What happens if one does not address an expired 90 day tourist visa?

Gator says on Aug 14, 2008, 07:30:

Since DAS will examine your passport there is very little chance you..."we can slide through this one."

If you show up at the airport DAS will send you packing to the DAS office to pay the fine and get the new stamp-this means you will miss you flight and likely pay a penalty to the airlines.

"Credidi pretio parvo emere et magno vendere tibi in animo fuisse!" .

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ConorC says on Aug 14, 2008, 07:53:

And as you've missed your flight you'll have to buy a one-way ticket to your destination which as I'm sure you're aware isn't exactly cheap...

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Gator says on Aug 14, 2008, 09:51:

If it's Avianca or Copa check with reservations desk-explain what happened-show then your "new" passport stamp and receipt for payment of the fine and they will reissue your ticket for around USD $100. I think American will also do this but I am not sure. You will fly on their dates, however.

"Credidi pretio parvo emere et magno vendere tibi in animo fuisse!" .

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jonas says on Aug 14, 2008, 09:56:

Why not try and go to DAS now, see if you still qualify for an extension. Give them a good story why you are a couple days late. I would try it. If you succeed it will cost you a lot less than paying the fine and your nerves will be able to enjoy the rest of the trip.

Mi alma se la dejo al diablo

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rhydewithdis says on Aug 14, 2008, 09:59:

Just amortize the 400k cost over the extra days you are staying... it works out to about 28k pesos a day. I think you can cut enough corners to save that much money while on 'vacation' out there.

They said I couldn't play football I was too small / They say I couldn't play basketball I wasn't tall / They say I couldn't play baseball at all / And now everyday of my life I ball.

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august says on Aug 14, 2008, 16:05:

Kalico, too bad I didn´t see that pic a few hours back. I think what's so amazing about that pic (beyond the ladies, who aren't so hard on the eyes) is that no one has taken the dude's change!

So this afternoon I crossed the endlessly wide Valley of Aburrá and went down to the dark depths of DAS (on the way passing the uzi toting guards protecting...bureaucrats?). As expected, everyone was completely useless and full of mierda. I think the woman who tended to us as we walked in must have been the infamously worthless "Fanny" mentioned in previous posts about DAS Belen's most stereotypical bureaucrat. Not only was she not able to give us an answer today (while we´re only 4 days late on the visa extension) as to whether or not there would be a multa, but there would be no opportunity to pose this 5 second question to her very busy superior until the 27th of August - the day after I am to leave from CARTAGENA! Our other option is to come in Tuesday (oh they don't attend the public on Fridays and guess what? Monday is ANOTHER holiday! work? bah!) at which point, they "might" be able to fit in enough time to make this 5 second decision (which shouldn´t really be a decision at all - you´re late or your not and I am). Impressive. Really.

As also referenced in previous posts, this woman gave us the most awkward description of how "full" their schedule was. If you're a corrupt public employee, why don't you just straight up ask for the propina damnit!

I accept that this is my fault, but I'm escaping this friggin country one way or another and it will NOT include giving that woman a single goddamn peso.

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viajero123 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Aug 14, 2008, 16:16:

quantum says on Aug 14, 2008, 22:00:

August, u might try going to the poor peoples clinic and havin the good Doc write u out a nice excuse that u were sick and on yur deathbed. Any beaurocrat will have to accept that. Worth a try anyway.........

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august says on Aug 15, 2008, 07:06:

Quantum, I like that tip. I´ll work on that.

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dwmte7 says on Aug 17, 2008, 09:13:

get ready for a trip to DAS bogota.

dwmte

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dwmte7 says on Aug 17, 2008, 09:15:

i've been late on a number of occassions...they could never deal with it in medallo. the last time, i was 2 1/2 yrs past due and it cost somewhere in the vicinity of $500.00. also, mind you, no smile. get used to it.

dwmte

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joelg says on Aug 19, 2008, 18:14:

some suggestions:
(1) if you don't speak Spanish, get a Colombian friend to call and ask DAS Bogota anonymously what to do. If you don't like their answer, try this:
(2) tomorrow, call immigration at the Bogota airport and act as if your flight is leaving and that you are calling from a pay phone in the airport. tell them you screwed up the dates and thought you were leaving within the 90 days but at the counter they said you overstayed and what should you do. this allows you to do a dry run. stress that it was an honest mistake.

i recommend you tell the truth, people can tell when you are lying. so just tell them you screwed up, that you were enjoying colombian so much, etc., just act like a dumb tourist. that's what they expect.

but get as much info as you can by making anonymous calls first. good luck!

do what you like, take risks, build something

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gringoloid says on Aug 20, 2008, 05:20:

this happened to a guy i know............he went to the airport without much money..........his fine was 3500 pesos for everyday he overstayed. stress that you don't have any money or credit cards when DAS questions you.

