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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2017 19:44:12 GMT -5
I should have had my Resident (RE) visa 4 years ago. I've had a total of three (3) TP-10 spousal visas over the years, but my "continuity" of residence in Colombia was disrupted in 2011 when I had to stay in the States for 8 months while undergoing radiation and chemo treatments. A visa de conyuge (TP-10) temporary resident only needs 3 years of continuous residency in Colombia in order to qualify for "permanent" residency. In 2011, I was out of Colombia for more than 6 months, so that knocked me out of the box. I applied for my first visa de conyuge at the Colombian consulate in NYC while my wife and I were still living in NJ. This method was relatively easy and straight forward. As my first TP-10 visa was approaching its expiration date, I made the mistake of using a Visa agency in La 70, Laureles, Medellin. An unscrupulous agent handled the tramite for 545,000 pesos, then tried to extort more money from me by holding on to my passport. It took me almost two months to get my passport back with a little help from the Police and Fiscalia. The Fiscalia threatened him with jail if he did not give it back to me. They also made sure that he accepted payment in full per the original agreement. Unfortunately, the bastards only got me an 8-month visa (TP-10 visas are normally issued for the max term of 3 years.) Even at the end of my second visa, I was a few months short of qualifying for the full resident visa. So, I decided to obtain my third visa de conyuge on my own. My wife and I took a 3-day holiday in Bogota, visited MRE, and 3 hours after touching down in Bogota, I had my third TP-10 visa stamp in my passport. It was the easiest of all three visas. Even though, I could have had my RE visa within a few months, I decided to get my money's worth, and rode my last TP-10 for the full 3 years.
Last year, I used Gesticol in Belen, Medellin to obtain a new US passport. Gesticol charged me 150,000 pesos to do the legwork for my new passport plus $160 US in cash to pay the new passport fee at the US Consulate in Bogota. Inside of a week, I had my new US passport in my back pocket So, when it came time to apply for my first RE visa, I decided to give Gesticol a shot. I kept a log, that I intended to post on here, to show how easy (or how difficult) it was to obtain my first RE visa:
Steps and Costs to Obtain RE Visa
Feb 2- Contacted Notaria 1 in Bogota to obtain certified copy of our marriage license. Notaria e-mails procedure for ordering copy. Deposited 27,300 pesos in Sudameris bank & e-mail deposit slip to Notaria. Promised certified license in 4 business days via mail.
Feb 6- Visited Gesticol in Belen, Medellin. Gesticol gave me an estimate to handle the paperwork for my RE visa in the amount of 1,645,000 pesos. 1,325,000 pesos in Canilleria fees and 320,000 pesos is Gesticol's fee for doing the legwork. Gesticol types up a vouch letter for my wife and a power of attorney letter for me. Notary authentication of both letters required. Gesticol tells me to deposit the full 1,645,000 in Bancolombia as soon as the package is complete. Gesticol completes application and takes my photo for the application. Provided my new and old US passports to Gesticol. My old expired passport has the active TP-10 visa stamp. Also provided Gesticol copies of my biography pages from both passports, the active visa stamp and last exit and entrance stamp from/to Colombia. Gesticol will make copies if you don't have them.
Feb 6- Visit Migracion Colombia in the old DAS Building in Belen, Medellin. Order my Migration certificate to be included with my RE visa application. Able to pay the 56,000 pesos fee with my Bancolombia card. Migracion Colombia says the certificate will be ready in 4 days.
Feb 7- My wife's vouch letter and my power of attorney letter for Gesticol are notarized by Notaria 2 in Rionegro for 8,000 pesos. These letters will be included in the application package.
Feb 8- Certified marriage license has not yet arrived. Call Notary 1, and clerk tells me they did not receive the receipt of deposit. Put my wife on the phone, apparently some confusion which department got the receipt, it gets straightened out.
Feb 11- Received my certified marriage license via Servientrega. 9 days from request to receipt because of SNAFU at Notaria 1 in Bogota.
Feb 13- Picked up my certificate of migratory movements from Migracion Colombia (old DAS building in Belen), and hand-carried to Gesticol across the street.
Feb 13- Met with Andres of Gesticol, reviewed my RE visa package and he placed it in the mail. Tells me that I should have my RE visa no later than Monday, Feb 20th.
Feb 17- Gesticol calls me and informs me they have my RE visa at the office in Belen. Andres has scheduled me for an 11:00 AM appointment on Tuesday, Feb 21st, at the old DAS building in Belen for my new cedula. (Once the visa is issued, a foreign resident has 15 days to register the new visa at one of the local Migracion Cololombia offices, and apply for a new cedula.)
