How to get a Colombian Visa

Updated June 2018 to reflect the new visa rules

According to the Colombian Secretary of Tourism, the only risk for visitors coming here is wanting to stay. And it’s true! Many foreigners are fascinated with this beautiful country for a multitude of reasons including its amazing nature, the very welcoming and kind people, the weather, multi-ethnicity, music, etc. A growing group of foreigners is also finding Colombia very attractive for its investment opportunities in businesses, agriculture and real estate – especially the ones holding dollars at the moment. Others see Colombia as a very budget-friendly destination. With the money they make or have made in their home countries, a lot of people can live like kings in Colombia. Finally, there is the group that has fallen in love with a Colombian woman or man (myself included).

If you’re looking to live in Colombia, either part or full-time, then you will need to have a Colombian visa allowing you to do so. Citizens of most countries in  Europe and the Americas will get 90 days upon arrival which can be once for a total maximum of 180 days per year,

It’s no secret that many Latino countries are quite bureaucratic. Colombia is no exception. As a foreigner here, few things are more complicated or inspire bigger headaches than the process of acquiring a visa to reside in the country. Tales of people getting their applications rejected more than 10 times are common. Colombia is far from alone in this boat. Every year, countries all over the world tighten borders, complicate regulations and make it harder for people to obtain a visa. Heck, even the mother of my own children had her Danish visa rejected so I know how it feels when you’re forced to leave a place that you want to call home.

Colombian Visa

In Colombia, the previous 19 different types of visas have been reduced to 3 types: Visitor (V), Resident (R) or Migrant (M). All visa applications get processed by Migración in Bogota.

I know of many foreigners who have flown to Bogota, spent their entire day standing in line, jumping running through all their hoops just to have their application rejected. The good news is, that Migración Colombia has been working on speeding up the process by providing an online application form, but filling it out can be tricky. Make a tiny mistake and they will reject your visa application. Since every application has to go through a visa study before getting approved, and each study costs between $12-52 USD, it is a fast way of burning through a lot of cash if you do not get it right the first time.

Essentially, the new visa rules have made it a lot easier to understand what visa type to apply for. The exacts words from the  Migration website, goes:

Visitor (type V) for the foreigner wishing to visit Colombia once or several times or to stay temporarily in the country without this being permanent.

This visa allows the holder to perform, among other activities: airport transit, tourism, business, academic exchange and studies in art or trades and graduate courses, medical treatment, administrative and/or judicial procedures, boat or coastal platform crew, participation in events, residencies or internships, volunteering, audiovisual and/or digital production, journalistic coverage, temporary service provider, intra-corporate personnel transfer within the framework of current international instruments, foreign government commercial representative or official, vacation – employment program and courtesy.

Please note, that many of these above activities can be carried out on a regular tourist visa, the 90-day permit that many people receive upon arrival.

Migrant Visa (type M) for the foreigner who wishes to enter or remain in the national territory with the intention of establishing himself/herself and does not meet the conditions for a type R visa.
This visa may apply to people in the following condition: Spouse or permanent companion of Colombian national; parent or child of Colombian national by adoption; migrant under the Mercosur Agreement; a refugee; job; businessperson; practice a profession or independent activity; religious; elementary, middle, and undergraduate students; real estate investor; retiree or landlord.

The type M visa is the one that most people will opt to apply for as it replaces spousal, work, investor, retiree, business and student visas. And the best part is that in most cases, type M visas will now be granted 3 years where they previously were given only 1 year.

Please note that the requirements are still exactly the same as before. Nothing has changed in that regard.

So to qualify for the type M visa as an investor in a Colombian business, you will still need to invest at least 100 times the monthly Colombian minimum wage which for the year 2018 is $781.242 COP meaning the total investment should be at least $27.000 USD.

If you wish to qualify through the purchase of real estate, you will still need to invest at least 350 times the monthly Colombian minimum wage, or about $96.000 USD.

If you’re a retiree, you will still need to prove that you have a monthly pension deposited into your account of at least 3 times the monthly minimum wage – $2.343.726 COP – the equivalent of about $820 USD.

And so forth.

Resident Visa (Type R) for those aspiring to establish themselves or begin a permanent residency in Colombia due to: having renounced Colombian nationality; being the parent of a Colombian national by birth; accumulated time of permanence; foreign direct investment.

There are 4 ways to go straight to residency.

1 – Having held a type M visa (or the equivalent old TP-7, etc) uninterrupted for 5 years or more or held a marriage visa more than 2 years (old TP-10).

2 – Being the parent of a Colombian national.

3 – Investing at least 650 times the Colombian minimum wage – $507 million COP ($177.000 USD at today’s exchange rate) into either real estate or a business.

4 – If you have previously had to renounce your Colombian citizenship

Getting professional help

A few years ago, an associate of mine, Jessy (Yessika Marin), started making visa applications for our family and friends, who were having trouble getting their visas approved. One visa led to the next, and eventually, she decided to start a business by helping foreigners get their Colombian visa. Need a certificate from the Banco de la Republica? Jessy will get it. Need an accounting balance for your business from a certified Colombia accountant? Jessy will get it. And so forth. She navigates the bureaucracy, takes care of the initial application online and a have trusted, dedicated team member in Bogota, who has been working with visa applications in Colombia for more than 10 years. With your passport in hand and a power of attorney representing your interests, he makes the trip to Migración on your behalf, saving you the time, headaches and wasted money on visa studies, airline tickets, taxies, etc.

Expect 5-10 working days from the beginning of the application until you receive your passport with your new Colombian visa.

Cedula de Extranjería

Any visa with a duration longer than 3 months qualifies for a Colombian ID – the Cedula de Extranjería, which you will need for almost everything when living here, including opening bank accounts, utility plans, insurance, getting a driver’s license, etc.

Upon receiving your visa, you have 15 days to register it and request your Cedula de Extranjería. To register the visa, upload documentation, and book an appointment for your Cedula de Extranjería, click here.

Once presenting yourself at local immigration office (by appointment), an official will provide you with a bill to pay for the Cedula de Extranjería which currently costs $190.000 COP.

Once everything has been approved and the expenses paid, the Cedula de Extranjería can be picked up at any local Migración. They will tell you when it is ready. Cali’s Migración is located here.

In order to pick up your cedula, you will need to bring your original passport with the original visa stamped inside.

Costs

Jessy charges $350 USD for her services. On top of that comes the government fees for the application study ($15-52 USD) and the actual visa issuance ($52-385 USD), depending on the type of visa you apply for. Please note that the required documentation for every single visa type is different.

Feel free to call/whatsapp Yessika Marin on (+57) 315-556-0314 or shoot her an email to jessy@calicapital.com to get started. She also works with a business lawyer that will help you to create your company if needed.

Questions are welcome. Her objective is to design the best strategy for you to get a visa. Jessy also works with a bilingual business lawyer that can help you set up your company if needed.

PS. I wrote another article about starting a business in Colombia which you might find useful as well.

(Photo credit: http://www.cancilleria.gov.co/)