Top Things About Driving Across the Border into Colombia: 2017 Updates

cccmedia Ecuador/Colombia Expert

Member since 13 March 2014

cccmediaEcuador/Colombia Expert08 December 2016 02:56:37

10285

Coming from Quito, I crossed into Colombia via the popular ‘Rumichaca’ route -- between Tulcán, Ecuador, and Ipiales, Colombia -- today.

I parked my car just across the line into Colombia and then walked to each of the governmental offices mentioned below.

Here are the Top Ten things I noticed or learned....

10. The Ecuador border agent told me that the border is open both ways 24 hours daily. This contradicts information posted around the Internet that the border closes at 9 p.m. Note that insurance sales and government offices at the border may or may not be open ‘after hours.’ When I crossed in mid-afternoon, nobody was stopping vehicles entering Colombia there.

9. Required car insurance going into Colombia is cheap. I paid less than $12 U.S. (in pesos) for a month’s ‘SOAT’ coverage.

8. First stop heading into Colombia is the Ecuador Inmigración office. Park and show passport. Cost for my salida to leave Ecuador: nada. Time on line: five minutes.

7, You need this salida or exit pass to show at Colombia Inmigración. There you may request up to 90 days on your tourist stamp issued by this agency. Cost for 90 days’ stamp: nada. Time on line: 30 minutes.

6. The COL agent told me that later on I could get an extension to stay in Colombia for an additional 90 days at any Inmigración office inside Colombia. 180 consecutive days in Colombia is the maximum for tourist stamp and extension.

5. The same agent told me that this extension is available all at once, not monthly installments of 30 days. This contradicts information posted around the Internet.

4. Next stop: Colombia’s DIAN agency to get approval to ‘import' a car into Colombia. The agent required copies of my Ecuadorian ID, my US passport and my registration or matriculación for my Ecuadorian car. She inspected the originals as well.

3. The DIAN agent politely asked if she could take picture(s) of my car (as if I had a choice). Por supuesto, says I. (Translation: of course.)

2. At the vehicle, she had me open the hood and she photographed the VIN plate that is located under the hood. This is the permanent VIN (vehicle ID number) location, as opposed to the sticker showing the VIN on my windshield. By this point, I had already received the paperwork approving the ‘import’ of my car into Colombia. Cost to bring the car into Colombia: nada.

And the Number One thing I learned about bringing a car into Colombia....

1. The DIAN agent didn’t seem to care whether I had the car inspected (the revisión) in Ecuador at any time in the recent past. As long as the documents mentioned above were still valid, I was good to go.

cccmedia from near the Tulcán, Ecuador - Ipiales, Colombia border crossing

FYI: I still do not understand the Ecuadorian revisión rules, or whether my car -- being less than one year old -- needed to undergo this inspection to be completely legal in Ecuador.... Also, the usual caveat applies: All rules are subject to change or re-interpretation at the whim of governmental agencies or border agents .. or due to changes in the rules.

See also

Accommodation on the coast of Ecuador - Guide
About Ecuador, Let's Get a Few Things Straight - 3 Replies
Top Things I Learned About Sending A Wire Transfer From the U.S. to EC - 14 Replies
EC Internet For 2017: Updates - 19 Replies
Top Expat Discoveries From Driving in Ecuador - 4 Replies
Driving to Colombia. Anyone has experience? - 8 Replies
Things to know about living in Ecuador as an expat - 5 Replies

Nards Barley ViP

Member since 25 May 2012

Nards BarleyViP08 December 2016 14:06:59

1633

What was your experience like with bringing contraband into Ecuador from Columbia?

vsimple ViP

Member since 25 January 2016

vsimpleViP08 December 2016 16:47:17

1224

Good stuff ccc, and Nard's question was exactly on mind.

The other question for ccc, from Quito to Ipiales how long did it take you?

cccmedia Ecuador/Colombia Expert

Member since 13 March 2014

cccmediaEcuador/Colombia Expert08 December 2016 16:59:03

10285

Nards Barley wrote:
What was your experience like with bringing contraband into Ecuador from Columbia?

