Beneficiary Visa in Colombia

If you are a foreigner interested in having a Colombian visa and someone in your family has one, this information is for you.

The beneficiary visa is the authorization granted to members of the family nucleus who are economic dependents of the principal visa holder.

In this regard, it should be noted that members of the family nucleus are considered to be spouses or permanent partners, parents or children under 25 years of age who are economically dependent on the holder or older children when they have a disability that makes them unable to fend for themselves.

General Beneficiary Visa Requirements in Colombia

There are documents required for all visas. These are:

• Valid passport or travel document. It must be in good condition and with free space for visa.
• Copy of the main page of the passport or travel document. This is in order to have the biographical data of the person.
• If you are in Colombia, you will have to prove that you are in regular migratory status in the country and show the last entry stamp, exit stamp or safe-conduct, depending on your case. If you are outside the Colombian territory and intend to apply for the visa abroad, you will have to attach a copy of the document that proves your regular stay in that country.
• Recent document type photograph, 3×4 cm, in color, with white background and front view. It must be in JPG format and weigh no more than 300 KB.

To keep in mind:

• The documents must be dated less than 3 months before the application is filed. This applies to all documents except identity and travel documents.
• Foreign documents must have an apostille or legalization.
• The documents must have an official translation into Spanish when they are not in Spanish. The translation must be apostilled or legalized.
• The visa authority may require judicial background information.

Specific Requirements for Beneficiary Visa in Colombia

In order to apply for the beneficiary visa, the following must be attached, in addition to the general requirements:

• A copy of the visa you intend to apply for.
• Proof of relationship, marital or family relationship with the principal visa holder. This accreditation may be made with an authentic copy of the certificate or civil registry.
• Written request signed by the visa holder. In this document, in addition to requesting the visa for the beneficiary, the beneficiary must declare the dependence and economic responsibility for the costs of the beneficiary’s stay and travel in Colombia.

Beneficiary Visa Requirements Checklist

The documents you must have for submission of the application are:

• Original passport
• Copy of the main page of the passport
• Document proving regular stay
• Photography
• Copy of the main holder’s visa
• Civil registration
• Letter subscribed by the main visa holder

Who can apply for a beneficiary visa?

To apply, the visa of the principal holder must be:

– Visa type M (migrant)

-Visa type R (resident)

-Type V visa when these have been granted for the following reasons:

• Press correspondent or journalistic coverage of foreign media.
• Provision of temporary services to natural or legal persons in the country.
• Intracorporate transfer of personnel.
• Commercial or official representation of a foreign government, in the case of missions that do not involve accreditation before the Colombian government.

Duration of the procedure

In order to know the duration of the Beneficiary Visa process, it is important to know its two moments: when the application is made and when the e-visa is issued.

Initially, the application is filed and after making the payment, the visa authority has a term of up to 5 working days to issue a concept. However, this time may be up to 30 calendar days when additional information is required.

Finally, after payment of the visa issuance, the authority has up to 3 working days to issue and send the e-visa.

Cost of the Beneficiary Visa in Colombia

The processing fee will be governed by the visa fees of the principal holder. In this sense, both the cost of study and the visa issuance are the same as the main visa.

How long is the visa valid?

The validity of this visa shall in no case exceed the duration of the holder’s visa and shall expire at the same time as the visa. In this sense, the validity of the beneficiary visa will be the same as that of the main visa.

Does this visa allow me to work in Colombia?

Given the conditions under which this visa is granted, it is not allowed to work within the Colombian territory during the validity of the visa.

In what cases is the beneficiary’s visa terminated early?

The beneficiary visa in Colombia may be terminated early in the following circumstances:

• When, for any reason, the principal holder’s visa expires.
• When the beneficiary ceases to be economically dependent on the principal holder.
• When the beneficiary loses his or her status as spouse or permanent partner of the principal beneficiary.
• When the beneficiary reaches the age of 25, in the case of a child of the principal beneficiary, and provided he/she is not disabled.
• When the principal visa holder obtains Colombian nationality by adoption.

Expert Lawyers in Visa Processing

If you are looking for legal advice for the processing of Beneficiary Visa in Colombia, in Servicio Legal, we have expert lawyers in Immigration Law, who are ready to successfully solve your case.