Colombia Visa Process and Requirements:

Colombia had been on my travel list for a long time—a country where you can experience stunning beaches, vast deserts, lush green valleys, and the majestic Colombian Andes. However, international travel often comes with its share of documentation and paperwork, which can sometimes feel overwhelming.

I first check the entry requirements when planning a trip to a new country. In the past, I’ve found myself fully prepared for a journey, only to discover at the last minute that a visa was required. Unfortunately, not all passports are powerful enough to grant seamless access to every destination.

Do you need a Visa to visit Colombia?

Travellers from 102 nations and territories can enter Colombia without a visa and stay up to 90 days. Here is the list of countries that can visit Colombia without a visa.

EU citizens Albania Andorra Antigua and Barbuda Australia Azerbaijan Bahamas Barbados Belize Bhutan Bosnia and Herzegovina Brunei Canada Costa Rica Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Fiji Georgia Grenada Guatemala Guyana Honduras Hong Kong* Iceland Indonesia Israel Jamaica Japan Kazakhstan Liechtenstein Marshall Islands

Mexico Moldova Monaco Montenegro Micronesia New Zealand North Macedonia Norway Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Philippines Qatar Russia Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Serbia Singapore Sovereign Military Order of Malta Solomon Islands South Korea Suriname Switzerland Taiwan Trinidad and Tobago Turkey United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Vatican City

* Stay up to 180 days

Citizens of neighbouring countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela can visit by showing their ID cards.

There are some exceptions. Nationals of India, Cambodia, Nicaragua, Myanmar, Thailand, the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, and Vietnam who are permanent residents or have Valid Visas from the USA and Schengen Area countries valid up to 6 months on the day of arrival are visa exempt.

Also, visa requirements can sometimes change due to geopolitical or other reasons. It is advisable to visit the official website of Colombian missions abroad. As I mentioned above, I am an Indian national, and I discovered that my USA visa will expire within three months, so I had to apply for a travel visa.

Type of Visa’s

Generally, Colombia offers three types of visas.

• Tourist Visa
• Migrant Visa
• Resident Visa

However, this article focuses more on the tourist visa. Colombia offers E-Visa to the nationals who are required to enter, valid up to up-to180 days from the issue date. The best part of the E-Visa is that the applicant does not have to visit the embassy or consular. The visitor visa is not only for tourism purposes, but it can also be useful for Airport Transit, Business, Academic Exchange, Medical Treatment, Digital Nomad and Journalism.

Visa Application

To apply for E-Vissa, the applications have to visit this Link. “The application form is straightforward and asks for basic personal details. However, I made a small mistake while filling it out. If applicable, a section asks for information about a host, such as a company or corporation. If you have a host, you can provide their details; otherwise, write ‘No Host.'”

But before applying for the application, it’s essential to have some documents handy so you can upload all the documents at once. Below is the list of documents required by Colombian authorities.

A list of the documents required for visa applications is below:

• Photo 3cm X 4cm with white background. The face should be visible and should be at least 3 months old. The photo size should be under 300 KB and in JPG format.
• Copy of Passport ( Back and Front), should be valid for at least 6 month.
• If you’re applying from a country other than your passport country, you’ll need to provide proof of residency or a valid visa for the country you’re currently in.
• Travel Insurance.
• Itinerary.
• Hotel/Hostel reservations.
• Flight tickets.
• Financial proof( Bank Statement of last 6 months)

Note: Ensure the total number of document pages does not exceed 40 and the combined file size of all documents is less than 4 MB.

Visa Fees

Every visa comes with a cost; some countries charge less, and some charge more. You must pay fees in two steps to get a tourist visa to Colombia.

Visa Study Fees

After filling out the application, you have to pay visa study fees. It cost me 75.54 CAD. It also varies depending on location and country of origin.

Visa Fees

After submitting an application form and paying visa study fees, the Colombian Authorities will review and approve your application. After approval, you must pay Visa Fees, which cost me 111.99 CAD. After paying this fee, the authorities will send you an E-Visa via the email you provided.

Visa Processing Time

The visa processing time generally depends on the location of your application. If you’re applying from a third country whose citizens enjoy visa-free entry to Colombia, the processing time is typically much shorter. In my experience, it took me 5 days to get the E-Visa through my Email. As per the official timeline, it will take 24-72 hours, but due to the lack of some documents and requiring more information, it can take up to 30 days.

Things to Do before flying to Colombia

After getting vissa, we are generally excited and think about what’s next: packing list, travel plans, activities. But before boarding a plane to Colombia, there is one more step that is very important to take. 72 hours before flying, the check-mig portal of Migracion Colombia will open for the passenger to register their plane information, boarding details, and port of entry.

I read on the same forum that there are errors when you try to fill in as a frequent flyer. I also had a hard time feeling this form. I took the first option – Do Checkmig. I felt wrong about the origin and destination, so please ensure you provide the correct information. If your flight number was changed for any reason after filling out the form, you have to fill out the form with a new flight number.

My Experience

My experience was very smooth from the first Day. Initially, I missed some documents I needed to add during the E-Visa process. I had some trouble with paying the visa study fees. But it was resolved after one day.

During immigration, I had no issue, and I gave my passport, E-Visa Copy, and proof of stay. Because I landed early in the morning, so there were huge lines. But in the end, everything went well.