Colombia

Every Colombia visa route, explained

Colombia has a route for every purpose — short visits (visa-free for around 100 nationalities, or a Visitor V tourism visa applied for online via the Cancillería's visa system), plus a real digital-nomad visa, business, study, Migrant (M) work/family and Resident (R) routes. Routes with verified guides link straight to them; the rest link to the official Cancillería pages.

The routes

Visit & tourism

Visitor (V) tourism visa / visa-free visit

Short visits for leisure, tourism or cultural interest. Around 100 nationalities enter visa-free (entry permit at the border, under 90 days extendable to 180); the rest apply online for a Visitor (V) Turismo visa — 90 days' stay, extendable to a 180-day annual maximum.

Tourists, family visitors and short-stay cultural visitors

90 days per grant, max 180 days per 365-day period

19 verified step-by-step guides →

Transit

Visitor (V) visa — airport transit

Direct airside transit through a Colombian international airport to a third country. Most nationalities are exempt; 27 listed nationalities need a transit visa, which allows up to 24 hours in the transit zone of a single airport.

Nationals on the transit-visa list connecting through Colombia

Up to 24 hours in the airport transit zone; visa valid up to 30 days for multiple transits

official page →

Study

Visitor (V) visa — student

Study programmes in Colombia — from arts and trades to primary, secondary and higher education, student internships and academic exchange between higher-education institutions.

Students admitted to a Colombian educational institution

official page →

Work & business

Migrant (M) visa — worker

Long-stay Migrant (M) visa for foreigners employed by a company or person domiciled in Colombia, under an employment contract — the main route to work for a Colombian employer.

Employees with a job offer or contract from a Colombian employer

official page →

Family & residence

Migrant (M) visa — spouse / parent of a Colombian

Long-stay Migrant (M) visas for the spouse or permanent partner of a Colombian national, and for the parents of Colombian nationals — leading over time to Resident (R) status.

Spouses, permanent partners and parents of Colombian citizens

official page →

Other routes

Visa V Nómadas Digitales (digital nomad)

Colombia's Visitor (V) sub-category for digital nomads — remote work via digital means exclusively for foreign companies, or starting a digital-content or IT venture. Valid up to two years; requires foreign income of at least 3 Colombian minimum monthly wages and all-risk health insurance.

Remote workers and freelancers paid by companies outside Colombia

Up to two (2) years

1 verified step-by-step guide →

Visitor (V) visa — business

Business dealings, market studies, direct-investment plans, incorporation of a company, negotiation and contract signing or commercial representation. Valid up to two years, with stays capped at 180 days per 365; does not permit employment in Colombia.

Business visitors, investors and commercial representatives

Valid up to 2 years; max 180 days' stay per 365-day period

official page →

Resident (R) visa

Colombia's Resident (R) visa — for foreigners with accumulated time on Migrant visas, parents of Colombian children, or those who renounced Colombian nationality; indefinite residence with full work authorisation.