Colombia
2.3.2 Colombia Cucuta Border Crossing
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Overview

The Simón Bolívar International Bridge is the main border crossing point between Colombia and Venezuela over the Táchira River, which forms the border between both countries. It is a key bridge for trade integration purposes among both countries as 80% of the exports from Colombia to Venezuela pass through it.

The bridge connects the Colombian municipalities of San José de Cúcuta and Villa del Rosario with the cities of San Antonio and San Cristóbal in the Venezuelan state of Táchira. Both countries share the bridge structure with a length of 315 meters, 2 lanes, and a width of 7.3 meters.

This border crossing currently has a large flow of people coming from Venezuela into the Colombian territory, mainly for food purchases, informal work, medicines and health care. There is enough supply in both Cúcuta and Villa del Rosario to provide all types of consumer goods, health care, etc. for both local citizens and migrants who can afford to pay for them.


Border Crossing Location and Contact Information

Name of the border crossing

Simon Bolivar International Bridge

Department

Norte de Santander

Nearest city or town to the crossing and distance

Villa del Rosario to 0 km

San José de Cúcuta to 10 km

Latitude

7.9075

Longitude

-72.504722

Administrative Authority

Mayor of Cúcuta

Contact Person

Lina Serrano, Regional Adviser

Phone Number 5784949

 

Travel Time

Nearest International Airport

Camilo Daza International Airport, Norte de Santander

Distance in km: 5.4 km

Travel time by truck: 0.3 hr

Travel time by car: 0.2 hr

Nearest Port

Santa Marta Seaport, Magdalena

Distance in km: 633 km

Travel time by truck: 22 hrs

Travel time by car: 11 hrs

Nearest town with markets, wholesale suppliers and/or relevant manufacturing and productive operations

 

Cúcuta, Norte de Santander

Distance in km: 5 km

Travel time by truck: 0.3 hr

Travel time by car: 0.2 hr

Additional information

 

Gas stations are available in Cúcuta and Villa del Rosario. Truck weigh scales are located before the border crossing of the Simón Bolívar Bridge.

Hours of Operation

Monday

24 hrs

Tuesday

24 hrs

Wednesday

24 hrs

Thursday

24 hrs

Friday

24 hrs

Saturday

24 hrs

Sunday

24 hrs

National Holidays

Closed

Weather-related contingencies

October and November are the months with heavy rainfalls.

Daily Capacity

About 90% of the people transiting through the border zone pass through this immigration check post. The current crisis in Venezuela, worsened by fuel shortages, has brought this border crossing point on the verge of humanitarian disaster, as thousands of people who want to leave the Caribbean nation mix with those who seek to return, driven by poverty and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Informal trade also takes place due to the considerable number of illegal border crossings (17 illegal paths identified by October 2020) along the border, where people and consumer goods are moved without the proper controls of a duly recognized border crossing point.

Customs

According to Article 90 of Decree 1165 of 2019, all means of transport arriving in the national customs territory must pass through the posts enabled by the Directorate of National Taxes and Customs (DIAN).

Approximate times

Decree 1165 of 2019 establishes that the types of controls for customs procedures are as follows:

  • Physical inspection: This inspection lasts 1 working day, i.e. if cargo arrival is on Monday, the vehicle will depart to its destination on Tuesday.
  • Documentary inspection: This inspection lasts between 1 and 3 days maximum.
  • Automatic inspection: On the same day.

Supporting documents

All documents are specified in Article 349 of Decree 1165 of 2019.

  • Shipment authorization form
  • Transport form
  • Invoice
  • Packing list (if applicable)
  • Transport documents
  • Approval (if applicable)
  • Customs mandate

These documents must be kept for 5 years at the customs agency processing the transport operation.

In cases when the transportation does not involve any cargo, public or private service companies transporting passengers only, or when it is a technical stop or landfall, the transporter shall give notice of its arrival to the corresponding customs office, at least 1 hour in advance.

Upon arrival at the border crossing point, travel documents are received and registered right there to present goods to the customs authority. Presented goods are understood as those of foreign origin listed in the Bill of Lading, which is reported via the DIAN web platform and must include at least the following information:

  1. Identity of the means of transport
  2. Travel information
    1. Origin of goods
    2. Place of destination
    3. Total weight and number of cargo units to be transported
    4. Transport document number
    5. Number and weight of packages
    6. Consolidated cargo indicator

Transport document information submitted via the DIAN web platform. The following information must be included at least for transport and consolidation documents:

  1. Consignee tax payer ID (other than that of the temporary or customs warehouse)
  2. Tariff subheading
  3. Type of cargo
  4. Number and date of the transport document or consolidation document
  5. Number, weight and volume of packages, as applicable
  6. Cargo unit identity, if applicable
  7. Description of goods
  8. Other transport contract specifications as required by the National Tax and Customs Directorate

The transporter must provide travel document information via the DIAN web platform before or upon the arrival of the means of transport.

Upon arrival of the means of transport to the national customs territory, the transporter or its authorized representative shall inform such information via the DIAN web platform. After receiving the arrival notice, the DIAN shall authorize the entry of the goods into the national territory. For customs purposes, the goods arrival date shall be the date of the acknowledgment of arrival notice receipt via the Electronic Data Processing platform.

For land transportation, there is no need to present the notice of completion of unloading. For consolidated cargo, the transporter is required to notify the international freight forwarder or multimodal transport operator immediately upon unloading to initiate their corresponding operations under their responsibility.

Finally, during the inspection, compliance between the cargo and the information provided in the bill of lading, as well as the documents supporting the business operation shall be verified, as well as compliance with the requirements set forth in special regulations, without prejudice to the power to conduct any good inspections, whenever DIAN deems it necessary.

At that moment, the import declaration (DUA in Spanish) is submitted via the DIAN web platform and accepted; then customs duties are calculated and paid at a bank or electronic transfer. After confirming declaration payment in the system, the release of goods is requested using the same platform. This release can be by physical or automatic inspection. In the first case, the DIAN inspector must verify that physical goods match the information in documents to finally issue the release and free disposition of goods. In the second case, the release and free disposition of goods are issued immediately.

Contact Person:

DIAN Cúcuta Sectional Directorate, Simón Bolívar International Bridge.

Phone number: 3045233301 - 3008147213. Business hours: 24x7

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