Feb 21- Arrived at Gesticol to pick up my passport with new RE visa (valid for 5 years). Andres had my cedula solicitud with the required copies of documents ready to go. I walked over to Migracion Colombia with my paperwork arriving at 10:55 am for my 11 O'Clock appointment. I waited no more than 2 minutes, and the intake clerk was working on my new cedula. I paid the required 183,000 pesos with my Bancolombia debit card, and then the clerk registered my RE visa and stamped my passport. There was a small backlog of 3 foreign immigrants at the biometrics booth down the hall. In short order, my picture and finger prints were taken, and then I signed the record electronically. The cedula clerk told me my ID would be ready in 8 business day. By 11:25 am, I was walking out the door.
After all is said and done (and excluding gas, tolls and aggravation of making multiple trips to Medellin), I spent a total of 1,919,300 pesos in associated costs for my RE visa. Thank God, I won't have to shell out that kind of money again for another 5 years. If things go according to plan, I will be picking my new cedula at Migracion Colombia in 8 working days.
The fee I paid Gesticol was worth every peso. I highly recommend using this agency, if you want your tramites done quickly and efficiently. Andres is the "go-to" guy at Gesticol.. The office is just across the street from the old DAS building:
Address: #80b-, Cl. 19 #80b19, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia
gesticol.com/sitio/
Hours:
Monday 8:30AM–4:30PM Tuesday 8:30AM–4:30PM Wednesday 8:30AM–4:30PM Thursday 8:30AM–4:30PM Friday 8:30AM–4:30PM Saturday Closed Sunday Closed
Phone: +57 4 3534222
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Post by gallito on Feb 21, 2017 22:51:12 GMT -5
Thanks for the info;what a hassle you went through to get to the final answer,reminds me why I'm still visiting as a tourist.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2017 23:10:51 GMT -5
I got my Resident Visa with no assistance-the process was extremely easy and fast. Applied online and had approval in about 24 hours. It looks like it may have taken you longer to write your post than it took to get my visa.
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Post by barrumundi on Feb 22, 2017 1:53:10 GMT -5
Good post @vago. Anyone know how long are you allowed to be outside Colombia before you lose your Resident Visa? I heard it was 2 years but that was some time ago.
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Post by scumbuster on Feb 22, 2017 5:21:20 GMT -5
Good post @vago . Anyone know how long are you allowed to be outside Colombia before you lose your Resident Visa? I heard it was 2 years but that was some time ago. It was 2 years the last I knew also.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2017 5:32:38 GMT -5
Good post @vago . Anyone know how long are you allowed to be outside Colombia before you lose your Resident Visa? I heard it was 2 years but that was some time ago. It is 2 years.
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Post by ozgringo on Feb 22, 2017 5:33:16 GMT -5
Good post @vago . Anyone know how long are you allowed to be outside Colombia before you lose your Resident Visa? I heard it was 2 years but that was some time ago. Two years "El extranjero titular de la Visa RE que se ausente del país por un término de dos (2) años o más continuos perderá el derecho a la misma." www.cancilleria.gov.co/tramites_servicios/visas/clases
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2017 5:45:11 GMT -5
I got my Resident Visa with no assistance-the process was extremely easy and fast. Applied online and had approval in about 24 hours. It looks like it may have taken you longer to write your post than it took to get my visa. In 2014 I obtained my last TP-10 visa at MRE in Bogota without using an agency. It was a piece of cake. It took me a little more than an hour to get the stamp in my passport. In 2014, applying on line was not yet a requirement. If I lived in Bogota, or even close to it, I would do it myself. But since I live in Greater Medellin, using Gesticol saved me the expense and hassle of making a trip to Bogota. In this last round, Gesticol did my on-line application and walked my passport through for the visa stamp. As I understand it, even though the application process is now on-line, the visa holder (or a designated representative) still needs to physically take the passport to MRE.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2017 8:17:59 GMT -5
I got my Resident Visa with no assistance-the process was extremely easy and fast. Applied online and had approval in about 24 hours. It looks like it may have taken you longer to write your post than it took to get my visa. In 2014 I obtained my last TP-10 visa at MRE in Bogota without using an agency. It was a piece of cake. It took me a little more than an hour to get the stamp in my passport. In 2014, applying on line was not yet a requirement. If I lived in Bogota, or even close to it, I would do it myself. But since I live in Greater Medellin, using Gesticol saved me the expense and hassle of making a trip to Bogota. In this last round, Gesticol did my on-line application and walked my passport through for the visa stamp. As I understand it, even though the application process is now on-line, the visa holder (or a designated representative) still needs to physically take the passport to MRE.
