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Safe deposit box or other secure storage for valuables?

Marquezdl

Is it possible for temporary residents of Medellin to rent a safe deposit box or other secure starage medium for personal valuables and/or cash?

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South American Voyager

Nahh the banks here just don't have safe deposit boxes for rent inside banks, never been a thing here as the culture/mindset is that not one out of a hundred of my Colombian friends have zero trust in banks.


There I said it.


Now when I moved into my apartment 9 years ago in Medellin literally the first thing I did was head to Homecenter and purchased an electronic safe, bolted it into the wall inside a closet, peace of mind ever since.


So for visitors/tourists to Medellin I always suggest that you stay in a well known hotel in a good area with security, they have small room safes. Place your passport and cash inside and carry just enough cash to handle what you need for the day.


Sounds like you maybe staying a bit longer than the average tourist of a week, perhaps at an airbnb, if so find one that advertises that one of the amenities is a safe, airbnbs are more risky than a good solid hotel with security so be more diligent.

OsageArcher

Short answer:  No.


And it's not really possible for anyone, temporary resident or not, because banks in Colombia do not offer the service of cajas de seguridad to their clients.  People don't trust banks.  Banks view the people, and the people view the banks, as their enemy...


There is a negocio redondo however in cajas fuertes, or safes, for homes and businesses.  Here are several, one in Cali and the other in Medellín:

https://tecnicolombia-serviciotecnico.c … rtes-cali/

https://www.cajasfuertesbunker.com/cajas-comerciales/


A private company is much less likely to require a cédula, too, the national ID which document is required by banks to do almost everything.  Well, a bank might let you use the restroom, if they even have one, without a cédula but then again maybe not...