I tried he same thing... but i had to wait for my Cedula.

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You'll find that very difficult, especially on a tourist visa. They will all take the view that you could just jump on a plane back to the US, and leave them with a load of debt. There's not a lot of security in tourist visas, and no way of them getting their money back if you do a runner.

You'll need to get a long term visa, like a residency, or pensionada, or spousal visa, then apply for your cedula. I know its sounds hard, but its probably the only way you'll get an account.

Other than that, look at your bank back home. Do they have an arrangement with a Colombian bank? Some have a tie-up, and could hold a possibility of a recommendation from them to their "partner" bank here. Long shot, but its worth looking at.

Where in Bogota are you? (You can PM me to save giving out any personal info)

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The last reply is nonsense and don't listen to that. You can open a basic debit account with Bancolombia with your passport. There is obviously no debt because if you do not put money into the account then you can't spend any it's not a Credit Card!! I opened my account in Barranquilla and i didn't even have a visa never mind a Cedula, that was 2 years ago, you can transfer in $6999USD a month using SWIFT/BIC up to $27,000USD per year and if you need to transfer more you have to go to the bank and see the manager you'll need your last 3 payslips and probably a letter from your work, I know you can do this despite what some others say because i have done it on umpteen occasions to my own 2 accounts and my GF's accounts. If you are buying something in Colombia like a car or House the company will send a rep to the bank with you to explane this to the manager. If all else fails and you cannot open an account then you can try my bank in BAQ it is on Calle 93 # 46. Good luck.

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Yes, I agree with the second statement, as I myself opened an account with a tourist visa, I am working on a services contract teaching English and didn't want to be carting a bunch of cash home once a month!! Only if you are working though, my employer suggested bancolombia, as many of our new teaches opened accounts with them..... My employer wrote a letter ( just saying my approximate salary a month, my position and the term of the contract), which really was a load of rubbish, but necessary for the bank. The letter needs to be in Spanish, you also need a photocopy of your passport. There are loads of teaching establishments that you could probably get a class or two out of, obtain the letter and open the account. I've heard this is possible without the employer letter, but here it seems to depend more on the actual bank branch you go to than the actual bank, initially I got several different responses, but if you rock up with the letter and photocopy I think you'll be fine!

I've been here 6/7 months, if you want to catchup let me know, but I'm still learning the ropes myself :)

Goodluck!!

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There is no law that reauires you have a cedula to open a bank account. Every bank and then bank manager can decide weather this is required. Think about this though, A Colombian guy, visiting any town, U.S.A. walks into the local bank. He sits down at the customer service desk and says, "I want to open a checking account" They ask for his ID and he produces a Colombian Passport. They ask for his SS number and he has none.They ask for his address and he says next to the loco pollo store in barrio pablado in Medellin. Would you give him a bank account in your bank?

Essentially that is what you are doing but in reverse. Trying to put a square peg in a round hole.

Somthing else about bank accounts here in Colombia. There is a tax of .04% when you withdraw funds. Additionally the cost to have the debit card is around 10 to 20 mill per month. Depositing money into your account away from your zone where you opened the account cost between 10 and 20 mill per deposit. Depositing a check, between 10 and 20 mill and the list of fees nust goes on and on and on.

If you receive a dollar transfer, expect to pay about 5 to 8 percent in fees.

If they loan you an umbrella, be prepaired to return it if it rains.

Banks in Colombia make so much money, they keep the excess cash in a nice safe FDIC insured bank in the USA

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Well Jeannie, I can actually tell you that you do not even need to be working in Colombia to open an account as i work in Brazil and have done the whole time i have been living in Colombia( this is the reason i cannot get a Credit Card here) I work month on month off, but i make a good Salary. My work did have to write me a letter and i translated it to Spanish tho. But if you have your last 3 payslips you should be fine.

As for the amount they charge you for a Dollar transfer i have never been charged anything like 5 - 8% and i have probably transferred in about $90,000USD in the last couple of years. The SWIFT/ BIC transfer will take about 2 days but call Bancolombia on the morning of the second day and if the money is pending they will give you the best exchange rate possible for Bancolombia and it is usually not too bad, not XE rates but not too far off. My Bank on the Isle of Man gives me about the same exchange rate % from USD to Sterling as Bancolombia does from USD to COP.

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Yes, you can open the account as other person mentioned at Bancolombia using your passport.
Open the account with 100.000 pesos o more.
Good luck.

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Well said.

The 10,000 COP for month is such a scam. But as always, most Colombians just say, "that's the way it is here".

