Colombia visa: Requirements and application procedure

Colombia visa requirements are simple and easy to understand. Colombia has a liberal visa policy offering visa exemption to most nationalities. Colombia offers eVisa to those who require a visa.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS ARTICLE
You will learn everything about Colombia visa requirements, application procedure, documentation required, visa fee, payment methods, application status and entry/exit formalities at the airport. 

Colombia eVisa is available to many nationalities. The entire application process is online and a printable eVisa is issued. The only issue being the visa fee is quite steep and it needs to be paid in two payments. 

On the other hand, nationals from Cambodia, China, India, Macao, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Thailand and Vietnam holding a valid US or Schengen visa do not require a separate visa for Colombia.

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COLOMBIA VISA REQUIREMENTS BY NATIONALITY

Minimum passport validity required to enter Colombia

Passport must be valid for at least 6 months at the time of entering Colombia

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Visa EXEMPT nationalities

• Maximum stay allowed 90 days each entry
• Can be extended for an additional 90 days online
• Maximum stay allowed 180 days in a calendar year

1. Albania
2. Andorra
3. Antigua and Barbuda
4. Argentina
5. Australia
6. Austria
7. Azerbaijan
8. Bahamas
9. Barbados
10. Belgium
11. Belize
12. Bhutan
13. Bolivia
14. Bonaire (Dutch territory)
15. Bosnia and Herzegovina
16. Brazil
17. Brunei Darussalam
18. Bulgaria
19. Canada
20. Chile
21. Costa Rica
22. Croatia
23. Curacao
24. Cyprus
25. Czech Republic
26. Denmark
27. Dominica
28. Dominican Republic
29. Ecuador
30. El Salvador
31. Estonia
32. Fiji
33. Finland
34. France
35. Georgia
36. Germany
37. Greece
38. Grenada
39. Guatemala
40. Guyana
41. Honduras
42. Hong Kong
43. Hungary
44. Iceland
45. Indonesia
46. Ireland
47. Israel
48. Italy
49. Jamaica
50. Japan
51. Kazakhstan
52. Latvia
53. Liechtenstein
54. Lithuania
55. Luxembourg
56. Malta
57. Marshall Islands
58. Mexico
59. Micronesia
60. Moldova
61. Monaco
62. Montenegro
63. North Macedonia
64. Netherlands
65. New Zealand
66. Norway
67. Palau
68. Panama
69. Papua New Guinea
70. Paraguay
71. Peru
72. Philippines
73. Poland
74. Portugal
75. Qatar
76. Romania
77. Russia
78. Saint Kitts and Nevis
79. Saint Lucia
80. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
81. Samoa
82. San Marino
83. Serbia
84. Singapore
85. Sint Maarten
86. Slovakia
87. Slovenia
88. Solomon Islands
89. South Korea
90. Spain
91. Suriname
92. Sweden
93. Switzerland
94. Taiwan
95. Trinidad and Tobago
96. Turkey
97. United Arab Emirates
98. United Kingdom
99. United States of America
100. Uruguay
101. Vatican City
102. Venezuela

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Visa REQUIRED nationalities

• Maximum stay allowed 90 days each entry
• Maximum stay allowed 180 days in a calendar year

