where do they send visa applications

Peter (Moderator) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jul 23, 2008, 03:58:

poker11 says on Jul 23, 2008, 04:16:

I am american, this was for a visa to colombia

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Rikito says on Jul 23, 2008, 05:56:

First, you do not need a visa to visit Colombia so something ninks here. You simply buy a ticket to Bogotá…fly to Bogotá…arrive in Bogotá…show the passport control folks your current valid USA passport…and they will stamp in your passport a visitor’s visa. Then when you are in Colombia you can get pretty much whatever you need in accordance with Colombian laws. Actually, it’s not really a visa, but more of an entry permit.

Second, my friend, you answered your own question. "Which means f*ck the law we do what we want..." is the correct answer. It’s the same answer a Colombian gets when they try to get a visa to the US. If you want to win you have to know how to play the game and to always remember that they have all of the rules. You would be much better off getting a K3 visa to the US and getting married there. It takes less time and money and is a lot easier. After you are legally married you can simple return to Colombia and get married in the church if you want. Have you bothered to look into what all of this takes?

Also if you are currently living in PR you could have another problem...I do not know that answer. My best advice? Get an attorney to help you. Yes it will cost you a few cans of beer, but how long do you want to do this? But, you need to answer my question in the first paragraph…what you are saying is just not correct.

It is not life that matters, but the journey.

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Gator says on Jul 23, 2008, 08:01:

Any country has the right to deny an entry visa to its sovereign territory, period.

Your post is somewhat vague. Are you wanting to live/reside in Colombia? Do you want to marry and return to the USA and to live in that country? Yes, if you were denied a visa by a Colombian consulate that information is transferred to a computer base maintained by MRE, Bogotá, but I doubt if the "same person"would be involved..

Not knowing exactly why your request was denied I fail to see why you could not marry in Colombia then apply for a Colombian Temporary Spouse/Common Law Companion Visa (TC). Drawback is that this visa will expire if you leave Colombia for more than 90 calendar days. The TC must be renewed after two years that after the third year you may apply for Colombian permanent residency.


Decree No.2668/88 and 1556/89, which was REPEALED effective February 1, 2005 by Decree 4000,, prohibited a foreigner with a tourist visa from getting married in Colombia. At that time a "Marriage" visa was required but, as stated above, that law was repealed in early 2005.

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

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poker11 says on Jul 23, 2008, 09:09:

Rikito i have no idea what ur talking about. obviously i dont need a visa to enter colombia, thanks for that information.


i married a colombian girl (i am a US citizen). I applied for a marriage visa and got denied.

Gator- I would like to go back and forth between the two countries.

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vicshere says on Jul 23, 2008, 09:27:

maybe he has a police record...then he could have been denied

like gator said you want a good answer on here you have to give more details...vague question vague answer

listo

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Gator says on Jul 23, 2008, 09:33:

OK, you are married to a Colombian national and you wish to bring her to the USA, is that correct?
Then I assume your initial inquiry was about obtaining a K- 3 visa from the US Embassy, Bogotá, correct? And that request was denied by the embassy. In Bonner v. City of Prichard, 661 F.2d 1206, 1209 (11th Cir. 1981) the federal court adopted as binding precedent all decisions of the former Fifth Circuit that “decisions of United States consuls on visa matters are non reviewable by the courts.

But State Department administrative rules require that a supervisory officer review the denial decision and you be informed of the reason for the denial.

Please tell us what embassy/consulate you dealt or are dealing with-Colombian or United States. And in what country you made application for her visa. Without this information I can't help you further.

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

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vicshere says on Jul 23, 2008, 10:04:

gator no "marriage visa" requiered at the american embassy???
"marriage visa " would be with the MRE with an american trying to marry a colombian

listo

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vicshere says on Jul 23, 2008, 10:05:

although a "marriage visa 'is no longer required...the OP is very confused

listo

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Rikito says on Jul 23, 2008, 12:07:

confused is the least of this guys problems. he better listen to what gator says. gator has been spot on in the past on the subject of visa's. once again, this guy is not telling us the whole story. i can't believe he did not look into this before he got married.

gator, if he is already married then isn't the problem hers? she will need to change her current status and she can't do it from the states if I remember. she has to go to colombia to make the status change.

he can back and forth and I doubt if he has been denied a visa...maybe she has, but I doubt if he has. neither government would know anything until he shows up in bogota. it still "ninks." and it is getting ninkier.

