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International transit @ BOG

International transit @ BOG

Old Oct 12, 2015, 3:30 pm
  #16  
 
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Originally Posted by drvannostren
Lol, I guess we're stuck paying it. CTG doesn't have too many INTL flights, I wonder if you were on that JFK-CTG-PEI flight, if you crossed customs at CTG (not sure how that flight works) what would happen.

It's an interesting situation if nothing else.
Not stuck if you arrive CTG on international flights: Sunwing, jetBlue, Spirit, Copa, Avianca. I keep looking as that as arrival to SA to have some fun time in Cartegena, Cafe del Mar for sunset beverages, before moving on southward but have yet to see anything that makes sense. One day though...
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Old Oct 12, 2015, 4:21 pm
  #17  
 
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Yea, I've looked at that too, but often the price to get to CTG, then getting myself to MDE is another night and then $100 or more so I might as well just pay the $80 and be done with it haha.
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Old Oct 12, 2015, 4:54 pm
  #18  
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Originally Posted by bingocallerb22

*I say bs because Canada does charge Colooombians a fee to examine and process the visa, that is, they do something. All Migracin Colombia does is set up a booth to collect the $80, no additional work at all, nada.
The reciprocity fee does not apply to visa processing I don't think. The Colombians got upset because Canadia required a biometric check for the visa, I do not know if the $80 relates to the additional cost of the biometric processing but the upset was caused by every single Colombian having to go in person to Bogot to get the check where previously I understand they could have done it remotely.

You can still call it BS of course because as you point out, Colombians are getting a biometric check and in return they are doing nothing apart from setting up a booth to take your money. I presume it is 80 USD because CAD is not worth anything any more and probably the booth would be loss making.

I do not need to get a biometric check if I want to go to Canadia, I can just turn up I think, so maybe that is what rubbed the Colombians up the wrong way, they may have felt that they could swallow the visa fee but not the added inconvenience. It could even be that there was a clash of personalities between the Canadian embassy and the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, maybe even a love triangle that ended badly. Who knows?

I don't know why they picked on the Canadians. If you happen to be in Barranquilla and you want a USA visa I do not know whether it is possible to do it at their consulate up there, otherwise USA visa applicants have to come to Bogot too.

Reciprocal visa fees are inherently fair and just, but a country with a developing tourism industry and plenty of minerals probably ought to have thought it through better before sticking it to the Canadians
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Old Oct 13, 2015, 6:29 am
  #19  
 
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LOL with you about the decline of the Cdn dollar. But it is pretty... and plastic, no?

The reciprocity fee is 160000 COP. I do not argue that Colooombia has the right to impose any silly fee they want to discourage Canadian tourism. The bs part is they claim the fee is for Canadians to use the Platinum System. Gosh, thanks. This Platinun System is simply to designate (not create) the last booth at the far end to collect the 160000 for doing what they do at any of the booths, excepting collecting the mandatory charge to use that booth.

160.000 (ciento sesenta mil pesos colombianos) por el uso de la Plataforma nica de Informacin Migratoria (Sistema Platinum) que utiliza Migracin Colombia durante el proceso de control...

bs
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Old Oct 13, 2015, 8:56 pm
  #20  
 
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Yea I love the "platinum" name its so goofy. At least with the peso drop it's cheaper, I think after conversion I paid $71 last week, instead of the near $90 it started at.

I'm hopeful to get a visa one day, I just don't have any grounds for one currently.
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Old Oct 13, 2015, 9:41 pm
  #21  
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Originally Posted by bingocallerb22
The bs part is they claim the fee is for Canadians to use the “Platinum System”. Gosh, thanks. This Platinun System is simply to designate (not create) the last booth at the far end to collect the 160000 for doing what they do at any of the booths, excepting collecting the mandatory charge to use that booth.
Well you are saying that they are not giving you anything for your 160 mil COP but they are giving you access to the special lane for Canadians. You might obviously say that you did not request a special lane for Canadians and you see no benefit in it. But the Colombians could say the same about the biometric fee and the unsolicited and undesired biometric process and unwanted journey to Bogot. Perhaps Colombia was happy with the status quo but was affronted by being included in the 150 countries that had to go into the biometric system.

According to Stephen Harper who is apparently the King of Canada or something. It is to "stop terrorism" So given that "por motivos de seguridad" is the excuse for everything in Colombia, one would have to ask oneself who is trolling/reciprocating whom?

I am all for it. I would half like my country to reciprocate the ESTA questions and $14 fee for Americans

a) Between the years of 1775 and 1783 were you a combatant engaged against Great Britain in the American War of Independence?
b) Spell aluminium
c) etc.

