Colombia Visa Types

Now more and more people want to know about Colombia visa types, as while some choose Colombia as their travel destination, others even decide to stay there permanently.

Citizens of some eligible countries can visit Colombia for leisure purposes even without obtaining a tourist visa - only with their passport granting visa-free access. Others need to submit Colombia visa application.

Depending on the purpose and intended duration of stay, there are three Colombian Visas categories: V for visitors, M for migrants, and R for residents.

Important! The Check-MIG for Colombia is a document that confirms that a traveler has the necessary paperwork to enter and exit the country, as well as the appropriate health insurance while in Colombia.
This document is used to prove that the traveler has met all the requirements needed to travel in and out of Colombia.

Colombia Check-MIG

The Colombia Check-MIG is a mandatory document for everyone who needs to enter or leave Colombia. It was implemented to prevent the COVID-19 spread, as it reduces the contact of travelers with officials at borders. It is an inquiry form that contains personal, travel, and health details of an applicant.

It can be obtained entirely online through several simple steps. One must apply for it within 24 hours before their flight departure. Due to this form, the customs officials can ensure that every passenger crossing the border is healthy and won't infect other travelers.

Colombia Visitor Visas (type V)

Colombia visitor visa (type V) allows travelers to enter Colombia one or numerous times. The permitted stay may vary from 1 week to 3 years.

There are several categories of visitor visas:

• Colombian tourist visa - allows foreigners to visit Colombia for leisure purposes, sightseeing, visiting relatives and friends.
• Student visa - for people who want to be enrolled in a private or public educational establishment for non-degree programs, for example, to study Spanish or obtain a diploma from a university or technical school.
• Business visa - designed for employees of foreign companies to participate in meetings, conferences, and congresses;
• Event or Convention visa - permits to participate in events as an artist, athlete, speaker, etc.
• Work visa - issued for foreigners who have temporary, short-term, or occasional contracts or those required to provide specialized technical assistance in Colombia.
• Medical Treatment - for people who undergo medical treatment and have follow-up appointments that require to stay in Colombia for an extended period.
• Administrative Procedures - for performing administrative/judicial procedures before authorities/entities.

Colombia Migrant Visas (type M)

Colombia migrant visas (type M) fit those foreigners who want to live in Columbia for a longer period of time but can not apply for an R type of visa.

Colombia migrant visa is represented by the following types:

• Pension visa - issued for retired people receiving retirement income from their home country. It is a popular visa among retirees, as it has a low-income requirement (about 750 USD) and stays valid for 3 years.
• Annuity visa - given for a period of up to 3 years to foreigners receiving a fixed income of 250 USD or more from such sources as annuity or retirement fund, rental property, interests from loaning money, dividends, or interest payments from investments in the corporation, insurance settlement, or from the sale of a business.
• Business owner visa - implemented for persons investing in a business or in a property. It stays valid for 3 years and permits numerous entries.
• Refugee visa - can be obtained by people persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, belonging to a social group and political opinions, or have been threatened by widespread violence, foreign aggression, internal conflicts, or massive violation of human rights. Holders of this type of visa can live, work and study in Colombia.
• Student visa - intended for students from abroad wishing to enroll in an academic program in a public or private educational institution recognized by the Colombian government.
• Mercosur Agreement - for permanent or associate members of the Mercosur economic bloc who meet the requirement of a legalized criminal history report. Visa holders can bring their spouses and children to Colombia.
• Property visa - issued for temporary residence as a migrant for up to three years after investing 650 minimum salaries in company shares.
• Marriage visa - designed for spouses of Colombian citizens. This Colombian visa stays effective for three years and allows one to enroll in a study and get employed.
• Work visa - for foreigners who found a job in Colombia. To submit this Colombia visa application, applicants must meet the job requirements and back up their experience with appropriate documents. The validity is for the period of contract duration but cannot exceed three years.
• Religious visa - granted to persons forming part of the hierarchy of a church, confession, religious denomination, federation, confederation, or association of religious ministers recognized by the Colombia State.
• Beneficiary - given to immediate family members of Colombia migrant: spouses, permanent companions, parents, children under 25 or older if they have disabilities.

Colombia Resident Visas (RE)

Resident visas are chosen by those people who want to live in Colombia permanently. To be eligible, applicants must satisfy one of the five Colombian visa categories for residence:

• Investor visa - in this way, a person can qualify for a full permanent residence by purchasing property or investing in a corporation shares at 650 minimum salaries.
• Qualified visa - issued for Migrant visas holders who have been living for 3-5 years in Colombia and are willing to get a full residency visa.
• Parent of Colombian national visa - designed for biological or foster parents of Colombian citizens to become full residents.
• Beneficiary visa - introduced for economic dependents related to a principal residence visa holder.
• Returning Colombian visa - for those willing to regain their Colombia citizenship after renouncing it for living in other countries.