My friend lives in Bogotá, Colombia. Can I help her get a Colombian passport, and can I pay with a credit card from the USA?
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7Welcome to TSE. It's unclear from your question what your friend's intentions are, or why she would not be able to obtain a passport on her own, assuming she is Colombian by nationality. How long have you known this friend, and have you met in person? I ask because there are a very large number of scams where someone pretends to need money for a visa or some vaguely described fee or tax in order to visit.– chosterCommented Oct 11, 2021 at 18:19
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4How much money does your friend say is needed to obtain the passport? The fee in Bogota seems to be 169,000 Colombian pesos, which is about 45 US dollars.– phoogCommented Oct 11, 2021 at 19:28
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9I hate that I have to ask this, but have you actually met your friend in real life? See My online friend is asking for money in order to visit my home country. Is this a legit request or a scam?– Peter MCommented Oct 11, 2021 at 20:11
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1 Answer
I urge you to be extremely careful here, and to follow the advice given elsewhere to think carefully about if the request is legitimate or a scam.
If you are certain of your friend's identity and conclude that you do indeed want to help them pay for a passport, you can indeed to so by credit card. According to the step-by-step instructions on the Colombian government's website, you must go to https://tramites.cancilleria.gov.co/apostillalegalizacion/pago/inicioPagoTC.aspx, enter the payment reference number created when your friend applies for their passport, and follow the further instructions there. Note that the URL ends in .gov.co, so you can be sure it is a Colombian government website and not some imposter. Given the existence of this site, be especially wary for requests for funds by Western Union or some other non-refundable, non-traceable method.
The cost for a Colombian passport issued in Bogotá is 169,000 Colombian Pesos as of this writing, plus an additional 2,200 pesos for paying by credit card, a total of just over US$45 at current exchange rates. Again, be especially wary of claims that you will have to pay significantly more than this.