Anyone kept their bike in Columbia for 6 months... legally?
 

Hey guys and gals,

Well, I was planning to head home in a coupe of weeks from Bogota but instead I've been offered a job there in a hostel (all bikers welcome!) working on their website etc. and generally helping out.

So, I need to keep my bike in Columbia for 6 months. Does anyone know of a way of doing this legally without leaving the country and coming back in (though I don't know if even this is possible). I have the impression you can extend your 90 visa for another 90 days, is this possible with the Aduana for the bike as well?

And if you have kept your bike there illegaly is it much of a hassle when trying to fly it out to Panama?

Any experiences of this is greatly appreciated,

Pete
(currently in Quito, Ecuador)

www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/baird
El Cafecito: Cafe and Hostal (Hostel) in Quito and Cuenca Ecuador, South America

hey Pete! w met on the road to Ushuai last year. i was riding with Rick. i have no idea on the bike permit but i'm interested to know if the hostel where you'll be working has parking? i might have to come back to bogota to ship my bike to panama and will nice to have someone to catch up with :thumbup1:

Hi Sal, great to hear from you. Still on the road eh, good one mate. Yep, pretty certain the hostel has parking but they've only just got the lease on the place so won't be ready for a month or so. Let me know when you're getting close and I'll take care of ya

Maybe we could get you painting some walls or summat for rent!

Pete

I haven´t done this but have spoke to a couple of bikers who have and I don´t think there´s a problem - the DIAN gives you the bike permiso as long as you have a visa to be in the country.

Are you using a employment visa or a tourist visa. Are you asking about leaving the bike in the country while you leave? If you are in the country with the bike you just go to customs as you would in most countries. I have heard of people leaving Colombia and keeping their bike in the country, but it is complicated.

i'm a little late to the party, but someone may find this useful. i spent ten months in Colombia, and i can't wait to go back.

you're allowed to spend six months per calandar year on tourist stamps. so, you can stay for almost a full year if you arrive in july, leave before january 1st, then re-enter. i met a couple backpackers who were able to get six month stamps, but mine were always for three.

i taught english for six months, under the table. if you want to work legally, and you find a job once you're already inside the country, you must leave and re-enter with your new visa. there is also a "girlfriend visa," which allows you to stay longer, but i don't know if either of these would make the bike permit less of an issue.

the moto permisso (through la DIAN, the tax people) was always a bigger problem than the passport stamp (DAS). i was able to extend both of them ONCE from within the country, but it was a tedious process. i had to leave and re-enter the country twice because there was no other option. (the system is designed to control the influx of vehicles, not to make tourists' lives even easier.) legally, they can confiscate your bike if your permit expires. don't wait until the last minute, don't step on any bureaucratic toes, and don't ride with a permit which doesn't at least appear to be valid.

you're also supposed to have insurance. most likely, the only time you may be asked to present it, is if you see a checkpoint full of people in silly yellow suits. during most of my stay, i got away with using an old AAA card (which looked the part), but eventually i bought insurance because it's cheap, and it's easier than arguing with the one cop in ten who knows that foreign insurance isn't valid --especially the fake kind.

There shouldn't be a problem with DIAN once immigration gives you the stamp. DIAN is a little slower but they just follow what DAS (immigration) does. I know many people who extended both for up to 6 months. There are ways to get more than 6 months but it is complicated.

I'll be returning to Medellin in the beginning of November to deal with my bike, but my permit expired May 29th. I know i'll get checked while on the road south to Ecuador, i always did in the past. Not sure whats going to happen, just try to talk or bribe my way out of trouble i guess. I would like to know if anybody has had their bike confiscated in Colombia because their permit expired. I've considered forging a new document, but one time the military actually called me in and checked the number, so this may be an even worse idea if they call you on it. i don't think it is possible to extend the permit once it's expired. It may be a better idea to pay someone to ship it to the boarder?? Not sure what to do here, any sugestions?
I heard of someone getting their bike confiscated in Argentina under the same conditions, then buying it back at the public auction which paid off because it then became a registered bike ;)
...Hmmmm....

BTW, last time i left Colombia and entered Ecuador, Dian didn't even look at my bike. I just gave them the paper, they smiled and pointed me in the direction of immigration.

I left my bike there legally for 7 months - as a matter of a fact, I go back to get it in 2 weeks. I did a write up of the process here:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...light=colombia

if it does not bring you to the page, search for "leaving a bike in colombia" in the trip paperwork forum.

Jeff

hey man where are you picking up your bike
 

i am looking to leave my bike for 6 months in colombia ,maybe i could take over your parking space
cheers aussie dave