please need help medical and visa fee colombia

[gioyugo 3]

Hello I just got off phone with wife and she contacted Bogota today for my step children age 11 and 17 doctor told wife cost for exam and vaccinations will cost $450 each child!! Seems very high. Also can you tell me what other fees are involved. I did not pay anything at the Nvc level. Case was expedited so I need to pay directly at embassy Bogota. Appointment is sept 26. Also I here prices are going up as of sept 12. Any help thank you

[Mononoke28 135]

Hello I just got off phone with wife and she contacted Bogota today for my step children age 11 and 17 doctor told wife cost for exam and vaccinations will cost $450 each child!! Seems very high. Also can you tell me what other fees are involved. I did not pay anything at the Nvc level. Case was expedited so I need to pay directly at embassy Bogota. Appointment is sept 26. Also I here prices are going up as of sept 12. Any help thank you

Here's the information regarding the medical and lab tests: http://photos.state.gov/libraries/colombia/231771/PDFs/MedicalInstructions4-2014.pdf

I would also call the doctor's office of your choice to find out how much they charge for vaccines which should be TD, MMR, varicella and influenza. You can also call your local Red Cross office or EPS (health insurance) to find out how much it would cost to get them there to see if it will be cheaper than getting them at the doctor's office. Some times the prices are the same, sometimes you can save a ton of money getting them somewhere else.

As of 09/12 the AOS fee will be $120, in your case you only have to pay this once since that fee should cover both children, and the IV fee bill fee which is $325, this is per child because they're getting individual visas.

Diana

[gioyugo 3]

Here's the information regarding the medical and lab tests: http://photos.state.gov/libraries/colombia/231771/PDFs/MedicalInstructions4-2014.pdf

I would also call the doctor's office of your choice to find out how much they charge for vaccines which should be TD, MMR, varicella and influenza. You can also call your local Red Cross office or EPS (health insurance) to find out how much it would cost to get them there to see if it will be cheaper than getting them at the doctor's office. Some times the prices are the same, sometimes you can save a ton of money getting them somewhere else.

As of 09/12 the AOS fee will be $120, in your case you only have to pay this once since that fee should cover both children, and the IV fee bill fee which is $325, this is per child because they're getting individual visas.

Diana

Thank you. it's amazing how much this cost. im looking at just $900 for medical for both plus air fair plus the fees at the ebassy. . over $2000 just amazing. I will call my wife tomorrow since she is there with the children and look into redcross also I will call few more doctors in bogota.

[Calicolom 265]

Good luck with Vaccination at the Red Cross, I had my then fiancé get all her shots at the Red Cross, with all the paper work. The Panel physician would not accept any of them, and she had to pay another $260.00 for so called booster shots. What a joke. Now for her son we will not get any shots anywhere, except at the Embassy designated doctor.

[Mononoke28 135]

Good luck with Vaccination at the Red Cross, I had my then fiancé get all her shots at the Red Cross, with all the paper work. The Panel physician would not accept any of them, and she had to pay another $260.00 for so called booster shots. What a joke. Now for her son we will not get any shots anywhere, except at the Embassy designated doctor.

That's completely unacceptable and he should be reported with the US Embassy because he's only doing that to get the extra money in his pocket. I have been a member of VisaJourney for over 7 years and I'm sick and tired of seeing this kind of abuse by the doctors in Colombia saying they don't want to accept vaccines that were taken somewhere else. A few years ago they were saying that vaccines that were taken over a month before the appointment were "too old" and they had to get news ones. So all these people were getting twice the amount of vaccines within a short period of time only because the doctors wanted to pocket in the extra cash. I saw this happen when my husband had his medical exam back in 2007 and all 17 patients had to go back to the doctor's office later that evening to get all the vaccines they needed, so multiply $250 USD (at least) times 17 and you'll see that they can make over $4k in a day.

People started reporting these doctors with the embassy and they stopped pulling this trick for a while but of course, since they're the scum of the earth, I see that they're starting to do it again. UNACCEPTABLE!

Diana