General Info

[DigLicker]

I am a 23 year old from the states. I have heard mixed accounts from people with regards to dating colombianas. Is it strictly P4P or is there a chance for having a str with a colombian? I wouldn't mind a seeking type arrangement but I also don't want to be a walking ATM at the same time. Very different accounts from the blackpillers and the redpillers. I also am learning spanish.

[Zeos1]

VERY Important. If you plan to return to Colombia ensure that your phone is registered. You may receive some texts on this a week or so after you start using in Colombia To do this you need a Colombian Cedula (or someone elses) as a passport won't work. I bought a cheap unblocked Samsung S9 in the states, used it in Colombia for 2 weeks and it was blocked while I was back in the states as I was unable to register it. When I returned to Colombia took me a day and a lot of time to get the issue resolved, including going the man Claro store to have my device unblocked and then to a computer store to have my phone hacked and bands opened up again. I do not recommend so make sure it's registered!

If you get your SIM at a full service Claro store they will properly register it, etc. As he said, you need your passport. But if you were to buy a SIM on the street if it functions that means it is already registered to someone else, or will need to be registered in the next couple of weeks. Perhaps with that scenario the website will not accept a passport ID, I don't know. But yes, be sure it is registered. It is the PHONE that needs to be registered with a valid Colombian number, or the next time you come you won't be able to use that phone for anything, with any company or any number.

[Chicago85]

From the US prospective.

1) Get Google Fi.

2) If you have T-Moble plan such as Magenta, you get internet services in many countries including Colombia. Problem is that it is limited and it's 3 G.

3) Pay high fees and pay for roaming from Verizon and other providers.

4) Get local SIM when you exit the international baggage area in Bogota airport. It is the first store you see. But the price is very expensive. You know the price is expensive because it is priced in US dollars. Lowest level was about US $20 for a few gigs; price was about double for about a quarter of what you can get with Claro.

5) Best option (for value): get pre-paid plan with Claro (or with other providers). Problem is that it's somewhat inconvenient since you can't get it at the airport.

This is what I always do. I go to the Andino Mall (or go to any OFFICIAL Claro store). They have a big, official Claro store on the second level. They have great customer service that will help you. I get the pre-paid package of 40 mil. You get 12 gigs and unlimited phone and text for 30 days. They have other packages which are cheaper. SIM is 3 mil. You need a passport. A copy of my passport has always been accepted.

VERY Important. If you plan to return to Colombia ensure that your phone is registered. You may receive some texts on this a week or so after you start using in Colombia To do this you need a Colombian Cedula (or someone elses) as a passport won't work. I bought a cheap unblocked Samsung S9 in the states, used it in Colombia for 2 weeks and it was blocked while I was back in the states as I was unable to register it. When I returned to Colombia took me a day and a lot of time to get the issue resolved, including going the man Claro store to have my device unblocked and then to a computer store to have my phone hacked and bands opened up again. I do not recommend so make sure it's registered!

[Chicago85]

Tourists can only stay in Colombia for 6 months total in any calendar year (Jan 1 to Dec 31). If I land September 1, 2022 and stay 3 months I will get an online extension to cover the December 1 to December 31 time frame. Now in 2023, I get another 3 months with 3 month extension.

But do I have to leave the country too since the new calendar year started my new 6 months stay?

If "yes", do I have to leave Colombia at the end of 2022 or leave and come back quickly the first few days or weeks in January 2023?

Does the Colombian government allow me to leave and return in the same day (same day visa run)?

Check out the Gringo Paisa Medellin Facebook Group and do a search in the upper right side of the page. There are quite a few threads on this same scenario.

[GringoTigre]

From the US prospective.
This is what I always do. I go to the Andino Mall (or go to any OFFICIAL Claro store). They have a big, official Claro store on the second level. They have great customer service that will help you. I get the pre-paid package of 40 mil. You get 12 gigs and unlimited phone and text for 30 days. They have other packages which are cheaper. SIM is 3 mil. You need a passport. A copy of my passport has always been accepted.

Overall, this is an outstanding post. A few tweaks.

Go to a company store: This is true for all carriers. And in all countries, not just Colombia. However, in Colombia you need only visit the company store to get your sim and pay your first month as prepago. If you run out of data or more than 30 days, then you can get a refill in many many tiendas. Rates are the same, just pay the cash and wait in the store about a minute to get the text confirmation that the payment went thru. This is a pro-tip for anyone spending time outside of major cities where there are no company stores!

The Andino store is good, but it isn't a full customer service store it's Claro Tech. There to sell equipment and do basic stuff. If you have something more complicated, you need to be at a full Claro store like the one on 15th near parque 93.

Depending on how much time you spend in locumbia, you may want to choose between the prepago and postpago. Novia tells me I can only do prepago with claro, but she is just trying to be humorous. Postpago got more complicated late last year.

In terms of Claro, Movistar, and everyone else. Claro has the best coverage by far throughout the country and in the cities.

"Everyone else" can be a little cheaper but you can hit issues with coverage and not being able to easily refill.

If you leave and come back to Colombia frequently and have a need to keep the same number for whatever reason (incl Whatsapp), then you may get your number released if you are out of country too long. Claro couldn't explain to me. Maybe someone here knows for sure?

[GringoTigre]

Tourists can only stay in Colombia for 6 months total in any calendar year (Jan 1 to Dec 31). If I land September 1, 2022 and stay 3 months I will get an online extension to cover the December 1 to December 31 time frame. Now in 2023, I get another 3 months with 3 month extension.