Yes that's true,, you need to either physically take the passport or provide a POA for someone to do it for you. For me it wasn't an issue as I frequently go to Bogota for both business and to visit with my wifes family. Many expats complain about bureaucracy, but Colombia has made this process extremely efficient.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2017 9:19:08 GMT -5
In 2014 I obtained my last TP-10 visa at MRE in Bogota without using an agency. It was a piece of cake. It took me a little more than an hour to get the stamp in my passport. In 2014, applying on line was not yet a requirement. If I lived in Bogota, or even close to it, I would do it myself. But since I live in Greater Medellin, using Gesticol saved me the expense and hassle of making a trip to Bogota. In this last round, Gesticol did my on-line application and walked my passport through for the visa stamp. As I understand it, even though the application process is now on-line, the visa holder (or a designated representative) still needs to physically take the passport to MRE.
Yes that's true,, you need to either physically take the passport or provide a POA for someone to do it for you. For me it wasn't an issue as I frequently go to Bogota for both business and to visit with my wifes family. Many expats complain about bureaucracy, but Colombia has made this process extremely efficient. Yes, the Migracion tramites have improved immensely since I first came to Colombia. When I obtained my first cedula at DAS in Belen, it was pure chaos in the office. Yesterday, I was impressed how swiftly, and efficiently, things moved when registering my visa. I think scheduling appointments has helped Migracion Colombia balance its workload better.
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Post by james on Feb 22, 2017 9:49:09 GMT -5
Vago - I have used GESTICOL for all of my visas and passport renewals ever since coming to Medellin 10 years ago. You are correct - they are honest, their fees are reasonable, and they provide complete fast service. Like you, I recommend them highly.
- JAMES
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2017 17:10:07 GMT -5
Picked up my new Residente cedula at Migracion Colombia Medellin today. Tramite completed almost a month since I started the process for my RE visa. I'm good for another 5 years.
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Post by papitohead on Mar 10, 2017 19:56:36 GMT -5
Great thread. I will be getting mine in the next year or so. This is will for sure.
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Post by expat15 on Mar 13, 2017 6:15:07 GMT -5
I will be renewing my Residency Visa which expires 11 May 2017. I was told by MRE that I would need to fly to Bogota in person. It would appear the process could be handled here in Medellin. Thanks for the information.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2017 1:13:12 GMT -5
I will be renewing my Residency Visa which expires 11 May 2017. I was told by MRE that I would need to fly to Bogota in person. It would appear the process could be handled here in Medellin. Thanks for the information. If MRE notified you specifically, then you may have to fly to Bogota for a personal interview. In my case, I was able to sign a Power of Attorney, and let Gesticon do the walking.
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Post by ozgringo on Mar 15, 2017 8:01:18 GMT -5
Only commenting as it is visa thread. I returned to Colombia in November after being out of the country for a year. Left Colombia in mid January after 2 month vacation and the migration official at bogota airport said that they have to cancel my marriage visa as I had been out of the country for 12 months...he was very apologetic...Sorry sir we have to cancel your visa...Sure no problems. He looked at his computer then said...look I am not going to now...this is on the agent who let you in to Colombia. He should of cancelled your visa when you entered the country at bogota airport. He can get into trouble. Got to love Colombia.
Apparently my visa is still valid. Still have valid cedula.
I wonder how the migration agents laziness will affect me in the future.
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Post by barrumundi on Mar 17, 2017 2:12:41 GMT -5
I am fairly certain you are allowed to be away from Colombia for 2 years before you lose Married/Partner Residence Visa.
The guy that pulled you up was just a typical Colombian 'smarty pants' who gets his jollies throwing his weight around. Nothing better to do than try to spoil someone's day.
There must be a special employment agency for these people because all the 'customer service', receptionists and admin people for all large corporations and government departments have the same attitude. Help desk? jajajajajaja
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Post by elexpatriado on Mar 17, 2017 11:15:34 GMT -5
I just got my next TP7 visa.
I have to go to Medellin to pick it up.
Got Esteban Reda to do it.
He did a pretty good job for 1.8 million.
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Post by elexpatriado on Mar 17, 2017 11:17:38 GMT -5
Okay , I have a question. Dont know if anyone can answer.
