doesn't even exist for Canada. It's a much more torturous process to get the landed immigrant visa. But well worth it
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Post by coolcoil on May 30, 2016 13:58:16 GMT -5
... One time I made the mistake of using an agency in Laureles, Medellin, for a renewal (because I was lazy). It took 8 days to get my visa, and I only got a year instead of the standard 3-year term. The cost of the service was 525,000 pesos including the fees. When the agency called me to pick up my passport, they told me that they made a mistake and wanted another 250,000 on top of the original price. Of course, I balked, and then a lot of drama ensued. We ended up in front of a fiscalia who ordered him to return my passport (with visa), and for me to pay the balance of what was owed on the original balance. I did my next TP-10 renewal at Migracion Colombia in Bogota, and it was a piece of cake. That's pretty crappy. I'd be really pissed if somebody was holding my passport. However, there are good visa services too. I used one for my last renewal. They charged me about USD $200 for their services, plus, of course the required government payments. For me, saving the cost of a day trip to Bogota and not having to burn a day of my time was well worth the money. The service took care of everything for me except getting the photo. They wrote all of the necessary letters and all I had to do was print them and take them to the notaria. I got my passport back four days after sending it to them. I will use the service again. Also, for what it's worth, you work with an English speaker. They are located in Medellin, but you can use them from anywhere. I did everything with them through courier and email, except I picked up my passport in person so I could go straight to Migracion for registration. Here is their site: www.colombiavisas.com/Note: I do not have any business relationship with this company other than described above nor do I personally know any of the owners or employees. I'm just a satisfied customer. You should also know that one thing they cannot do for you is register your visa with Migracion. You must do that in person. The service did have the form filled out for me though.
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2016 16:15:03 GMT -5
... One time I made the mistake of using an agency in Laureles, Medellin, for a renewal (because I was lazy). It took 8 days to get my visa, and I only got a year instead of the standard 3-year term. The cost of the service was 525,000 pesos including the fees. When the agency called me to pick up my passport, they told me that they made a mistake and wanted another 250,000 on top of the original price. Of course, I balked, and then a lot of drama ensued. We ended up in front of a fiscalia who ordered him to return my passport (with visa), and for me to pay the balance of what was owed on the original balance. I did my next TP-10 renewal at Migracion Colombia in Bogota, and it was a piece of cake. That's pretty crappy. I'd be really pissed if somebody was holding my passport. However, there are good visa services too. I used one for my last renewal. They charged me about USD $200 for their services, plus, of course the required government payments. For me, saving the cost of a day trip to Bogota and not having to burn a day of my time was well worth the money. The service took care of everything for me except getting the photo. They wrote all of the necessary letters and all I had to do was print them and take them to the notaria. I got my passport back four days after sending it to them. I will use the service again. Also, for what it's worth, you work with an English speaker. They are located in Medellin, but you can use them from anywhere. I did everything with them through courier and email, except I picked up my passport in person so I could go straight to Migracion for registration. Here is their site: www.colombiavisas.com/Note: I do not have any business relationship with this company other than described above nor do I personally know any of the owners or employees. I'm just a satisfied customer. You should also know that one thing they cannot do for you is register your visa with Migracion. You must do that in person. The service did have the form filled out for me though. Yes, I've heard of Colombia Visas. This past February, I gave an agency another shot. I used Gesticol on Calle 19 (just across the street from Migracion Colombia Medellin) to obtain a new US passport. Gesticol charged me 150,000 pesos to do all the legwork plus the $160 paid to the US consulate in Bogota. I had my new passport inside of a week. I may be using them for my permanent residency. www.gesticol.com/sitio/
Like you, I do not have a business relationship with this company either... I am just another satisfied customer.
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Post by elexpatriado on May 31, 2016 9:03:13 GMT -5
I thought they were part of DIAN but you could be right. No its Migraciones. You want to give DIAN as little info as possible
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Post by elexpatriado on May 31, 2016 9:04:54 GMT -5
Can someone share with me what documents I will need for a Spousal Residence Visa for Colombia. We will be doing in Cali though DIAN, I assume this is easy enough to do myself - is there anything I need to watch out for? Yes, the most important thing to watch out for is a Colombian Spouse! Espescially if you mix up DIAN and migraciones
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Post by jimbeam7 on Jun 28, 2016 8:54:06 GMT -5
I received my TP-10 Visa from the Houston Consulate. The only difference from the advice here was they wanted a police background check which added a couple of weeks and about $250us to the process. There was no interview, but since the wife was with me to get a residency certificate (which was one of the requirements to move our stuff to Colombia) it was clear we were a couple. We are expecting to arriving in Colombia - That's me, wife, dog, and all our stuff in late September. We have a finca in La Cumbre about an hour outside of Cali.
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Post by livinginmedellin on Jun 28, 2016 9:21:23 GMT -5
I received my TP-10 Visa from the Houston Consulate. The only difference from the advice here was they wanted a police background check which added a couple of weeks and about $250us to the process. There was no interview, but since the wife was with me to get a residency certificate (which was one of the requirements to move our stuff to Colombia) it was clear we were a couple. We are expecting to arriving in Colombia - That's me, wife, dog, and all our stuff in late September. We have a finca in La Cumbre about an hour outside of Cali. Interesting they required a police background check. This isn't listed as a requirement on the Colombian government's Cancillería website for a TP10 visa and I haven't heard from anyone receiving a TP10 visa that requirement before. In Bogotá they tend to follow the Cancillería website requirements and I had the documents listed on that site for my TP10 visa and didn't encounter problems. Demonstrates that in consulates you may find different requirements.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2016 11:03:51 GMT -5
I received my TP-10 Visa from the Houston Consulate. The only difference from the advice here was they wanted a police background check which added a couple of weeks and about $250us to the process. There was no interview, but since the wife was with me to get a residency certificate (which was one of the requirements to move our stuff to Colombia) it was clear we were a couple. We are expecting to arriving in Colombia - That's me, wife, dog, and all our stuff in late September. We have a finca in La Cumbre about an hour outside of Cali.
That must be a new requirement, because a background check was not SOP when I received my first TP-10 from the Consulate in NYC. I paid my fee in cash, had a 5 minute interview with the Consulate, and in 3 days I picked up my passport with visa.
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