But do I have to leave the country too since the new calendar year started my new 6 months stay?

If "yes", do I have to leave Colombia at the end of 2022 or leave and come back quickly the first few days or weeks in January 2023?

Does the Colombian government allow me to leave and return in the same day (same day visa run)?

Read this:

https://expatgroup.co/english/expats...tourist-stamp/

And also read the long details at migracion Colombia website.

[LoveItHere69]

Tourists can only stay in Colombia for 6 months total in any calendar year (Jan 1 to Dec 31). If I land September 1, 2022 and stay 3 months I will get an online extension to cover the December 1 to December 31 time frame. Now in 2023, I get another 3 months with 3 month extension.

But do I have to leave the country too since the new calendar year started my new 6 months stay?

If "yes", do I have to leave Colombia at the end of 2022 or leave and come back quickly the first few days or weeks in January 2023?

Does the Colombian government allow me to leave and return in the same day (same day visa run)?

[JjBee62]

Just a reminder, Sunday is an election day. All alcohol sales are prohibited between 4 pm Saturday and noon on Monday. Plan accordingly.

Also, the Metro and Transmilenio in Bogota, are free all day Sunday. There will be a lot more passengers than a normal Sunday.

[GreenBud]

From the US prospective.

1) Get Google Fi.

2) If you have T-Moble plan such as Magenta, you get internet services in many countries including Colombia. Problem is that it is limited and it's 3 G.

3) Pay high fees and pay for roaming from Verizon and other providers.

4) Get local SIM when you exit the international baggage area in Bogota airport. It is the first store you see. But the price is very expensive. You know the price is expensive because it is priced in US dollars. Lowest level was about US $20 for a few gigs; price was about double for about a quarter of what you can get with Claro.

5) Best option (for value): get pre-paid plan with Claro (or with other providers). Problem is that it's somewhat inconvenient since you can't get it at the airport.

Warning: You can get ripped off. I got scammed. I should have known.

I did something new. I went to a store west of Santa Fe. It was on the second level with a Claro sign. I thought it was an official Claro store, but it was just a Claro payment center. Inside, a few people pretend to be to Claro employees. They have Claro shirts. Those MFers! I attempted to get Claro service. But they said that foreign phones are not allowed to get Claro service. That is a fuckin LIE. They want to sell you their phones. They even took my passport and pretended to check their computers. They have an act. That place scam foreigners.

Not sure why I did this, but I paid for a SIM card from them. Got charged 10 mil. Another scam. Price is 3 mil at the Claro store. Then I loaded the 40 mil package. It didn't work. Only got the unlimited social apps enabled. Internet, text, and phone did not work. Later I was told it was because the SIM card was "not unauthorized".

Here are the facts. SIM cards you get from the street has to be registered with a local ID. It can work IF the seller adds an authorized ID. But be careful if you use this option. I remember a poster saying his credits got erased, probably after the seller reported it lost.

This is what I always do. I go to the Andino Mall (or go to any OFFICIAL Claro store). They have a big, official Claro store on the second level. They have great customer service that will help you. I get the pre-paid package of 40 mil. You get 12 gigs and unlimited phone and text for 30 days. They have other packages which are cheaper. SIM is 3 mil. You need a passport. A copy of my passport has always been accepted.

[Zeos1]

Is Bar Idem still open In SJ?

It was closed and looked like it was gone. But I heard rumors it may be back, but really not sure.

[Mtndew704]

Can confirm which is why on weekends I stay away from Centro. Every plane trip down it's either the hood travel bros or hood surgery sisters and they are loud. You can clearly hear their entire conversation from 10 feet.

Also never go on a holiday weekend where the clowns can get an extra day off work to do more clown shit like in the video below. They won't dare do clown stuff like that in Medellin.

https://youtu.be/eAHEjxiw9xw

Exactly, they must be starved for attention or something.

[LatinaLover#1]

Beetle bar has been gone for several years now.

Is Bar Idem still open In SJ?

[Nypher]

Go to Medellin, the people who travel to Sosua are obnoxious as hell. Especially the 1's that fly in on jet blue from New York for the weekend.

Can confirm which is why on weekends I stay away from Centro. Every plane trip down it's either the hood travel bros or hood surgery sisters and they are loud. You can clearly hear their entire conversation from 10 feet.

Also never go on a holiday weekend where the clowns can get an extra day off work to do more clown shit like in the video below. They won't dare do clown stuff like that in Medellin.

https://youtu.be/eAHEjxiw9xw

[Mtndew704]

Passport came today, it's in my hand. I put in my request for time off, hope it'll be approved by the end of this week. Then I'll be looking at booking flights and making reservations.

I'm going the last week of June, Friday the 24th I believe until Sunday July 1st.

I'm still not 100 on DR or Colombia but I was looking at plane tickets today and they were almost exactly the same, about $800 round trip. If that's the case I will for sure be going to Medellin over Sosua as the women of Colombia seem to be much more attractive than DR, in my eyes at least.

Ya, idk. It's happening. I'll be in Poblado and Parque Lleras 90% of the time. Def interested in at least a couple tours around, otherwise I'll end up spending literally all my time in a room fucking.

Go to Medellin, the people who travel to Sosua are obnoxious as hell. Especially the 1's that fly in on jet blue from New York for the weekend.

[Chicago85]

Beetle bar has been gone for several years now.

As far as I know it's mostly the Hotel Cocal now. There were a couple dance clubs on the outskirts with part-time girls, but I think Covid killed those off.