extending bike visa in Colombia
 

My bike got three months when we arrived in Colombia, and that three months is nearly up.

I want to stay on in Colombia and need to know the best way of extending the bike´s visa.

Should I leave the country and then re-enter? Is it ok to do this? Is there a way that I can extend the bike´s visa without leaving the country?

I am in Medellin at the moment.

Thanks for any advice!

Tom

You have to leave the country. It was possible a couple years ago to extend your bike visa without the bike leaving, but YOU had to apply for a visa outside of the country. Ipiales is not to far, nor is Venezuela. If you head south you get to pass through the coffee region and a bunch of beautiful areas in the south. If you head to Chavezland, I suggest you check out San Gil and then up to La Guajira - the northern desert. Cabo de la Vela has a great beach. Gas is really cheap up that way as well (smugglers bring it in from Ven.)

If you can get to Bogota, you can get an extended TVIP, sometimes up to 8 months, I have only heard this from comments on this board I do not know first hand. The only other way as mentioned is to leave and return.

You can now extend a temporary import permit maximum up to 6 month per calender year and never more than 6 month continued in one go, even if the year change.

You need to go to DIAN in any city and they will sort it out. They usually only give you 1 month at a time, and never more that your personal visa in the passport. Its free to do the extension of the bike (not your own visa!).

So you need to sort out you own visa first, go to DIAN with copies of title/registration, passport and import permit.

ITS NOT POSSIBLE IF THE PERMIT HAS ALREADY EXPIRED, IN WHICH CASE THE CUSTOMS/DIAN OR POLICE ON THE STREET CAN AND PROBABLY WILL CONFISCATE YOUR VEHICLE!

Extending TVIP (bike visa) in Colombia
 

While riding the 80 K plus "trampoline of death" La Cocha near La Luguna to Mocoa, Colombia we braved thousand meter drop unguarded sheer cliffs, land slides, packs of wild dogs, water falls gushing across what was often a single track of the military built cerca 1930s , but the slippery mud while approaching a difficult detour was too much for Elisa and when she fell, she fractured several bones in her foot.

We bush camped that night at a rural school - and somehow rode on to Pitalito where Elisa received medical care. No walking without crutches for at least a month plus an immobilization boot.

We entered Colombia on a 30 day TVIP at Epiales, and now need to extend. I found the local DIAN office at the bus terminal and a helpful official rang up the closest aduana at Puerto Asis. Only border aduanas or the aduana in Bogota can grant TVIP extensions, and I could not get a definitive answer on the maximum length of time for an extension.

When I explained to the DIAN offical that Elisa could not ride her bike - the official suggested I ride my bike to the aduana at Puerto Asis and take an "impronta" of Elisa's bike's chassis I D. And "impronta" is a tracing of the vehicle ID by means of scotch tape and carbon paper - transferred to a blank piece of paper..... She suggested that "for a fee" the Dept of Transportation could arrange to have an "impronta" made of the I D on Elisa's bike.

And, I would need certified copies of the doctors medical reports, Elisa's passport, cedula, and of course the original TVIP plus a letter signed by Elisa that I have her permission to ride her bike - and her signature must be accompanied by a fingerprint.

OK, I found a "notaria segunda" willing to certify all - except the letter - since Elisa was not present.... So as soon as the Paro (coffee growers protest consisting of closing all major roads) that has already closed all the roads in and out of Pitalito is over I will ride to Puerto Asis and try my luck obtaining TVIP extensions for my bike and Elisa's bike.

Meanwhile we are at a delightful Swiss owned rural hostal "Finca el Cielo" 3 K out of San Augustin and about 30 K from Pitalito while Elisa continues to recover. Beautiful landscape and very quiet and peaceful.

PM if you are in the area and would like to visit. We are O K will be here for a couple weeks.

I will post to this thread any progress toward obtaining TVIP extensions or any additional helpful information .

My advice skip the UNPAVED trampoline of death and take the paved!

xfiltrate

Eat, Drink and Survive

There is another option...

-I entered from Panama by boat, and received 90 days.
-Before 90 days I went to the Bogota DIAN office, (near the airport)
-Have time on your passport, I got a year long student visa (paid around 350$ for 2 months at Universidad Nacional De Colombia, then about 90$ for the visa) before going.
-Because if you have time on your Visa, you can get another 90 days.
-Once you have this EXTENSION PAPERWORK (EP) you are in the clear!
-This EP is all about 3 pages and is VERY easy to make change to the dates and you can keep using for months to come.

>You do not need this EP or any bike paperwork to exit at Ipiales/Tulcan.
>Police are the only ones that look at your paperwork. I always handed them my copy of my original entry paperwork (which was expired) and rarely do they look it over thoroughly. If they did I would so sorry and this is the correct one, the EP. This one is VERY hard to find the dates on because of how they have it written up.
>I spent over 16 months in Colombia without any problems.

Side note: This all started after I tried to get a second EP legally, but it had expired. I "made a friend" there the first time through because we had the similar bike and he remembered me. He was saying because it was expired, my ONLY options was to leave the county and or make a fake copy. He also said if you don't get in an accident you will never be caught.

I cannot recommend this because it is illegal, police so rarely see gringo bikes, they rarely see this paperwork and never the EP... but it works
Good luck
EW