Colombia

SAFETY: fair
Although the overall security situation in the country has improved considerably since the years of the internal conflict with the FARC guerrillas, which ended with the 2016 peace agreement, in January 2019 there was a violent attack on the Police Academy in Bogotá, claimed by the ELN guerrilla group. Kidnappings of foreigners have become much rarer, as have attacks on the civilian population. On the outskirts of the major cities (Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Cartagena), high levels of violence linked to highly structured organised crime persist, along with widespread petty crime. The latter also strikes in the wealthier and safer parts of the cities. Assaults, including armed assaults, for the purpose of robbery are frequent. The end of the conflict with the FARC has reopened the possibility of visiting regions of particular natural interest hitherto excluded from tourist circuits. Since March 2019, in the south-west of the country on the border with Ecuador, roadblocks have been set up on the Pan-American Highway as a result of indigenous protests, which in some cases have led to clashes with the authorities and have caused deaths.

TRANSPORT: poor
About 10% of roads, those linking the main cities, are paved, while the rest of the road network is in very poor condition, deteriorating markedly during the rainy periods. Rail connections are an adventure, while the domestic flight situation is essentially good.

Main airports: Barranquilla (Cortissoz), Bogotá (El Dorado), Cali (Aragón), Cartagena (Núñez), Manizales (Santáguida), Medellín (Córdova and Herrera)
Main ports: Barranquilla, Buenaventura, Cartagena, Muelles El Bosque, Puerto Bolívar, Santa Marta, Turbo.

ACCOMMODATION: good
A wide and varied range of accommodation.

COUNTRY FACTS: Full name: Republic of Colombia – Location: South America. Borders: Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuela and Brazil to the east, Peru and Ecuador to the south, Panama and the Pacific Ocean to the west - Time zone: UTC -5, 6 hours behind Italy, 7 during daylight saving time – Area: 1,139,000 sq km – Capital: Bogotá – Population: 44,380,000 – Religion: 90% Catholic, 10% other – Languages: Spanish – Measures: metric system for length, imperial system for weight.

CURRENCY: Colombian peso (COP). Sums equal to or greater than 10,000,000 US$ must be declared on the entry form; if not declared, the amount exceeding 10,000 US dollars or the equivalent in other currency will be confiscated by the airport customs authorities and returned only once its legal origin has been verified and on payment of a fine equal to 30% of the undeclared amount..– Credit cards: the most widely used credit cards are accepted in the larger cities and larger businesses; elsewhere, local currency – Exchange: bring euros; exchange is easy, and US dollars are also accepted.

ELECTRICITY: 110V and 60 Hz – Sockets: types A, B (bring an adapter).

DOCUMENTS: a valid passport is required. It is recommended that the passport's expiry date be no less than three months from the date of entry into Colombia. The Colombian authorities do not admit travellers with a damaged passport booklet. No visa is required for tourist stays of up to 90 days. For stays of more than 90 days, a residence permit must be requested from the consulate – Driving: international driving licence – Car: local third-party insurance.

COMMUNICATIONS AND TELEPHONES: Int. dialling code: 0057 – GSM: seven mobile telephone companies operate: Movistar, Claro, Tigo, ETB, Avantel, Virgin Mobile, Flash Mobile. All operators provide international roaming under agreements with the Italian companies. Local technology requires dual/tri/quad-band handsets. In some areas not all telephone companies work and, in rural areas, using a mobile phone can be difficult. Standard: GSM 1900/850.– Internet: widely available in the larger cities and in high-category hotels – Web domain: .co – Emergency numbers: police 112, ambulance 132.

