This is the information you need to know that is common to any visa application, regardless of the type of visa that you are applying for. No matter if you are applying for an investor visa, a business owner visa, a digital nomad visa, retirement visa or the likes, you will still need to follow this process in any case.
Currently, these rules are to be found on the ResoluciĂłn 5477 de 2022, which is the general law regarding visas applications and requirements. This law started to be valid on october 22, 2022, before that, all visa applications were ruled by ResoluciĂłn 6045 de 2017.
The principles
Digital
Now, according to this law, all visa applications must be submitted online. This is not optional, is mandatory that the visa process must be carried out through the Ministry’s website. That means that there is not an office that you can go to make inquiries, there is not a way to mail physical documents as a general rule (only exceptionally).
Upon request
This means that all the visas are issued upon request. There is not such thing as an automatic visa approval, no matter your circumstances.
Reciprocity
This is an international law accepted principle. It means that Colombia gives foreigners the same treatment that the Colombians receive abroad. For example, US citizens should be treated like Colombians get treated on the US.
Discretionary faculty
It refers to the legal power granted to the Ministry of Foreign Relations, to make certain decisions regarding the approval, denial, and cancellation of visas based on their judgment and without needing to provide a detailed explanation. This authority is intended to allow immigration officials to act in the best interest of the national security, public order, and other considerations of the Colombian state
Legality
Nevertheless, as a French-influenced legal system, all the authorities and individuals are bounded to comply with the written law.
General requirements
1. The photo
This photo is the one that will go on your electronic visa once approved, which is why the authorities require that this photo be:
✅ Recent, in color and with a white background: Recent means that you can’t use your current passport photo or the one from your previous visa. You need to take a new one. (if you took this photo yourself from your phone, you can make the background totally white in this website)
âś…Â Neither hair nor accessories shall cover the head or face (no glasses, no piercings, no necklaces, no earrings)
âś…Â The face must be facing the camera and with a neutral expression
âś…Â The head complete and centered
âś…Â Both eyes must be open
âś…Â The size shall not exceed 300 kb
âś…Â 3x4cm jpg format.
This is an example of how the photo should be. Remember: no accessories.
2. The passport
You must provide a photocopy of the frontpage (where your personal data is) of your passport. Your passport must be valid for at least six (6) months beyond the date of your visa application.
3. The entrance stamp, its extension, previous visa or salvoconducto
If you are applying from Colombia, you must show evidence of your current legal status in the country.
In most cases, this requirement is met by attaching your last Tourism Permit (Entrance Stamp), provided that it won’t expire during the 30 days of the visa processing. If you have extended your stay, you must submit your Tourism Permit Extension as well.
In other cases, you may already have a previous visa, if that is the case, you must attach it.
In some other cases, if you have overstayed or your current visa is about to expire, you must go to MigraciĂłn Colombia to pay a fine through an administrative process and get a Salvoconducto for a visa application, and attach it. Remember that there are two types of Salvoconducto: 1. To leave the country and 2. To apply for a visa. The one that you need is the last one.
If you are applying from your home country, you don’t need to attach any of the mentioned documents.
If you are applying from a third country, that is, not Colombia and not your country, you need to attach your residency visa of that third country.
The process
All visa applications must follow the same process, even if is your second or third visa. This is because there is not such thing as visa renewals, you must file a new application every time.
The process is split in the following steps: 0. Documents gathering and preparation; 1. Form submission; 2. Visa study fee payment; 3. Request for information if needed; 4. Visa issuance fee payment; 5. Visa registration and CĂ©dula de ExtranjerĂa.
1. Documents gathering and preparation
The first stage of any visa application process is the document gathering and preparation. Depending on the type of visa that you will be applying to, this can vary greatly. After you got the general requirements for any visa, you will need to check the visa category you are aiming for and collect the specific required documentation for that visa category. For example, for the digital nomad visa besides passport, photo and entrance stamp, you’ll also need to get a verification letter, a health insurance and your bank statements from the last three months.
The visa application form submission
The application process is made online from this link.
You can find a walkthrough guide (in spanish) in this link.
They will ask you about your personal info (academic training, current job, address, etc), family info, migration history in Colombia, and whether you have applied before, if you’ve had a Colombian visa before or if you have been subject to sanctions (in case you overstayed). Be transparent and don’t make typing mistakes!
In the last section of the form, you will find a table where you will have to upload your documents. Keep in mind: All the documents cannot be more than 5mb in total, so compress them accordingly. You can’t submit more than 35 pages in total. Check if any of your PDFs is secured with encryption and remove such protection.
3. Make the first payment
Once submitted your application, you will receive an email with an unique identification number (save this number, you will need it to track the visa status and to modify your application, if needed) of your process. In the same email you will get the instructions to pay for the study of the Visa that will change depending on the visa category you are applying for.
You must pay within ten (10) days once you have applied. If you don’t pay in this period, your visa application will be considered withdrawn meaning that you will have to reapply.
4. Respond to “Requerimientos” (requests), if asked.
The authorities may ask you for additional information about your visa application to clarify your information or whatever they think necessary to “protect national security”.
It is important that these requirements are responded to as soon as possible, and that any additional required documents are attached. That is why it is important that at the time of submitting the application, you have all the required documents mentioned above, with the legal formalities when needed (notarization, apostille, translation…). This is because the authorities may give a short deadline to provide missing documents, and it may not be possible to obtain all the documentation within such short notice.
If you do not respond to the requirements, your visa may be denied or deemed inadmissible, although typically it is only deemed inadmissible. Notice that if your visa is denied, you will have to wait for 6 months to apply again for any kind of Colombian visa and apply for the next visa from your country of origin, and if is unadmitted, you can reapply right away, but you will have to pay again the $54.92USD.
To respond to the authority’s request, you will need to enter into the same form of your initial application and re-enter your passport data and fill the field of “Application registry number” with the Unique Identification Number you got in your first submission. Then you forward until the upload documents section and attach the required info.
5. Visa approval and registration
According to the law (Resolución 5477 de 2022, art, 13), the authorities will take up to 30 days to approve, reject as inadmissible or deny your request. If your visa has been deemed inadmissible, you can re-apply right away, if your visa is denied or “Negada”, you will have to leave the country in 30 days and wait 6 months to reapply from your country of origin.
You will get an email. If it is approved, it will have a payment link. You must pay the issuance fees within 10 days, otherwise the request will be archived and the visa denied.
After that payment, you will shortly get another email with your visa in pdf format. Print it and save it in a good place.
After you get your visa, it is mandatory to get registered at MigraciĂłn Colombia as a foreigner and get a foreign ID card (cĂ©dula de extranjerĂa), it will also be needed in order to open a bank account or hire local services (TV, internet, and so on).
6. Visa registration and CĂ©dula de ExtranjerĂa
Once you receive your visa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will inform you that you have 15 calendar days to register your visa and process your foreign ID card (“cĂ©dula de extranjerĂa”) with MigraciĂłn Colombia.
To do this, you must schedule an appointment with the MigraciĂłn Colombia office closest to your address, selecting the “CĂ©dula de extranjerĂa” option. For your appointment, you must bring:
- Your printed visa
- A copy of your passport
- Your original passport
- Pay a governmental fee of $246,000 (for 2024) for the issuance of the ID card
For your appointment, you must also have completed the Single Procedure Form for the foreign ID card, which can be found at this link. At the end of the form, it will generate a “FUT” number that you must tell the immigration officials.
During the appointment, they will take your fingerprints and a photograph, and at the end, they will tell you how many days it will be before you can collect your ID card.