Can I get my Visa registered in Medellin with a address in Manizales, and pick up my Cedula in Manizales?
Some how I doubt it, but maybe some one knows.
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Post by caliorbust on Mar 17, 2017 11:29:05 GMT -5
To me it looks like the agent was waiting for a handout, barru, money goes a long way in Colombia.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2017 19:55:56 GMT -5
Okay , I have a question. Dont know if anyone can answer. Can I get my Visa registered in Medellin with a address in Manizales, and pick up my Cedula in Manizales? Some how I doubt it, but maybe some one knows. Probably not because that would be too easy. Call Migracion Colombia in Medellin and ask: 4-345-5500. You have nothing to lose.
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Post by ozgringo on Mar 18, 2017 6:26:53 GMT -5
I am fairly certain you are allowed to be away from Colombia for 2 years before you lose Married/Partner Residence Visa. The guy that pulled you up was just a typical Colombian 'smarty pants' who gets his jollies throwing his weight around. Nothing better to do than try to spoil someone's day. There must be a special employment agency for these people because all the 'customer service', receptionists and admin people for all large corporations and government departments have the same attitude. Help desk? jajajajajaja Not sure about the time frame with the partner visa. Apparently, as my son is Colombian (+ Aussie) I am able to get a permanent residency if we ever move back to Colombia. The agent was a bit of a d1ckh3@d. As I no longer need the partner visa I frankly didn't care one way or the other.
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Post by elexpatriado on Mar 18, 2017 7:26:19 GMT -5
Okay , I have a question. Dont know if anyone can answer. Can I get my Visa registered in Medellin with a address in Manizales, and pick up my Cedula in Manizales? Some how I doubt it, but maybe some one knows. Probably not because that would be too easy. Call Migracion Colombia in Medellin and ask: 4-345-5500. You have nothing to lose. I went down to Manizales Migraciónes office and they said I could.we will see how it goes in real life though.
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Post by teeo9111 on Mar 27, 2017 23:20:32 GMT -5
I applied for and received my cedula in Manizales. the only glitch was that at the time they were sharing the camera that they use to take your picture with with Immigration in Pereira so they only could process cedulas three days a week and the first time I went was on a day when the camera was in Pereira. This was three years ago.
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Post by elexpatriado on Mar 28, 2017 9:23:31 GMT -5
I applied for and received my cedula in Manizales. the only glitch was that at the time they were sharing the camera that they use to take your picture with with Immigration in Pereira so they only could process cedulas three days a week and the first time I went was on a day when the camera was in Pereira. This was three years ago. You dont really need a cedula, as long as you have your passport registered. The only thing about a cedula is itis more convenient carrying it around, in case identification is needed, than carrying your passport around. Once,I got my Passport registered in Medellin, and they were having problems with issueing the cedula. There was like a 2 month delay. My old cedula has expired in November. I still carry it around and use it for ID. I have had no problems at hotels, other locations and even with cops. The only place I am a little leary is with gusing an expired visa is boarding airline flights. I think theoreticaly, if you ar in the country on a visa, you have to have a cedula is the law. But once again , it is one of the many laws (both minor and more serious) that nobody pays attention to.
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Post by tubes on Mar 28, 2017 9:55:04 GMT -5
I disagree with elexpatriado that you don't need a cedula if you are resident in Colombia. Once you have your residents visa in your passport you have 30 days to get the cedula and you can do very little without it. You need a cedula not only for identification purposes but for banking, EPS, car and motorcycle use, property payments etc.
Since the change of name to MRE, the process has been much simplified and I got my last cedulas in less than 2 weeks. With photos and fingerprints done at the time, there is less paperwork.
There still exists the confusion that you are required to complete an online document before applying, which is then not used my the MRE.
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Post by elexpatriado on Mar 29, 2017 12:54:05 GMT -5
I disagree with elexpatriado that you don't need a cedula if you are resident in Colombia. Once you have your residents visa in your passport you have 30 days to get the cedula and you can do very little without it. You need a cedula not only for identification purposes but for banking, EPS, car and motorcycle use, property payments etc. Since the change of name to MRE, the process has been much simplified and I got my last cedulas in less than 2 weeks. With photos and fingerprints done at the time, there is less paperwork. There still exists the confusion that you are required to complete an online document before applying, which is then not used my the MRE. Well I disagree with you on that one Tubes.. and I have practical, real life experience to prove it..I have been living since November with an expired Cedula..works just fine, hotels, police, airlines, health insurance, clinics.. And before I had a Visa, when I first came here, I even wired money, bought a house, made payments, got health insurance (Prepagada-not EPS, that is a different thing) and opened a bank account wih just a passport (well maybe not the bank, but I kept my bank account and used the ATM even after the bank card expired). Sure maybe the law supposedly says something about 30 days, but I remeber once, like I said, they had to be for over 6 weeks producing cedulas at Medellin. I think it has to do with DAS converting to Migraciones and confusion at the time. As far as driving, you can use an international or US drivers license. A lot of my freinds do. Personally, I dont drive, but have done everything else. The Migraciones guy in the office in Manizales made me fill in the stupid online form. He said it was a "new procedure" --I have never seen it before- this is the 4th time I hade my visa registered. And he never used any of the information online. Just asked me the questions over again.
