海角乱伦

Good info, thanks for sharing.

Sounds like this was your first pension visa, my assumption based on your obtaining the health insurance offered to national/foreign travelers so do you plan on getting the Colombian EPS type health insurance or playing by the ear?

To get the full picture it would be helpful to itemize the (a) fee paid to the law firm and (b) the fees paid to Immigracion for the visa.

And 15 months is great as I recall my first pension visa was approved for a one year period.

Is it absolutely necessary to use an atty. to apply for, and obtain, a retirement visa?聽 聽 If so, should an atty. from the US or Colombia atty. be used?聽

Thanks

JC

@South American Voyager

Good question.聽 Langon's fee was a flat $300 which included one virtual meeting which I never needed to use.聽 I did not contract for the "rush" service they responded typically within 24 business hours excluding weekends and holidays which you need to wait until next business day.聽 Think it would have been like $260 without the meeting.聽 The other Colombia government fees were about $350 which I paid to Langon and they paid directly by law firm.聽 I used my US credit card for ease of paymeny.聽 This was my first pensionado.聽 My second Visa.聽 1st Visa was a rentista visa migrante for 3 years.聽

@coscia16

In my opinion - No you can do this on your own no lawyer and no Visa service.聽 However,聽 for $300 I got top-notch service from a known law firm (Langon) and one week approval after filing to me was very fast.聽 Thought it would be a month.聽 My first visa 3 years ago I used a service and was underwhelmed by their timeliness and attention to detail.聽 Roughly the same price too.聽 聽

@South American Voyager

聽 Forgot to answer insurance question.聽 聽I don't plan to purchase medical insurance in Colombia.聽 I am in good health work out 5-6 days a week and watch what I eat.聽 I will be eligible for Medicare in about 6 months in US.聽 I plan to pay out of pocket in Colombia should the need arise.聽 If my health changes I will need to purchase insurance.聽 Hope this helps.聽

@coscia16

...also recommend Colombia service providers if you decide not to do it on your own.聽 Shop around for English speakers if your Spanish is lacking.聽

@stealtannest3t

I can reccomend.Langon as well, espescially if you run into "problems" which can always happen with the Cancilleria聽 in case you get.assigned a lazy, incompetent or over zealous visa agent.

Actually a lazy one is good, as long as he/she briefly.reads and checks off all the documents you provide and doesnt just skim through and ask you to submit ones you all ready provided. If he or she is competent enough to do that and doesnt want to wadte their time or get headaches, they.will.approve you.right away

@South American Voyager
Forgot to answer insurance question. I don't plan to purchase medical insurance in Colombia. I am in good health work out 5-6 days a week and watch what I eat. I will be eligible for Medicare in about 6 months in US. I plan to pay out of pocket in Colombia should the need arise. If my health changes I will need to purchase insurance. Hope this helps. - @stealtannest3t

Be mindful... I'm in great shape as well, I do almost everything you do (except I work out 4-5 days not 5-6 days 馃檲). However I still have SURA coverage, considered the best in Colombia. Because I have full-coverage insurance here (unlike in the USA), I was able to get preventative care and caught TWO issues that would have been MAJOR problems down the line. Now I am preparing for a minor hernia surgery, and the recovery time is expected to be minimal... if I had waited until I started feeling pain or whatever, it'd have a been a LOT worse for me.

Also - and this might be MORE important - I'm covered in case of accidents or unforeseen/unavoidable illnesses. That's really what you - and every otherwise healthy person like us - should be consider re: health insurance... it's all about sudden trauma/accidents, and unforeseen/unavoidable illnesses.

Whatever you decided.. good luck, stay strong 馃挭馃徑馃崠馃弸馃徑鈥嶁檧锔�

@ChineduOpara

One thing you never mentioned is by law ( the 2022 visa resolution and as stated in the聽 Cancilleria web聽 site), pensionado visa holders are ineligible to be.on EPS. I still think.EPS providers will give you EPS, because there is nothing on the cedula saying what sub category visa you have, only " V" , "R" or "M". However by law it is illegal.

Also, to be enrolled in Medicina Prepagada you have to be enrolled in EPS as well, legally.

So a person on Pensionado Visa cannot legally be on a medicina prepagada聽 like SURA.

I know this is being enforced to a degree because my provider sends me a reminder every few months to provide my EPS certificate and foto copy of unexpired cedula. This is despite the fact their sales people sold me a policy 13 years ago on a passport..the law was the same at that time.

I was warned by a lawyer a couple years ago, if I ever have to use my plan in a big.way due to accidente or sickness, and I was costing them.more than I was worth,a smart lawyer could look at it, and聽 they聽 could deny me service, even tkough I have paid between 100 and 200 million pesos into the plan.over the years.