Here in Armenia I just opened up an account with Bank of Bogota as the construction company uses this bank as its payee to. At first, the dimwit sales lady informed me that blah, blah you can't open an account here. I informed her that I spoke to DAS and that they informed me that anyone has a right to open an account in Colombia. Of course, she has to speak with her manager to get an approval. He then sends an email to his corporate office and in two weeks later I get a new savings account with a debit card.

I only did this to transfer money from the USA to my new account here so that next year I can pay cash for my new 2 bedroom apt here in Armenia. Supposedly, you have to wait six months before this bank lets you wire funds into this account.

By the way, Bancolombia allows you to send up to 7 million pesos per month here in Armenia if you have an account with them. However, they never inform you of the 10,000 per month pesos surcharge until you ask them about it. They have also hinted that they prefer your pension to be deposited with them to open an account.

At this time, xoom allows you to wire 2,999 usd to a bancolombia account per month with a small peso fee as I am not a client.

I plan on establishing a wire transfer account with my Well's account so to just use their express send here and avoid the headaches.

What bancolombia does offer is a way to contact the police for an escort when you leave the bank so you don't get held up. Apparently, this happens more than not.

Be safe and happy money transfers here. Wackala!

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Soystar. Absolutely right. It is enshrined in law that every citizen has the right to open a bank account. But it is at the bank's discretion whether to accept the applicant, and of course, they are always ultra cautious when there is no fixed tie to Colombia, no fixed address, no family ties, no work history, no proven credit history, no history at all within the country, and on a tourist visa no permanency of a future within Colombia. El Loco Gringo's example is funny, but it is also an absolutely correct illustration of what is likely to happen in practice.

The main problem I would suspect, is that unlike D1llon, Kiwi, etc, Jennie has said (and in previous posts) that she does not work. Perhaps she would like to tell us of her experiences in trying to open an account, and we will see what the difficulties are, that she has encountered.

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Soystar. Absolutely right. It is enshrined in law that every citizen has the right to open a bank account. But it is at the bank's discretion whether to accept the applicant, and of course, they are always ultra cautious when there is no fixed tie to Colombia, no fixed address, no family ties, no work history, no proven credit history, no history at all within the country, and on a tourist visa no permanency of a future within Colombia. El Loco Gringo's example is funny, but it is also an absolutely correct illustration of what is likely to happen in practice.

The main problem I would suspect, is that unlike D1llon, Kiwi, etc, Jennie has said (and in previous posts) that she does not work. Perhaps she would like to tell us of her experiences in trying to open an account, and we will see what the difficulties are, that she has encountered.

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My experience:
I was able to open a bank account with Bancolombia in Pereira.
Requirements: my updated USA Passport and a local address.
Do keep copies of any and all paperwork related to the account. In particular, have a photo copy of the signature used to open the account.
Do keep the original passport used to open the account. This passport will eventually expire, yet you will need to present it in the event to resolve any issues.
Two years after opening the account, I lost the debit card which had been released to me during the opening account.
While in Colombia, I needed to make a large withdraw. I thought I would be able to walk into a branch, present my passport, and withdraw the cash.
Don’t even think about it. I had to present my debit card, which I had lost. I then had to request a new debit card, which required my signature. Unfortunately, my current signature was slightly different than the signature I used to open the account. This turned into a big problem. If you look at it from a good point, consider it a good security measure. Also remember that any major issues you have with the bank, you will need to resolve these issues at the branch where you opened the account. During the past five years, I have made 2 to 3 visits a year between Pereira and NYC. I noticed that I never see the same bank employees. Technically, Bancolombia does permit foreigners to open a standard debit account. The challenge is that most of the bank’s employees are not familiar with managing the policies governing foreign customers. You really need to have all your information ready and in order whenever you deal with the bank in person. By the way, the online banking they offer is great, made my life so much easier while in the States.

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Bancolombia will let you open an account with proof of income (I used my social security benefits letter in English), your passport, a copy of your passport bio page, and an initial deposit of at least 100.000 COP. At least that's my experience for a savings account with debit card at a branch in Medellin.

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I'm feeling a little bewildered, here; I'm from the South...I'm a little slow.

Can someone please give me a summary of the various/nefarious charges on their simple checking or savings' accounts. Here, there is Bancolombia, Davivienda, Banco AVVillas, oh jeez, I can't even remember...BBVA, or something like that, and others. I would appreciate it if one of you could speak to your charges from your own bank. Thanks, and good wishes from el caribe.

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I can't help you Walter with your question, but made me come up with another.

I live in Bogota, not for very long, but I wonder what I need to open an account here for if such a PIA.
I can get all the money I need from my Chase debit card, use all the credit card I need from Chase cc, and will worry about getting more money when I need to buy something big. My friend just took out a very small atm draw and was charged 4+K pesos for the service, was her own bank's atm, Davivienda.
I don't see the rush speaking for myself only.

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