It is not life that matters, but the journey.

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panthdave says on Jul 23, 2008, 13:23:

Isn't he trying to say he wants a Spousal/Common Law Visa so he can get his Cedula in Colombia and he was denied the Spousal Visa from Colombia. He can still enter but you can do more with a Spousal Visa and Cedula like a bank account/Cellular Account/Pension/Segura but he was denied...

panthdave Miami

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Gator says on Jul 23, 2008, 13:35:

We have no IDEA, Panthdave, what he is trying to say. Colombian Cónyuge o Compañero Permanente TC Visa (Temp Spouse) or USA CR-1 or K-1 visa?

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

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poker11 says on Jul 23, 2008, 14:32:

I dont really understand what is going on. Or what Rikito's problem is implying that I am doing sometthing illicit.

I married a Colombian girl. I am a US citizen. She is outside Colombia. I want a Colombian marriage visa. It got denied in Bogota when my attorney submitted the paperwork.

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poker11 says on Jul 23, 2008, 14:40:

panthdave is correct...

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vicshere says on Jul 23, 2008, 14:51:

if you are married why would you need a marriage visa

listo

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vicshere says on Jul 23, 2008, 14:52:

besides there are no more marriage visa to get married...its not requiered

listo

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Rikito says on Jul 23, 2008, 16:58:

poker, I never implied that you were or are attempting to do anything illicit. There is nothing in my message that says that. What I am saying is that you seem confused about what you want to do and I suggested that you contact an attorney for some sound advice. People in here give good information like gator, but he is not an attorney.

Nothing is ever as it seems. I know you married a Colombian and that you are a U.S. citizen. But, I am telling you that if you wife wants to enter Colombia she can already do so on her Colombian passport if she still has one. Vicshere is also correct in that there is no more marriage visa.

Look, I am an American and I live here in Colombia with my Colombian wife. I went to Colombia to apply for a K3 U.S. visa for my wife. This visa states that she is entering the U.S. for the purpose of getting married. She had a 90 day window. However, please realize that if my wife were in the U.S. visiting me on a tourist visa or I met her in the U.S. while she was here she would still need to go to the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá to get any kind of status change. If you call the U.S. Embassy where you applied in the first place they will tell you this. I tried to do the same thing you did when I first met my wife in Scotland. Marcela (my wife) was rejected for practically the same reasons as you state.

You may be confusing things if you are telling us that you vs. your wife wants a marriage visa. This is why you need an attorney versed in immigration law to help you. What no one in here has told you is the laws change all of the time and then there is the interpretations of the laws which usually are not in your favor as you found out. There is an internet site at www.visajourney.com that can give you much better information than in here. There you find forms, get answer to your concerns, find a decent immigration attorney, and talk with people who are possibly going through what you experience is. Remember my friend, we are here and many have been here for a long time. A lot of people know some of the laws like ‘gator’ and ‘vicshere,’ but they may not be current on recent changes although personally I would put some faith in what they say. If you told us exactly what city you are living in …if it is on the East Cost of the U.S. someone in here may already know a good attorney.

Poker, do yourself a favor and keep a clam mind and clear approach. It is a slow process in Colombia…you are not buying a lotto ticket. Can you eventually enter Colombia with your wife…sure you bet you can and it will be a great day when it happens, but you must be patient and learn how to play the game. The first rule…don’t do this alone. It cost me over $2,000USD in legal fees, and some in here got in for less some got in for more. For me it was worth every cent. And it will be for you also.

It is not life that matters, but the journey.

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houstongal says on Jul 23, 2008, 18:00:

I just want to say that you guys (vicshere, rikito, gator, panthdave) are so *incredibly* patient and trying to do your best to help poor Poker. Nice job boys!