The lady you recommended at SURA tried to sell me her ( expensive) plan on just a passport , because she and the totally useless " lawyer" she relies on dont know the rules.

My visa ran.out.in April and I dont plan to get a new one until next January, do I am ignoring these emsils from.my Prepagada provider until then.Hopefully they dont cut me off after paying into this for so long.

Welcome to Colombia

@nico peligro

Hmmm I am not familiar with the laws around Pensionado visas... I am 50 going on 51, so I've been getting Digital Nomad Visas (2 so far). My cedula clearly says "V" (Visitor), and so far I've not had any issues or warnings regarding my medical insurance compatibility with my visa type.

Pardon me if I shared any incorrect information 馃槄

@ChineduOpara

I know all the laws because I went through this with both Langon and Chris Mueller a couple or 3聽 years ago after聽 I had big issues.getting an M or even a V rentista visa with 海角乱伦.Group because the rules changed and screwed things up and they were specifically picking on me for聽 healthcare issues, I didnt leave enough time ( you need to leave 3 months in case of screw ups) and 海角乱伦 Group were rookies with the new rules.

At that time聽 that time it was so screwed up, the lawyer I used for years wanted to charge 3 times the going rate and wanted me to sign all these.waivers.

Do you have EPS?

Not a聽 big issue if you keep your visa and cedula up to date, because if someone at SURA starts to bug you, you can quickly get a cedula.

The issue is for people.like me who are spacing their visas out with passport tourist stamps.

As far as I know Pensionada is the only visa that doesnt allow EPS I think there maybe others.

I checked the cancilleria site under digital nomad

.you are OK.

See聽 " beneficios"

This is the law that states its required to be enrolled in EPS to get Medicina prepagada.

I will let you search th.exact clause, but if you do a detailed enough google.search you will get additional confirmation and direction to the exact clause..Its pretty clear, and confirmed by 2 very competent.lawyers.

Angela or Paula or vwhatever the.name of the sales lady you gave me聽 is, doesnt know the.regs, just trying to make a sale聽 just like the ladies that sold me the Coomeva policy.13 years ago.

And the lawyer she sent me to couldnt even get this聽 simple, clear part right, and I had a more detailed question.on the 5% payment on world wide income we as foriegners are legally required to pay for EPS ( but nobody does only naive boyscouts who get caught because they disclose some or part of their world wide income in a declaraci贸n聽 de renta or visa application).聽 The 5% figure is determined by reviewing 2 different decretes and also has been confirmed by Langon and Chris Mueller, plus being enforced by he Visas department of Cancilleria from visa info if you try to use your EPS in a visa application in lieu of the cheap STAR or ATM Colombia bogus policies( It happened to me.)Also being enforced by Mini Salud through the EPS providers with income聽 info provided for them by DIAN for people who de Declaraci贸n de Rentas. Of course.those who do everything " by the book" and give all their world wide income can get hit big.

By enforced, I mean on a random basis. They are enforcing the rules on a random , shotgun basis, as most government聽 departments, Migraciones, Mini Salud, the Cancilleria Visa department, DIAN dont know their own rules as they apply.to us.expats, and dont want to learn.Not in the job description.

@nico peligro

Wow this is very eye-opening to me. It's making me reconsider if I wanna continue this visa-tourist stamp dance in Colombia, to be honest. I am considering redoubling my efforts to live in Paraguay instead. Or just pack it in and go live in an expat enclave in Port Harcourt (Nigeria) where I don't need any visa cuz I'm literally Nigerian...

@ChineduOpara

Why worry? Just get EPS if someone asks

First time they have been bugging me in 13 years and I have been.on and off all.along

@stealtannest3t

Did you need repatriation insurance? I have medical coverage but not travel to be repatriated. Could you please give me information, thank you

Brenda

@crespobrenda

Read this thread in detail

Its all laid out, and has also been covered extensively previously on this site.

The STAR and ATM Colombia cheap bogus policies

have wording saying they have repatriation insurance that satisfies the Canciileria Visa dept.

Whether they would actually do.it, push come to shove I highly doubt it.

Its all just a big bureaucratic game, crossing the Ts and dotting the Is.

Goigle ATM Colombia p贸liza para visas and same for Starr

I posted the ATM link long time ago. Not going.to redo聽 work over and over聽 anyone else can do with google.

@ChineduOpara

Good luck with your surgery!聽 Hope you recover swiftly.聽

@crespobrenda

Yes I agree with Nico's comment #18.聽 Not to be repetitive but the Starr policy I bought for $120 for the year has repatriation.聽 Good luck!聽

@stealtannest3t

I submitted my visa application for M 1 pensioner. I used the same law firm. However, i was denied. I know the first thing you think is OK what is she having her background that they would disapprove her well nothing

1) my criminal background is squeaky clean (not even a traffic violation

2) I receive a large pension

3) i have 7 figures in my bank account

4) I have blue cross blue shield health insurance for overseas coverage

5) insurance coverage for repatriation

6) all of my documents were apostle and translated

My take is this..my husband was staying behind to take care of business and was going to apply in January 2026鈥�my age may be a factor 74 will be 75 soon. However I鈥檓 in good health 鈥�I鈥檓 from the USA (which is a currently a detriment).

