Colombian immigration

[ryna 132]

I have a Colombia-specific question regarding entry into Colombia for anyone who might know...

My wife and I have plans to visit the family in Colombia for a little less than a month next January/February. Because Colombia doesn't automatically recognize our marriage here in the U.S., we are thinking of collecting all of the paperwork we'll need to register it while we are in Bogotá. We were thinking about registering it with the consulate here first but, the truth is, registering it in Bogotá will be easier since the consulate is a good distance away and we'll be there anyhow. But...

Because my immigration experience is now tainted by the jaded eye of U.S. immigration law, I'm nervous that by registering our marriage with Colombia, that I will somehow eliminate myself from eligibility to enter on a tourist visa as I have always done in the past (if register at the consulate before the trip) or cause problems (for me) by registering our U.S. marriage from within Colombia while there. I just want to make sure that they don't have a presumption of immigrant intent if I arrive there with my wife (as her husband) on a tourist visa or become "married" in Colombia while there on a tourist visa. I know there exists a spousal visa that allows a spouse to stay in Colombia for up to two years vs. the 180 days/year limit on a tourist visa so a foreign spouse can remain in Colombia longer term, but as we have no intention of living there, it doesn't seem to fit. Plus, we'd have to register our U.S. marriage at the consulate and apply for the spouse visa PDQ.

My guess is that there's no problem there and that I'm looking as it though the experiences I've read here about spousal visits to the U.S. on tourist visas, but I also don't want to be sent back to the U.S. upon our arrival in Colombia. The next flight out isn't until the next day and El Dorado airport doesn't seem to have the best accommodations, especially if it's a holding cell.

Anyone with experience on this?

[danyte 2]

I do not have experience with that but....here is some info that may be helpful to ease your mind as I am STEAMING :protest: :ranting: :ranting: :ranting: :ranting: (they need a middle finger emocon) right now regarding this wonderful immigration system.

My wife and I married here in the states in July. She went back due to work related reasons in August so as we wait for our papers...I went there in October on a tourist visa for 2 weeks. When I got to the DAS stop at the AP (Barranquilla), they asked what my business there was and I flat out told them, I was there to visit my wife. The agent asked when we were married, I told him, he asked how long I was staying, I told him, he asked for her name, I gave it, he asked where she lived, I said Barranquilla. He stamped my PP and said "ok". As for recognition of our marriage there...When my wife looked into it, it was like a 30 day out wait and I would need to go there with passport and birth certificate in hand. Things changed quite a bit from a while back according to a friend con una esposa Colombiana. As for staying there under 30 days...there is no need to secure any special permit, but there is a limit where you would have to check in with (used to be DAS who no longer exists)

I should have asked earlier but...Are you applying for Colombian citizenship or just marital recognition?

[ryna 132]

I do not have experience with that but....here is some info that may be helpful to ease your mind as I am STEAMING :protest: :ranting: :ranting: :ranting: :ranting: (they need a middle finger emocon) right now regarding this wonderful immigration system.

My wife and I married here in the states in July. She went back due to work related reasons in August so as we wait for our papers...I went there in October on a tourist visa for 2 weeks. When I got to the DAS stop at the AP (Barranquilla), they asked what my business there was and I flat out told them, I was there to visit my wife. The agent asked when we were married, I told him, he asked how long I was staying, I told him, he asked for her name, I gave it, he asked where she lived, I said Barranquilla. He stamped my PP and said "ok". As for recognition of our marriage there...When my wife looked into it, it was like a 30 day out wait and I would need to go there with passport and birth certificate in hand. Things changed quite a bit from a while back according to a friend con una esposa Colombiana. As for staying there under 30 days...there is no need to secure any special permit, but there is a limit where you would have to check in with (used to be DAS who no longer exists)

I should have asked earlier but...Are you applying for Colombian citizenship or just marital recognition?

No Colombian citizenship, only to register our marriage, mainly because we are planning to have a Church wedding there (for her family since they weren't able to be at our wedding here) and we're thinking it may remove the requirement to be in Colombia for 10 days before marrying (due to already being married). We're investigating whether it would be easier to just get married in the Church there and, by default, be registered there or to register our U.S. marriage beforehand. My wife has seen conflicting info regarding foreign marriage registration- on one hand, she's seen where it must be registered in the Colombian consulate with jurisdiction over where the ceremony took place and on the other hand that the Notaria Primera in Bogota must accept foreign marriage registrations... But, I think we're leaning towards not registering it before we do the Church ceremony.

In the case of our visit, it's just for a little over 3 weeks to visit the family, for her to gather some unexpired copies of her important docs and a few things she didn't bring with her last year when she moved up here. We'll be arriving in Colombia together and returning to the U.S. together. From looking over the visa section of the Colombian consulate website in Miami, I should be OK with the normal "tourist" visa for US citizens given upon arrival and that any spousal visa is for those who want to remain in Colombia longer than a tourist visa allows. And, if we're not legally married in Colombia at that time (via registration), I couldn't get one anyhow.

Thanks for your account of going to visit your wife. I feel better about it now. The only real difference is that my wife now lives in the U.S. with me which should work in my favor to show I'm not planning on staying beyond our planned 3 week visit.

And, good luck with the rest of your process. After an 8 month AOS wait from hell, I can understand where you're coming from.

[Paisaman 13]

I can second that. I have been traveling to Medellin for a year now, 12 trips down for 10-14 days each. On every entry I tell them I am there to visit my wife. A couple of times they have told me I should apply for a spousal visa there, but it was friendly information.

I just tell them we are waiting on her visa and plan to do the same for me soon.

[ryna 132]

Yeah, after making a few calls it doesn't look like there'll be any problem, even when we are considered legally married in Colombia. I know last year I made 8 trips down (as here fiancee) and didn't have any problems but they did start giving me 30 day visas instead of 60 day ones. Probably because, towards the end, a 60 day one would have allowed me to exceed the yearly limit.

I've just gotten used to the U.S.'s (almost) all no, (almost) all the time approach to tourist visa visits and that they are looking for any reason to deny entry, not to grant it.