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tomtom33 says on Aug 20, 2008, 05:44:

A friend of mine missed by one day. He paid US$100 at the Cartagena airport.

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august says on Aug 20, 2008, 07:30:

Alright, for the record, following my best sad puppy dog performance at DAS, they offered me a fine of 235.750,00 pesos, which I just paid at Sudameris bank according to their directions. So that sucks, but this is just about over.

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dwmte7 says on Aug 20, 2008, 07:48:

be thankful they didn't send you to bogota for the REAL treatment by their more professional staff or extortionists. actually, for my 2 1/2 years on a visa vincido, i didn't consider the 500 to bad a fine. it's just the pain in the ass of dealing with them....the 'second/third degree' shit. they made me sit in a waiting room, one day, from about 9 am til 4:30 pm just to tell me to come back tomorrow.

dwmte

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august says on Aug 21, 2008, 08:21:

Update:

dwmte7, I hear you on the 2nd/3rd degree bullshit and outright wasting of time.

So after my second day spent at DAS, they told me what the required documents were and how much to pay - that was the 235.750,00. I took care of all that and brought it to DAS today, my third day visiting my amigos there. Only thing was, today they tell me they were mistaken when I was there last time and decided there were further documents and payments needed. They asked me why I didn´t bring everything. I told them, "Look at this list that YOU PEOPLE gave me of requirements. How am I supposed to know to bring anything more than what you asked of me?" "Well we need these other items! Don´t you have an extra ID size photo in your bag? And why don´t you have a land line number to include on your application?" So I waste an hour explaining to the superior that he himself who gave me the damn list, effed up. He tells me that´s not his problem and that I need to go collect the extra documents and cross the valley to the effing bank in El Centro to make the extra payment and come back. I ask to speak to his superior. He goes and speaks to them for me, comes back and, knowing that my flight is in 5 days, tells me to leave my comment in A SUGGESTION BOX!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I tell him I want to talk to someone YA. He tells me you have to make an appointment, reminding me that if he wanted to talk to Ambassador Brownsfield, he too would have to make an appointment. If everyone at DAS wasn´t armed with uzis, I would have lost my shit right there in the office. Instead, I walked out and am now planning to bring my documents to DAS at the Cartagena airport - hopefully on my way out of this effing place.

Update will follow. Stay tuned everyone.

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tomtom33 says on Aug 21, 2008, 14:39:

I have been to that movie before. My novia and I spoke to Fany about something a few years ago. She told us what to get. When we came back, another guy told us that we needed other stuff. The guy asked us why we brought the stuff that we had. My novia explained to him that we had spoken to Fany the week before and that we brought what she had told us to bring. The guy called Fany out of her office and read her out right in front of us. And he apologized to us. We did have to go get the right stuff, though.

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august says on Sep 3, 2008, 14:54:

Good call tomtom, it was exactly like being in friggin movie.

Well, so here's how it all played out. Basically, the next Tuesday I show up at the airport in Cartagena intending to make my damn flight. I turn myself in. I go to the DAS office there, present all the documents which were originally asked of me and explained my situation, emphasizing that I did everything that was asked of me originally. They too point out that I need to then pay 38K more, which of course would have required going across Cartagena, which would have been impossible given my departure in 3 hours. Well I make my way up to the director of the DAS office at the airport and work him into believing me that it was the ineptness of DAS Medellin which has gotten us into this situation. Seems he was feeling the story, he offers me a swiss chocolate. Don't remember any chocolates being offered by the worthless saps in Medallo. Well he decides that if he can confirm my story with DAS Medellin, he'll let me go. He has numerous members of his staff attempt to contact DAS Medellin. They're trying and trying for like an hour while I'm sitting there. The dude finally gets so frustrated, he puts his face in his hands and tells me to leave his office. Says if anyone gives me static, just tell them he said it was cool. So I did. Spirit immediately tried to stick me with a 80k airport "timbre" on the way out. I was on a roll. I told them I had nothing (15k to one's name is pretty close). I'd donated everything in my account to DAS. They took it down to 7k. I paid that, moved on to the passport control. Turned out it was the DAS director again, still looking disillusioned by the ineptness of his own bureaucracy. He told me to be more careful with the visa expiration date in the future. I said no problem and got on the damn plan. And that's how I escaped from Colombia (...this time).

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