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Documentation required during this emergency.

Last activity 19 June 2020 by h2so4

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CanadaDoug

The Colombia police are required to check the entry date on your passport these emergency shut down days. If you have been in the habit of only carrying your valid visa (i.e.cedula) when going out time that won't be enough to meet your obligations. For now carry your passport also and the "probable" meet up will be easier.

GuestPoster11975

What is your source for this information?

OsageArcher

Colombia has closed the country to the entry of foreigners, since Monday 16 March -  Tuesday 17 March 2020.

If they stop foreigners, they want to see when they entered the country to make sure they're here legally.  They also want to see where you've been, because they don't want any foreigners who have recently been in Europe or Asia.  So, any police who stop you will likely want to see your passport because it has exits and entries from a country, and dates.

https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/video/colomb … ndo-ramos/http://www.rfi.fr/es/20200315-colombia- … oronavirushttps://www.nytimes.com/article/coronav … tions.html

CanadaDoug

This morning, at a bank in Armenia, for real. heheheh

CanadaDoug

@OsageArcher.
Not "exactly" what happened to me. Producing a cedula is normal. Requiring the passport is new as far as I know. I am legally in Colombia with a valid cedula. 3 year valid VISA Imigrante. My cedula was not "enough" today. That is what I am addressing the issue today with a heads up for all foreigners.
Everybody needs to carry their passport ALONG WITH their valid VISA ID. The Colombia police are required to check your entry date on the passport because of this Colombia lock down. This corona virus has scared the crap out of everybody and this is a big freak out. So the entry date check would allow them to see an exact entry date (probably in case we left the country recently and returned). You can legally keep your cedula as long as you don't leave Colombia for more than 6 months I believe. Get it? An extra safety check?

h2so4

I just got off the phone with my consulate. They advised that so long as you have your cedula, you are under no obligation to provide any other substantiating documentation to the tumbos. If they persist, please ask the officer to seek further clarification from your consulate.  My passport expired two years ago and I am not renewing it until either hell freezes over or my application for American Idol is accepted.

Laker4115

Consulate or Embassy information is usually pretty close to worthless, I would not even bother to call them.  However I do know that Colombian Police or Army personnel will not be reading you your rights and going to a Colombian jail is not for the faint of heart.  Frankly you are crazy not to have and carry an American passport.  Even if you have a Cedula you will be considered a gringo without entry documentation.

GuestPoster11975

If you are going to post something as important as to whether one is now required to carry their passport along with their Cedula you should provide factual evidence from the source. If you were asked for your passport along with your Cedula, that is illegal and may have been a very isolated incident.
This is the requirements:
The cédula de extranjería is a card that represents your Colombian Visa while you're in the country. And yes, it is mandatory for those who carry a TP visa. However, it is not for the holders of other visas or PIPs. It's your Colombian identification card, so you don't have to carry your passport everywhere.
Your Cedula represents that you have a bonafide 3 year Visa and you are a legal resident. To state this: " Even if you have a Cedula you will be considered a gringo without entry documentation."
That is a totally inaccurate statement. You can not get a Cedula without getting your Visa stamped into your passport. And by the way, Cedulas are for all resident foreigners, not just "gringos".
And if you make this statement you should have proof:  "Everybody needs to carry their passport ALONG WITH their valid VISA ID.:

Fact-checking is very easy and posting inaccurate information is just spreading rumors that are not necessary and do a disservice.

Laker4115

You can live here for fifty years and have cedulas etc. etc., in the eyes of most Colombians you will still be considered a gringo.  I arrived here in 1963, am married to a Colombian, so I do know a bit about this country.

cccmedia

h2so4 wrote:

My passport expired two years ago and I am not renewing it until either hell freezes over or my application for American Idol is accepted.


There will likely be a problem for poster h2so4 when attempting to renew a visa or cédula without being able to present a valid and current passport.

cccmedia

CanadaDoug

I agree. As a guest in this country I do not in any way want to be "detained" by a police officer. I have not been asked for my passport since when asked for my cedula downtown. I just posted to warn expats of that problem I encountered. Their choice what to do about it.

CaliRay

Why would anyone let their passport expire? I understand there is some grace period to renew by why wait?

h2so4

Don’t need one.

Adriana Gutierrez

I don’t know about foreign embassies but those of us who submitted our passports to the state department from March 1 on for renewals or issuance of passport cards are being told to expect months of delays. 

There are mechanisms for emergency issuance in case of true emergencies.
If you apply or renew now, you will experience significant delays of several months to receive your U.S. passport and the return of your citizenship evidence documents (such as birth certificates or naturalization certificates). Unless you have a life-or-death emergency, please wait until we resume normal operations to apply for or renew your passport.

Interesting in light of the fact that the President insists that businesses return to “normal”, why not the same standard for government?

CaliRay

Most government entities have goals inconsistent with efficiency. Their primary functions usually are to expand their size, influence, budgets and control over the citizenry.

h2so4

Do you have a source on this one too, please ?

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