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Post by tubes on Mar 29, 2017 15:45:45 GMT -5
Elexpatriado: I do not understand your logic in trying to live in Colombia without a cedula. Apart from it being a legal requirement for visa holders, at best you are saving yourself $173,000!
Sure, you can pretend to be a tourist or just arrived and use your passport in many situations, but there are still many things that you cannot do without it. You have to show your cedula for anything to do with vehicles (driving licence, purchase, revisions etc) and anything to do with bank accounts and credit cards.
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Post by livinginmedellin on Mar 29, 2017 15:50:08 GMT -5
I disagree with elexpatriado that you don't need a cedula if you are resident in Colombia. Once you have your residents visa in your passport you have 30 days to get the cedula and you can do very little without it. You need a cedula not only for identification purposes but for banking, EPS, car and motorcycle use, property payments etc. Since the change of name to MRE, the process has been much simplified and I got my last cedulas in less than 2 weeks. With photos and fingerprints done at the time, there is less paperwork. There still exists the confusion that you are required to complete an online document before applying, which is then not used my the MRE. Well I disagree with you on that one Tubes.. and I have practical, real life experience to prove it..I have been living since November with an expired Cedula..works just fine, hotels, police, airlines, health insurance, clinics.. And before I had a Visa, when I first came here, I even wired money, bought a house, made payments, got health insurance (Prepagada-not EPS, that is a different thing) and opened a bank account wih just a passport (well maybe not the bank, but I kept my bank account and used the ATM even after the bank card expired). Sure maybe the law supposedly says something about 30 days, but I remeber once, like I said, they had to be for over 6 weeks producing cedulas at Medellin. I think it has to do with DAS converting to Migraciones and confusion at the time. As far as driving, you can use an international or US drivers license. A lot of my freinds do. Personally, I dont drive, but have done everything else. The Migraciones guy in the office in Manizales made me fill in the stupid online form. He said it was a "new procedure" --I have never seen it before- this is the 4th time I hade my visa registered. And he never used any of the information online. Just asked me the questions over again. Sorry, you need to get an updated cedula anytime you get a new visa. This is required for any foreigner with a visa of more then 3 months per Article 33 of Decreto 0834 of 2013. See: www.cancilleria.gov.co/sites/default/files/tramites_servicios/visas/archivos/decreto_834_del_24_de_abril_de_20131.pdf"Los estranjeros mayores y menores de edad titulares de visas con vigencia superior a tres meses, deberán tramitar ante le Unidad Administrativa Especial Migración Colombia la Cédula Extranjería de efectuar el registro de extranjeros"
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Post by elexpatriado on Mar 29, 2017 19:57:24 GMT -5
Elexpatriado: I do not understand your logic in trying to live in Colombia without a cedula. Apart from it being a legal requirement for visa holders, at best you are saving yourself $173,000! Sure, you can pretend to be a tourist or just arrived and use your passport in many situations, but there are still many things that you cannot do without it. You have to show your cedula for anything to do with vehicles (driving licence, purchase, revisions etc) and anything to do with bank accounts and credit cards. I had a bank account at Banco Colombia for a year. Maybe I had a cedula when I got it, but I know it expired and I was on a tourist visa during the period I had it. They didnt suddenly stop me from pulling my money out of the ATM. Do you think everyhting in Colombia is that interconnected?..LOL.. I never said I didnt Pick up the cedula afte I got the visa processed. I always eventially pick it up before the 30 day period. But once there was alonger delay because of the change from DAS to Migraciones. Wasnt my fault. I dont drive and I have no use for Colombian bank account or credit card. The only use I could possibly see for a Colombian credit card is cheaper air fares online with internal Colombian Airlines. I dont even know if you can set the card up to have the balance automatically paid off , so you pay "0" interest like in Canada and the US.
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