Colombia Forum

cafetero
Joined 2015
Posts: 2328

5 years ago

Rentista vs Pensinado

5 years ago

I just copied this off the Expats in Colombia Facebook group from attorney Alan Gongora

Alan Gongora
tag Visas & tourist permits
LEGAL BULLETIN: DISABILITY BENEFITS AND RETIREMENT VISA VS. RENTISTA/ANNUITY VISA: We are still seeing a ton of confusion about these visa types, both from applicants and, even more disturbingly, from foreign consulates themselves.

By way of background, if you receive monthly retirement benefits that exceed approx. US$810 you are entitled to a 3 year RETIREMENT VISA. Separately, if you receive a fixed monthly payment from some third party source such as from rental or investment income (excluding employment income) that exceeds approx. US$2,700 you are entitled to a RENTISTA/ANNUITY VISA. Technically speaking, if you receive disability benefits you “should” be treated as applying for a “rentista” visa and NOT a retirement visa.

The problem for applicants is that some consulates continue to treat retirement visa applicants as if they were “rentista” applicants and are immediately denied because their monthly benefits do not exceed the minimum requirements. Another problem is that if the documentation used to apply for a retirement visa includes the word “disability” it will also be treated as if it was a “rentista” visa application.

Bottom line, if (1) you receive disability benefits or (2) you just want to minimize any risk that your application will be treated as a “rentista” visa application you should NOT apply from a foreign consulate but instead apply the next time you are in Colombia. Assuming you have at least 5-6 weeks in Colombia this is usually the best option for retirees.

Take care everyone!

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