RULES, LAWS AND CONDUCT:
Legislation on drug possession and/or dealing: drug trafficking is severely punished in Colombia, with heavy prison sentences for those who transport, offer or purchase drugs. The Agreement on the transfer of sentenced persons, signed in December 2016, has not yet been ratified. This means that the heavy sentences for such offences, even for small quantities of drugs, are served solely in Colombian prisons, where conditions of overcrowding, violence and squalor prevail.
Local legislation on sexual abuse or violence against minors: particular conditions of poverty and social and family breakdown give rise to child prostitution, especially in tourist resorts. It should be remembered that in Colombia offences against minors are severely punished and could also give rise to blackmail and extortion by the criminal gangs that control prostitution. Those who commit offences against minors abroad (sexual abuse, exploitation, prostitution, paedophilia) are also prosecuted on their return to Italy under the laws in force in our country. In the event of problems with the local police (detention or arrest), you are advised not to resist or argue with the officers, but to ask immediately to telephone the nearest Italian Embassy or Consulate for all appropriate assistance.

HEALTH: Private health facilities are generally of a good standard and far better equipped than public ones, but very expensive. There is no difficulty in obtaining medicines, but as there is a risk of counterfeit drugs, it is advisable to use only qualified pharmacies and avoid non-specialist shops.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS: 1 January, New Year's Day; 8 January; Easter; 1 May, Labour Day; 11-17 June; 1 August; 7 August; Ascension; Corpus Christi; Sacred Heart of Jesus; 20 August; Assumption; Día de la Raza; 12 October, anniversary of the discovery of America; 1 November, All Saints' Day; 4 November; 11 November, Independence of Cartagena; 8 December; 25 December, Christmas Day.

OPENING HOURS: Banks: Mon-Fri 09.00-15.00 – Post offices: Mon-Fri 09.00-15.00 Shops: Mon-Sat 9.00-12.30, 14.30-19.30 Closing day: Sunday.

CLIMATE: tropical. In the rainforests of the Amazon region, the northern Pacific coast and the central Magdalena valley the climate is hot and very rainy. Along the southern Pacific coast, on the Caribbean coast and in some inland areas there is a monsoon climate with one or more dry months. In the Atlantic lowlands, dry (November-April) and wet (May-October) periods alternate. This climate is also found in the Llanos region and in the upper Magdalena valley. Here the dry season is generally accompanied by wind and sand storms. On the Caribbean coast a dry climate prevails; rain falls only in April and between October and November, and temperatures are high with wide daily ranges. These conditions are also found in the gorges of some rivers (Patía, Cauca, Chicamocha and Zulia) and in part of the northern Magdalena valley. In the northernmost part of the department of La Guajira the climate is desert-like.

Monthly min/max temperatures (in °C)

Rainy days (at least 1 mm of rain)/monthly rainfall in mm

USEFUL ADDRESSES

Embassy of Colombia
Via G. Pisanelli, 4 - 00196 Rome
Tel.: 06/3612131 - 06/3614348 - 06/3200405 Fax: 06/3225798
Web: www.embajadadecolombia.it
Email: eitalia@cancilleria.gov.co

Italian Embassy in BOGOTÁ
Calle 93 B n. 9-92
Bogotá, Colombia
Tel.: (0057-1) 2187206 - 2180865
Fax: 6105886
E-mail: ambbogo.mail@esteri.it
Website: www.ambbogota.esteri.it

HONORARY CONSULATES:

BARRANQUILLA
Calle 79 n. 47-61 – local 7 / Ap.Aéreo 2489
Tel./Fax: (0057-5) 3680174 – 3680172
E-mail: barranquilla.onorario@esteri.it

CALI
Carrera 3 n. 7-75 Office 502 / Ap.Aéreo 9388
Tel. (0057-2) 8801720 / Fax: 8960365
E-mail: cali.onorario@esteri.it

CARTAGENA
Carrera 3 # 4-162
Tel. (0057-5) 6454251 / Fax: 6651837
E-mail: cartagena.onorario@esteri.it

MEDELLÍN
Carrera 36 n.10b-31 of.202
TEL (0057-4) 2668434
E-mail: medellin.onorario@esteri.it