Volunteering - Visa is needed?
Replies: 4 - Last Post: Feb 18, 2013 3:28 PM Last Post By: LivefromMedellin
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Volunteering - Visa is needed?
Hi there!i like to do some volunteer work in colombia. As long as i am a tourist i dont need a visa. But once i am going to do some volunteering, the embassy requieres a visa which must be issued in advance in my homecountry. It will takes approx.14days and i need 'papers/infos' about the volunteering organisation... (which i dont have).
Does anyone have experience with it? Does anyone in colombia investigate?? thanks for your reply :)
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Hi...First and foremost, I would NEVER recommend doing anything illegal in colombia... and any of the "sisters" that may tell you it is "safe" to do so, does not know Colombia, and most likely does not live in Colombia... .
Having clarified this, there are some volunteers who have come on a tourist stamp, worked as volunteers, never got paid in any shape (actually they were asked to pay $30.000 to be allowed to volunteer), left Colombia and never got caught...
That does not mean that you won't...
Hope this helps... if you have any more questions, please feel free to ask...
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I responded to the body of your post... However, I noticed that you asked a less noticeable question in the subject.I don't have a firsthand experience, but I hope the following important link will help you out:
http://www.colhouston.org/pdf/visas_english/ONG.pdf
3
You won't have trouble without visa. Though volonteering in Colombia like in many other places seems to have become a business. You'll be charged one way or another to do volonteering. And they will probably tell you that you don't need a visa. I was going to volonteer in a child organisation until I realised they charged me as much as it cost me to live in Bogotá. Something wrong there ?!4
"I was going to volonteer in a child organisation until I realised they charged me as much as it cost me to live in Bogotá. Something wrong there ?! "You mean ALL your expenses and food included? right?
If it is a "legitimate" charity, it is understandble that they'd want to be able to pass as close to the 100% of the donations they receive to the children... That means that volunteers must be able to pay for their own expenses... Otherwise volunteers may want to volunteer in their local areas... or just come to Bogotá as tourists...
That's the true spirit of volunteering... It is to make a difference in the lives of the children who have nothing...
If it is not legitimate, then it does not merit your time...
I invite to give us the facts so we can better understand why you feel that there is something wrong there...
