mx2

I booked a ticket with Avianca (as an award with United), and I am seeing the following taxes being charged:

Colombia Airport Tax: 36.00 USD
Columbia Resident Exit Tax : 37.00 USD

Is this correct? I am not a resident of Colombia and thought that I didn't have to pay the steep resident exit tax. I called United to ask and they said it's right, but I'm still not convinced

JohnnyColombia

United has no idea whether to charge you the tax, and nor did they when they were Continental.

If you are in Colombia for less than 60 days then go to the Aéronautica Civil Exención de Impuestos office and get a little stamp in your passport. The office is opposite the check in desks.

Here is one I made earlier



Next get in the queue for your UA flight. A clueless woman will come up and tell you that you need to get the stamp even though you have already paid. Just tell her to shut up.

Then when you get to check in. Tell them you want your USD37 back. They will give you it back in COP most probably which you can either save for your next visit to Colombia or spend in the Britt shop on those weird magnetic pebbles

Happy travels

redtailshark

I just did this recently - exiting CLO, on a UA award, flying CM metal. With Colombia Resident Exit Tax itemized on my e-ticket receipt. In spite of the fact it was 4am, the CM agent was very efficient - told me I was due a tax refund and fetched the 70k COP from a drawer somewhere.

JohnnyC is right in that this is great, but there's nowhere of good value to spend it at the point where you are given it...just Britt ripoff. I don't think there's a better option at that point.

It could be worse, anyway, because in the several years I've flown one-way UA awards out of CO, this was the first time I received my taxes back...and not thanks to UA either but to CM.

KenInEscazu

I once flew in on AV, then AV stranded me at my connection in BOG and wouldn't pay for a hotel. I didn't want to pay for a hotel, and I really needed to get back, so I booked an award flight out on Copa.

UA, not knowing how long I had been in Colombia, charged me the exit tax, and I didn't know I could get a refund at the counter. I just figured I'd settle it with UA later. That was a bad idea. I sent them proof of my stamp, and they said it was correct to charge me the $37. It wasn't, but I chose not to fight this battle. It won't happen again, however.

For those new to Colombian travel, you can stay in the country up to 6 months without a visa. I believe that they give you 90 days before you have to pay the exit tax, but I'm not certain. I'll ask next week while I am there.

The best bet is to book and fly RT on the same airline in and out. That way their computers know how long you have been there, and they'll leave it up to to you to pay the tax if you overstay your itinerary by enough to owe the tax. They will NOT board you without an exemption or paid stamp, however, so don't even think about trying to scam the system. If anyone gets scammed, it's always us - the pax.

JohnnyColombia

You could of course change it back to USD at the bureau de change if you really don't want to go back to Colombia, really don't want the Britt shop magnetic pebbles and don't mind taking a couple of % points hit on the rate

redtailshark

Yes, technically, you could.

But JohnnyC...pray tell, who is this person, who "really doesn't want to go back to Colombia"?

An interesting story... one of my grads was on Fulbright in Colombia. She attended an event for Lat Am scholars. She said, all those who'd spent their time in UIO, GYE, PTY and other places were feeling enriched by their visits but definitely felt ready to go home.... meantime, those on placement in Colombia - PEI, MDE, CLO, CTG, LET - were planning how to stay, or at least, to return ASAP.

As for me, no time like the present. My coffee stock including Aguila Roja - harvested from CLO just last month, all three checked bags on CM - has taken a huge hit with gifts to relatives and friends... last year, the equivalent stock lasted ten months, but this time, it won't make it that far. Time to stop my January LIM-TUS trip over in CO again...

Kacee

Yes this is exactly how it works! Clueless woman kept trying to tell me I owed her $37 US. I had to tell her "pagado en el ticket" like sixteen times before she realized I was due the refund.

Not me

Open Jaw

I am about to book an April 2014 AV RT flight to PEI via BOG from JFK with US DM miles. US tells me that all taxes will be included in my ticket price. AV says they are not sure if the tax will be included. Will I or will I not need to pay it or get the stamp? I will be in Colombia for 10 days. Sorry if I sound dumb but I am still a little confused.

Thanks

JohnnyColombia

You need to get the stamp. The residents' exit tax will not be included in your ticket as you are not liable to pay it.

Enjoy Pereira

Open Jaw

Thanks Johnny. One other question. When I get the stamp will they charge me for it? Then will I be able to get it refunded at Check-in? I will make sure I have the $37 in USD and COP just in case.

JohnnyColombia

No the stamp is to say you are exempt from taxes. You do not have to pay for it. You will not be asked to pay 37USD either

Open Jaw

Muchas gracias, Johnny

mx2

Thanks for the replies. Just wanted to update on my OP. It went down pretty much as in Johnny's description in #2. I got the money back in COP after going back and forth a few times between check-in and the taxes office at Bogota Airport (really feels like they could optimize this process ). There is an exchange office with not-too-horrible exchange rates inside the secured area where I changed the money to USD.

The Avianca lounge was great, btw. I loved it!

coolcoil

Well, it's not really that bad. Next time, go straight to the tax office before checking in. They will stamp your passport and give you the paper, and then you go through check in. Unfortunately, first-time travelers usually go to the airline first, and thus the back-and-forth (I think it took me two or three trips before I figured that out).

KenInEscazu

I was lucky, as I read about it on tripadvisor before my first trip to BOG. If I had not, I would have done the ticket-counter-to-the-impuestos-window-to-the-ticket-counter dance, too!

I wasn't so lucky when they came up with the law that I had to have a yellow fever vaccination to return to Costa Rica from Colombia. The TA told me about it as I was trying to check in to come home. Problem is, you can't just get the shot and fly. It takes ten days for the vaccine to take. Fortunately, a guy who ran the baggage wrapper at Eldorado must have been a doctor, as he got me a vaccine verification in about 10 minutes for only $200 US. It's hell being so easily identifiable as a Gringo. But I did fly that day.