Your honor, the question assumes facts not in evidence.

cccmedia

cccmedia Ecuador/Colombia Expert

Member since 13 March 2014

cccmediaEcuador/Colombia Expert08 December 2016 17:03:54

10285

Nards Barley wrote:
What was your experience like with bringing contraband into Ecuador from Columbia?

I was just kiddin’ ya, Nards. Although the truth is that I am spending time in Colombia and not importing ‘goods’ to Ecuador.

Nevertheless, after playing blackjack in Ipiales (not a legal activity these days in Ecuador), I doubled back to Tulcán on the Ecuador side last night to complete my two-night hotel stay here.

As I re-entered Ecuador at the frontera, an Ecuadorian army officer wearing military fatigues stopped me and had me open my car trunk or maletera.

Then a second army officer immediately had me pull over to another spot just up the way .. and he briefly looked under the trunk. The car in front of me also was checked in this way, as possibly the army was looking for contraband such as goods for resale and/or in new-appliance boxes.

I was not importing anything from Colombia -- if you don’t count the 152,000 pesos I won at Ventura Casino at Centro Commercial Gran Plaza Ipiales. The trunk inspecting took just a minute and I was waved on my way without discussion or further intrigue.

cccmedia in Tulcán, Ecuador

cccmedia Ecuador/Colombia Expert

Member since 13 March 2014

cccmediaEcuador/Colombia Expert08 December 2016 17:33:49

10285

The whole enchilada at the border -- including insurance purchase and visits to three governmental offices -- took almost two hours yesterday.

Today I expect to just breeze past the border in COL since I have already completed what I believe are the requisite trámites.

Why am I still in Ecuador?

Well, the parking area of Hotel Flor de los Andes in Tulcán is so tiny -- supposedly it accommodates four cars and was full at noon -- that my coche is blocked in.

So I’ve been enjoying a sabroso lunch of costillas, papas y ensalada at Sal y Canela Restaurant overlooking the main plaza while the hotel figures out how to contact the owner of the car that has my vehicle obstructed.

cccmedia still in Tulcán, Ecuador

cccmedia Ecuador/Colombia Expert

Member since 13 March 2014

cccmediaEcuador/Colombia Expert08 December 2016 17:48:39

10285

vsimple wrote:
Good stuff ccc....

from Quito to Ipiales how long did it take you?

Almost six hours, not including stops, from Centro Histórico in Quito to the center of Tulcán. The next day: about 15 minutes from Tulcán to the border near Ipiales.

The main issues driving in Ecuador were rain that caused slow driving in spots, including minor flooding in Ibarra .. and slow-moving trucks, on inclines, that were not possible to pass safely.

Traffic eased up after dark, and it was easy going after Ibarra.

cccmedia

cccmedia Ecuador/Colombia Expert

Member since 13 March 2014

cccmediaEcuador/Colombia Expert11 December 2016 05:30:42

10285

Well, after that lunch and with the parking situation now cleared up at the hotel, I did manage to exit Tulcán. Also, I did manage to just breeze past the border into Colombia. My destination that night was to be Popayán (poh-pah-YAHN), Colombia, supposedly about six hours north of the border.

The drive wasn’t all peaches and cream. Nearing Popayán, I encountered the most frightening situation of my life, involving a high-speed chase through a driving rain being pursued by two weaponized maniacs on a motorcycle.

For the full details of this incident, visit the Colombia forum of https://www.expat.com .... The thread is titled Frightening Attack by ‘Moto’ Night Riders on the Panamerica Highway.

The thread is accessible off the welcome page of the Colombia forum. Due to a technical problem, I cannot provide a direct link to that welcome page or the thread. Forum welcome pages, including Colombia’s, can be accessed via https://www.expat.com/forum

cccmedia from Popayán, Colombia