lordlucan

This is just a twist on the other thread about the exit tax.

Should foreigners staying in Colombia on a visa, be paying the Tourism tax (JS) $15 dollars to enter the Country. I think in Mexico foreigners on a visa do not pay the Mexican Tourist tax.

coolcoil

From what I've seen, airlines add the tourist tax for any trip originating outside the country. If you booked a round trip, your flight back will not have included the resident exit tax, and you will have to pay it to the airline upon exiting.* I have never heard of a process for refunding the tourist tax. If your Spanish is good and you have a lot of patience, you might be able to find it by searching. However, I suspect that by the time you figure out the process and go through it you will have found that you've been working for minimum wage (Colombian minimum wage, that is!).

If you are entering the country for the first time after receiving your visa, don't forget to go to Immigracion to register for your cedula within 15 days after arrival. You pay an ever-increasing penalty for failure to do so. I waited about 7 months and it cost me an extra $150.


*FWIW - I was in the same boat when I first received my visa. When leaving Colombia for the first time after that, the resident exit tax had, of course, not been collected. Though I told the airline agent at check in that I had to pay the tax, they insisted that I go to the exemption window. The clerk there grumbled that I did not have a right to an exemption, but she gave it to me anyway. So, I got away with saving $37 or so that I did not deserve. I started originating my trips in Colombia, so now my taxes are correct.