It'll be a problem if you re-enter the US after it expires. Get it renewed, and a bonus ask for your passpord card, which is like 5$ more, so you can use it as a emergency ID in situations like border crossing on land or naval.
Thanks so Us should let me back in I will be going for 1-2 weeks. As he can’t walk or go to the bathroom by himself. He is a fking idiot and fell off a tree. Lucky to alive. not so worried about Colombia letting me or out since I have a Colombian passport they required me to get last time I went US tho is what worries me. It expires in August and I am going next weekend so an expedite one won’t get here in time. I thought about requesting a new one but then if I get back and it’s mailed and the USA gives me shit when I return. Is my worry.
Does anyone have a bank account with a bank that has both Colombian and USA accounts? trying to see if I can do that with Citi bank my parents have had a house in Barranquilla and don’t have a Colombian bank account or credit card. So a ton of stuff they can’t do
If they're still Colombian citizens, they can open accounts in Colombia and transfer money from the USA. I even think that you can open an account through a power of attorney at the consulate. https://www.bancolombia.com/personas/cuentas/desde-el-exterior/cuenta-colombianos-en-el-exterior This is a link that I just got from the internet, but I've been looking to open an account as well, since we plan to buy a property for our retirement, only that I've think it will be easier going in person the next time we visit.
Well if you were born in Colombia they force you to get a passport, cedula….. so im pretty sure I’m a citizen Also my mom is crazy stupid. I’m in Barranquilla and she like ok don’t drive me here. We might get mugged but I’ve been buying cheese here for 40 years. I asked my dad so they sell this shit at a real grocery store right? He like she is thick headed…
Older parents tend to get stuborn and sometimes their "logic" does not seem as such, but they don't see things the same way as you. Try to stir them into a safer routine - like going to the neighborhood supermarket, or tell them that you sent someone to get the cheese (even if it's a little white lie), and make them happy. I know it can be frustrating, and that it is easy to lose your patience if you don't deal with them on a regular basis, or even if it is just a few days at a time. My in-laws are visiting us for my son's graduation, and while they are in good health and very alert, there are moments when my patience is tested. All in all, just be happy that they're alive and that they're still in good health (I assume your dad is doing better, is he?) but that is the reality of life, now that people live longer and the younger generation has to take care of them.
Yes, totally get it. it’s just they freak out so much about getting mugged it’s like stop hanging out in places you can get mugged. I guess the center and the north of the city are pretty safe but the south isn’t. Then stop going into the south of the city. I never go to the north end of Hartford. tho I will say the. High way system in Colombia is retarded. Random complete stops. If we ever have a huge international tournament we will need to fix that. Or thousands of people are going to die in car crashes also people just pull over on the highway in a actual lane!!! I’m like wtf is wrong with these people. The guys riding their bicycles in the highway during rush hour to get to work is wild!! other than that I really like it here. Took a bit to get use to the motorcycles. Taught them to use uber and put my credit card. It’s like look it’s free and if you tell me you went to Barranquilla and I didn’t get charged I’m going to yell at you.
Oh yeah, I hate driving in Colombia, and I try to avoid it whenever possible. Uber or at taxi work perfectly and it's so cheap, that even when you pay for it, it's almost free. I only drive if I have to go away from the cities. The best part of living there (and earning well or in dollars) is that you get very good service for about a quarter or a third of what you'd pay in the USA. That's why I think we're going to retire there, but I'm still 10 years away, so who knows.
My parents live in a nice gated community like 30 minutes from Barranquilla….. Pretty much all Americans and Canadian. I met a guy who said he was a lawyer for Reagan. They lose light here all the time. I was at an expensive hospital lost light all the time…. they also get their water shut off sometimes. It’s like what the fk!
That's the problem with new developments, and also, electricity in Colombia's caribbean coast is expensive as fvck and somewhat unreliable. I would definetily prefer a milder climate and closer to a city center, but I can see the appeal of such communities.