1. Afghanistan
2. Algeria
3. Angola
4. Anguilla (British territory)
5. Armenia
6. Bahrain
7. Bangladesh
8. Belarus
9. Benin
10. Bermuda (British territory)
11. Botswana
12. Burkina Faso
13. Burundi
14. Cambodia
15. Cameroon
16. Cape Verde
17. Cayman Island (British territory)
18. Central African Republic
19. Chad
20. China
21. Comoros
22. Congo (Democratic Republic of)
23. Congo (Republic of)
24. Cote d’Ivoire
25. Cuba
26. Djibouti
27. Egypt
28. Equatorial Guinea
29. Eritrea
30. Ethiopia
31. Eswatini
32. Faroe Islands (Danish territory)
33. French Guiana (French territory)
34. Gabon
35. Gambia
36. Ghana
37. Greenland (Danish territory)
38. Guadeloupe (French territory)
39. Guinea
40. Guinea-Bissau
41. Haiti
42. India
43. Iran
44. Iraq
45. Jordan
46. Kenya
47. Kiribati
48. Kosovo
49. Kuwait
50. Kyrgyzstan
51. Laos
52. Lebanon
53. Lesotho
54. Liberia
55. Libya
56. Macao
57. Madagascar
58. Malawi
59. Malaysia
60. Maldives
61. Mali
62. Martinique (French territory)
63. Mauritania
64. Mauritius
65. Mongolia
66. Morocco
67. Mozambique
68. Myanmar
69. Namibia
70. Nauru
71. Nepal
72. Nicaragua
73. Niger
74. Nigeria
75. Niue
76. North Korea
77. Oman
78. Pakistan
79. Palestine
80. Rwanda
81. Saint Martin (French territory)
82. Sao Tome and Principe
83. Saudi Arabia
84. Senegal
85. Seychelles
86. Sierra Leone
87. Somalia
88. South Africa
89. South Sudan
90. Sri Lanka
91. Sudan
92. Syria
93. Tajikistan
94. Tanzania
95. Thailand
96. Timor-Leste
97. Togo
98. Tonga
99. Tunisia
100. Turkmenistan
101. Turks and Caicos (British territory)
102. Tuvalu
103. Uganda
104. Ukraine
105. Uzbekistan
106. Vanuatu
107. Vietnam
108. Yemen
109. Zambia
110. Zimbabwe

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Visa EXEMPT with a valid visa from the US or Schengen

• Only following nationalities are eligible for visa exemption
• Maximum stay allowed 90 days each entry
• Only C-Type or D-Type Schengen visas are permitted
• All US visas are permitted, except C1 (transit)
• US or Schengen visa must be valid for at least 180 days from the day of arrival

1. Cambodia
2. China
3. India
4. Macao
5. Myanmar
6. Nicaragua
7. Thailand
8. Vietnam

RELATED: Besides Colombia, you can also travel to 48 countries VISA-FREE with a US visa

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COLOMBIA VISA APPLICATION PROCESS

The visa category for tourists and visitors is Type-V.

Check if you need a Type-V visa to travel to Colombia from the list of visa EXEMPT or REQUIRED nationalities above. Alternatively, check if you need a visa at the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

Colombia tourist visa must be applied online. An eVisa is issued and sent to your email. You must print and present this eVisa at the first port of entry in Colombia. If you prefer a sticker visa, you can obtain one from your nearest consulate after your online application is approved.

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Colombia eVisa

eVisa Application Procedure

Start your Colombia visa application on SITAC (Sistema Integral de Trámites al Ciudadano) website. 

Colombia Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made a nice step-by-step guide on how to fill the online application. Refer to this guide if you need help filling the application. Unfortunately, this guide is only in Spanish.

At the end of your eVisa application submission, a registration code is displayed. This registration code is also emailed to you for records. You must retain this registration code. It’s required for your eVisa fee payment, application status tracking and inquiries. 

After your eVisa is approved, you will receive an electronic visa to your email. You will have to print this and present it on your arrival in Colombia. 

If you prefer to get a visa sticker in your passport, you can pay your eVisa fee at your nearest Colombian consulate and receive a visa sticker at no additional cost. 

Documentation Required

The following documentation is required

1. Digital passport photo (JPG)
2. Passport data/ID page (PDF)
3. Passport pages with previous Colombian visa/stamps (if you have traveled to Colombia previously) (PDF)
4. Visa or residence permit (if living in a country other than the country of your passport) (PDF)
5. Additional documentation (PDF)
   1. Round trip flight tickets
   2. Hotel bookings
   3. Bank statements for the last 3 months

Combine all additional documentation into one single PDF.

eVisa Fee

Colombia eVisa fee must be paid in two payments. 

• First payment: $52 USD
• Second payment: $82 USD

First payment: First visa fee payment of $52 USD must be made after submitting your Colombia visa application. This fee is for “visa study”, which means to process your visa application.

Second payment: The second visa fee payment of $82 USD must be made after your visa is approved. This fee is for “visa issuance”, which means to receive your eVisa. 

Though the eVisa fee is quite steep, you will only lose the first payment ($52) if your visa is denied. 

Methods of payment

There are 3 ways to pay your Colombia eVisa fee 

1. Pay with a credit card (Visa or Master card only)
2. Pay at any Colombian consulate
3. Pay in Bogota

1. Pay with a credit card: Paying with a credit card is a new feature that was introduced recently. It’s not streamlined with the eVisa application process yet. Therefore, you must select the option to pay (a) at a consulate or (b) in Bogota while submitting your eVisa application. Otherwise, you cannot submit your eVisa application. 