My lawyer stated it鈥檚 at the discretion of the reviewer

which I understand.

we still plan on going to Colombia in September.聽 My lawyer stated that is enough time after being denied.

I am disappointed but not deterred we will both try in 2026鈥� if not we will pick another country..but Colombia is so beautiful and the people are amazing.聽

anyway this is my story!!

@crespobrenda

Sorry that you experienced that. It's possible that the reviewer had to meet a quota of denials that month.

@ChineduOpara

Thank you. Not giving up!!

@crespobrenda

Some cancilleria agents have hate ons for expats.Xenohobia, jealousy, bad experience.

I聽 聽 聽thin it is conflict of interest and unethical but we are stuck with that

Did you have an admisi贸n or straight denial?

Did your lawyer undertake a tutela to get a reading from an independent judge?

A good lawyer lkie Langn聽 will do that

@nico peligro

Thank you Nico the first one un admitted the second one was denial negate is what it was called. I used langon glad you mentioned it so I will definitely get with them and ask.聽 I鈥檓 still coming and reapply in January however will pursue the avenue you mentioned

thank you so much,

brenda

Surprised they didnt mention.it themselves

BTW...Its not just US citizens

A Brit on another site who tried to renew his digital nomad聽 visa got denied..and聽 the Cancilleria聽 made some ridiculous lame excuse for the denial.

With the 2022 resolution, which was approved during Duques聽 time, they made聽 things way more complicated but added " digital nomad: Visa to be聽 trendy

What is the use of adding this criteria if you are gonna deny people who are ligit with some BS excuse?

Same in your case.

Dont wanna blame Petro, becaus the 2022 Visa resolution was approved before him. But it聽 could be that his people聽 have been installed in the visa department of MRE just like they聽 were instaled in Mini Salud and minas y聽 energia and are using the 2022 Resolution and聽 their own unethical " descretion" to stick it to the expats.

Well so much for replacing oil and gas with avacados and tourism with the harsh visa issues and the banks ripping tourists and expats off with surcharges thst didnt exist even聽 3 years ago .

If they end up聽 screwing me on my next visa I would have no issue聽 doing the "Pasro Option". Chances are infinitesimal you would be caught, and if you聽 were,there would be many ways to聽 resolve it.. if not well, Colombia聽 is not the only country in the world.

I posted a video on another site about a European couple who did the Pasto Option by mistake, but didnt finish it off.

Their bus crossed the Ecuadoran border at Tulcan/ Ipiales and never stopped at the migration station.

They vwere then in Colmobia illegally for several weeks. They tried several times to resolve聽 it at migracion offices in Pasto, Cali, Medellin but nobody knew what to do, or even cared

They聽 all told them.to go back to Tulcan border crosding.

So they could have gone back to聽 Ecuador, avoided the migration check point and flew聽 out of Quito

For all anyone knew officially they could have been in Ecuador all this time.Thats聽 what聽 the entrance exit stamps would indicate.

Here is聽 the video on the Unfinished " Pasto Option"

@nico peligro

Thanks for all your information. I talked to my lawyer today and she is pursuing to get tutela.

I hate to ask this question because sometimes ignorance is bliss, but my lawyer told me that I can still get into Columbia for my trip in September even if I was denied for my visa as long as I have my passport I鈥檓 good to go so anybody have any other opinion about that ?

@nico peligro Thanks for all your information. I talked to my lawyer today and she is pursuing to get tutela. I hate to ask this question because sometimes ignorance is bliss, but my lawyer told me that I can still get into Columbia for my trip in September even if I was denied for my visa as long as I have my passport I鈥檓 good to go so anybody have any other opinion about that ? - @crespobrenda

Whether you get a visa or not, it is not necessary for entry into Colombia, for a US Citizen - your passport is sufficient.聽 You may stay for 90 days as a tourist, no visa required, and extend for another 90 days, if approved, for a total of 180 days.

If you stay over 183 days Colombia may consider you a fiscal resident for tax purposes.聽 But of course then you'd also be in an overstay violation of the 180 day stay.

See

聽 (Spanish)

@crespobrenda

Sorry聽 I need more informaci贸n.聽 You聽 聽are allwed 180 days in Colombia in a Calender year.on a tourist Passport聽 stamp.

How many days in 2025聽 have you been in Colombia to date, or聽 better yet, on the day you plan to leave Colombia ( assuming you are still in Colombia)?