If you live in a big city, chances are that the electrical and water supply is under stress, given that population keeps growing way faster than utilities can build; added to that, there's probably other issues due to ageing infrastructure and poor maintenance, and factor in that Colombia depends heavily on hydroeletrical power, which could be greatly affected by climate change (hellooooo Superniño!!). Ideally, you should try to move to a smaller city, in a milder climate, install solar panels, and make sure that you have access to a reliable water supply. Zona Cafetera seems to hit several of those points, but that still doesn't rule out facing other issues in the future.
Medellin was a nightmare to drive in. A 3 mile taxi ride was almost as slow as walking and they don’t turn on the ac. Ubered and a guy showed up in a real bad car that his break defiantly failed or burned out going up and down some of the mountains on our trip
Back in the Us. It’s so easy to get in and out of Colombia as a Colombian. Took fking forever last time . Tho was at the airport way too long. for in laws … mine love me. They defiantly like me more than my wife and her siblings. they met me and like became Hispanic. When I come back in a month or 2 they will come down with my wife and the kids.
Thanks mate. LOL. I remember an uber we took in Killa late at night, it was a small zapatico in dire need of engine work; the guy had to zig zag to go up a rather low hill because the car struggled with the weight of 5 people (driver + my family); although I weight 200 lbs, I think the average for the other 4 was like 100lbs...
I've been looking at homes in rural areas, and I've come across a few that caught my attention. However, I tend to get skeptical when a deal seems too good to be true. There are homes with electricity, water, and gas available for prices ranging from $20,000 to $40,000, depending on the size. I'm thinking this is incredible—this could be my retirement dream! I could enjoy some beer or guaro on the weekends, eat plantains and rice with protein almost every day, and have access to play soccer with the locals. I’d feel like a king. My concern, though, is how I can verify that the land titles are legitimate and not signed in error. Issues like that would be really frustrating during retirement. There's only one hospital, and the only available doctor is an intern. Eating a diet high in carbs, cholesterol, and beer will likely end my life sooner than I want.
I know it is more difficult in rural areas, specially if they were somehow affected by our internal conflict and/or there have been claims of use at some point. In theory you should be able to get certificates from Superintendencia de Notariado and Registro, and you should also be able to verify the deeds through the local notary system. You could also hire someone to conduct a preliminary study before signing any documents. https://certificados.supernotariado.gov.co/certificado Also, having access to a good hospital and doctors also factor heavily into my calculations. I think zona cafetera has a good balance of weather, price and accessibility. I will probably try to arrange a trip in the near future to start looking at properties in that area.
I'm still a long way from retirement, if I even make it that long. However, Zona Cafetera would be my ideal spot to retire. I also think about the climate and natural risks—landslides, overflowing riverbeds, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes—so buying land on a mountaintop versus a steep valley can make a significant difference in those terms. Overall, I believe Colombia would be a wonderful place to retire one day. Having lived in the city all my life, I could really use a break from the loud, daily hustle and bustle. Just think about it! No more people yelling over minor issues, bumper-to-bumper traffic every day, paying $20 for a meal, $50 for a date, or $100 if you want to make it fancy. Give me some rancheras, and I’d be content with a hammock and the roosters waking me up at 5 AM.
I'm more of a city guy, and while I have to deal with traffic, I think I'm priviliged in the sense that it's only 30 minutes each way for me. Our office used to be downtown, so on top of a 30 minute drive, I would have to take a 30 minute train, so a reduced commute is a blessing, and now that I don't have to take my son to school, it's even better - until my daughter starts highschool in a year or so. My aim is to retire when she finishes college, hence why my window is 9-10 years from today. Ideally, I'd move to a small/medium town that is within the area of influence of Pereira or Armenia, so I'm only 30-45 minutes from an airport and a variety of activities, but at the same time, removed from the hustle and bustle, if there's such a thing in that area. No rancheras for me, but definetily, give me a temperate morning with birds singing and roosters, while I enjoy a freshly brewed coffee.
Crazy idea: We should buy some land there and create our own retirement community. We could build our own development with a small soccer field and a giant screen to show our favorite matches everyday.
my parents are in one of those. It’s pretty nice place was like 120-150 pretty close to the beach think it’s Santa Veronica like 40 minutes from Barranquilla and 60 from the Cartagena airport. so the gated communities and they have a ton of them all are super nice….. not gated not so much. Guess people just build houses there in secret and call squatters rights or something