After you submit your eVisa application, you can make your first eVisa fee payment with a credit card on the payment portal, which is a separate website altogether.

Colombia Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made a nice step-by-step guide on how to use the credit card payment portal. Refer to this guide if you need any help. Unfortunately, the portal and this guide are only in Spanish. 

It’s fine to pay the eVisa fee with a credit card even though you have selected the option to pay (a) at a consulate or (b) in Bogota as your payment options in your eVisa application. Hopefully, they will add CC payment as an option to the visa application itself in the future to avoid confusion. But for now, you will have to make the visa fee payment on the payment portal.

A service charge of 2,200 COP will be charged in addition to the eVisa fee. 

2. Pay at any Colombian consulate: You can pay the eVisa fee at any Colombian consulate anywhere in the world. If there is one near you, that’s good. If not, you can have a friend or family member pay on your behalf if they have a Colombian consulate near them.

NOTE
If you go to the consulate to pay your first eVisa fee, you can request the consul to process your visa immediately. In most cases, you can pay the second eVisa fee and pick up your visa sticker affixed in your passport.

3. Pay in Bogota: You can pay the eVisa fee in Bogota. For this, you must have a local Colombian bank account or have a local Colombian friend/agent help you pay the fee. This option is particularly not useful unless you have a local Colombian friend/agent who can help you.

IMPORTANT
You are required to pay the first and second eVisa fees using the same method. For example, if you pay your first eVisa fee with a credit card, then you must pay your second eVisa fee also with a credit card. Similarly, If you make your first eVisa payment at a certain Colombia consulate, then you must make your second eVisa payment at the same Colombian consulate.

eVisa Processing Time

The current visa processing time is 5 business days. 

If additional documentation or an interview is required, then it can take up to 30 calendar days.

eVisa Application Status

While your visa application is being processed, you will receive a few emails notifying the current status of your application. Alternatively, you can check your visa status online on the SITAC website.

Below are various statuses and their meaning.

Approved: This status indicates that your visa is approved. You have to make the second visa fee payment in order to receive your approved eVisa to your email.

Required: This status indicates that the Colombian consulate requires additional information or documentation. The procedure to provide additional information or documentation will be in the email.

Rejected: This status indicates that your visa is denied. You can reapply after 6 months of waiting period.

Inadmissible: Similar to the above “rejected” status but you are eligible to reapply immediately.

eVisa Approval

After your eVisa is approved, you will be notified to make your second eVisa fee payment. Once the payment is made, you will receive an electronic visa to your email. You will have to print this and present it on your arrival in Colombia. 

If you prefer to get a visa sticker in your passport, you can visit your nearest Colombian consulate and receive a visa sticker at no additional cost. 

eVisa Validity

Colombia tourist visa (Type-V) is usually issued for 6 months and multiple-entry. There were instances where visas were issued for 3 months to 2 years depending on your itinerary. You can stay up to 180 days in each visit.

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Pre-approved visa from the consulate

The procedure for a pre-approved visa from the consulate is the same as eVisa, except the fact that you would need to visit your nearest consulate to pay the visa issuance fee (second eVisa payment) and have the visa sticker affixed in your passport. 

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ENTERING AND LEAVING COLOMBIA BY AIR

Entering Colombia by air

At your first port of entry in Colombia, you will pass through immigration and customs.

If holding an eVisa, make sure you present a print of your eVisa to the officer.

You will be asked about your purpose of travel and the number of days you plan to stay in Colombia. Your passport will be marked with an entry stamped.

The number of days you are allowed to stay may not always be marked on your entry stamp. It is assumed that you can stay up to 90 days. In doubt, ask to make sure you can stay 90 days.

As always, carry a copy of your return ticket and accommodation booking. If you are traveling on a one-way ticket, make sure to have proof of onward ticket.

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Leaving Colombia by air

On exit, you will go pass through the passport control. Your entry stamp will be verified and a new exit stamp will be issued in your passport.

You will not be asked any questions while exiting the country unless you overstayed your visa. Just account for some additional time for the exit process.

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SUMMARY

Colombia visa requirements are simple and easy to understand. Most nationalities are exempt from visas. Colombian visa application process is online and an eVisa is issued. Passport holders from a few countries with a valid visa from the US or Schengen can enter Colombia without a visa.