Originally Posted by drvannostren
Yea I love the "platinum" name its so goofy. At least with the peso drop it's cheaper, I think after conversion I paid $71 last week, instead of the near $90 it started at.
Given the name is a bit silly I actually checked to see if Canadia was using a similarly (or even identical name) for their biometric check service. They are not, it is just called a biometric check test.

Originally Posted by drvannostren
I'm hopeful to get a visa one day, I just don't have any grounds for one currently.
If you do get a visa one day, then be sure to do it in Bogot- The Bogot offices of Migracin Colombia are in "Platinum House." Imagine that, a hole building of fila preferente and not just for Canadians.
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Old Oct 13, 2015, 11:04 pm
  #22  
 
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Actually, I agree with you.

I tried fact checking if Colooombians could get the biometric data done elsewhere other than Bogota. Maybe it seemed at Medallin, but the Canadian website was so terrible I gave up. Feeling sorry for anyone in Colombia trying to navigate that morass... with no Spanish version! It did show various VAC sites thoughout the country though.

Back to topic. To add ironic humour to my story about paying the fee to get my bag because on separate tix. The guy at the Platinum line with the silver tongue was sympathic and said he would raise the issue with his titanium boss (the issue of me being in transit yet he had to collect the fee even though they advertize Canadians are exempt if in transit). He suggested I just go back and use the in transit short cut and ask AV to fetch my bag for me. I did so. Got through the in transit secuity no problem. AV just laughed me. So I returned, paid the fee, went down for my bag – it wasn't there. LAN had left it in MIA! So all for naught.

I am thinking next time I'll just make sure my bag is tagged all the way to destination and simply abandon it in BOG, use in transit shortcut, and at destination claim my bag never showed up in BOG (can happen, did happen).
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Old Oct 14, 2015, 12:51 am
  #23  
 
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Colombian Candian Reciprocity fee tests

Given the information about reciprocity fee in transit exemptions are not well explained, I've tried to test the new system to glean more info.

Had a LIM-BOG-CTG trip. Went to the normal immigration line, not the Platinum line. She noticed the Canadian passport and I told her yes, but Canadians are exempt if going to CRT as per the announcement on website. Nope, you need the sticker. Oh, I have one and handed her a sticker from previous trip (they are all the same and no dates). Temporary pause then the teflon lady called over the silver tongued guy from the Platinum line and the jig was up. I am amassing a collection of those stickers.
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Old Oct 14, 2015, 5:07 am
  #24  
 
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Originally Posted by JohnnyColombia
Well you are saying that they are not giving you anything for your 160 mil COP but they are giving you access to the special lane for Canadians. You might obviously say that you did not request a special lane for Canadians and you see no benefit in it...
.
Yup, so true. It is not optional, the use of the Platinum lane is mandatory and expensive. If it were optional, I would then use the Gold lane. The Gold lane is for those in their golden years. And is faster because no line up and free so no delay processing my cc.

Bottom line is that whatever you think about the fairness of reciprocity fees, it is clearly unfair to charge a Canadian in transit at BOG the fee, no? They are doing that if on separate tix.
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Old Oct 14, 2015, 11:45 am
  #25  
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Originally Posted by bingocallerb22

Bottom line is that whatever you think about the fairness of reciprocity fees, it is clearly unfair to charge a Canadian in transit at BOG the fee, no? They are doing that if on separate tix.
Well there are two answers to this.

a) Instinctively I am inclined to agree with you that Canadians that are not visiting Colombia should be able to transit without paying the fee. Do you actually pay the fee or only if you do some Bingo shenanigans? If you come MIA LIM via BOG on AV would you actually have to go through immigration?

b) Second answer is one of reciprocation again. Can Colombians transit through Toronto for free? If the answer is no, then in the spirit of reciprocation, I could see why Canadians would not be allowed to transit through BOG for free, but I suspect if Canadians were prevented from going YYZ SAL BOG LIM then AV might complain to someone.
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Old Oct 14, 2015, 10:05 pm
  #26  
 
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Well now, there you go, showing off how clear thinking you are.

I hadn't looked at it that way, just instinctively thought. So I checked. Colombians need a visa to transit Canada. So your thinking works. So all I am left with is that at BOG they do not have to but they have promised to allow me to transit without fee. Which I can if all on one tix, not if separate tix (if no interlining).

(Also checked if Colombians have to go to Bogota for the biometrics. They do not! ... they could alternatively go to Medallin LOL)
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Old Oct 21, 2015, 1:22 pm
  #27  
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No issues transiting GYE-BOG-CUR in August. Didnt even think of the reciprocity fee.
(would have pulled out 2nd passport if they asked :P)
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