If Poker provided lots of detail and wrote as Rikito just did in the above comment, perhaps you all would have understood his dilemma from the beginning and be able to answer his questions to his satisfaction.

"It is now official: there's no place on earth where you will not find a Peruvian band." David Sedaris

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Gator says on Jul 23, 2008, 18:49:

Why Bogotá and not the Colombian consulate in the USA. If your wife is in the USA ("She is outside Colombia") then perhaps the Colombian foreign ministry felt you had no intention of residing in Colombia so denied the visa.

While some temporary visas are only issued outside of Colombia the issuance of a visa Cónyuge o Compañero can be issued by MRE in Bogotá. What you want and what you get or two different things.

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

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Buongone says on Jul 24, 2008, 00:34:

Poker, seems if you really want help you need to lay it out on the line more. These guys are guessing what you are doing/asking. Seems kinda like a little troll? If not what's the problem with asking a question that's clear.

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Rikito says on Jul 24, 2008, 06:26:

Gator, it has been my recent experience that if you want to change the status of your Visa, you must do so from the originaing Embassy/Consulate. I think that 'poker' is very frustrated with trying to work ther 'system.' It all seems like a simple process ritght? Fill out and send in the application form with the required documents and in one hour or less you get your Visa from the friendly immigration person behind the bullet proof glass! Sounds simple enough, but we all know that it is much different.

I hope it works out for him as well. He sounds like just the person Colombia needs more of...a passionate hispanic.

It is not life that matters, but the journey.

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guacharaca says on Jul 24, 2008, 12:50:

Poker11.....What could you have possible wrote on the application form to make them think you did not intend to live in Colombia. I arrived in Bogota on day one with a tourist stamp, and the MRE issued me the temp. spouse resident visa on day two. They did not ask to see my return ticket or anything.

To answer your original question, I suspect the same office, using the same data base, but not necessarily the same worker, in Bogota will see your application from the consulate abroad. I suggest that you wait a few weeks and then suprisingly change your intentions to residing in Colombia permanently. You can always change your intentions back again after you receive your temporal spousal resident visa.

Colombianos: Las armas os han dado independencia, las leyes os daran libertad. (Santander)

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aracne says on Jul 25, 2008, 09:18:

Poker: you are in U.S., your wife is there too, where were you when you applied for the visa? I agree with the previous posts; if the Ministry decided that you had no intentions to live in the country is because you did not proof that you wanted to come to Colombia.

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Rikito says on Jul 25, 2008, 09:39:

leave it...this guy has moved on and has not bothered to respond in the last several days. Hopefully, he was able to get the info he needed or he learned something he didn't want to hear.

It is not life that matters, but the journey.

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poker11 says on Jul 26, 2008, 02:53:

thanks for all the replies everyone

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vicshere says on Jul 26, 2008, 05:05:

and we dont get the ending to the story ...what a let down...last time i reading his book

listo

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Gator says on Jul 27, 2008, 13:27:

me too, but the dog ate the last three pages.

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

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myheartisinbogota says on Aug 26, 2008, 03:41:

Ditto (vicshere, rikito, gator, panthdave) Thankyou for taking the time to help folks with your knowledge. It's very nice of you. I am not sure if it is better to post a new question. Does anyone have some advice for the following. I hope to be married to a woman in Bogota early next year! The wait is killing me!

After that happens, I may want to purchase some property in Colombia, open up a bank account. Does it help to get a resident card or some of the papers mentioned in this thread? What advice can you give for dealing with challenges in Colombia. Is it difficult for americans to purchase property in Colombia. It seems getting a bank account is a problem. My fiancee had a hard tiem opening up an account becuase she is only a student and does not work. Appreciate any feedback the group can offer. Many Thanks, MO

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hawkeye says on Sep 30, 2008, 07:03:

guacharaca... please excuse my ignorance ... what is MRE and can I get the spouse visa and cedula in Cali??? Yes, I have a spouse and the papers.

thanks
patrick

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hawkeye says on Sep 30, 2008, 14:16:

I have found the answers to my questions...
No you cannot do this in Cali... must be done in Bogota, but you can sign a power for someone to do it for you.

patrick

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