Type R Visa in Colombia What is it?

The type R visa in Colombia, also known as Residency Visa, is the document that allows any person to establish permanent residence in our country, as well as to develop any lawful activity within the national territory.

Who can apply for an R type visa in Colombia?

• Who has renounced Colombian nationality.
• Father or Mother of Colombian national.
• Holder of a migrant visa (M), as a refugee, worker, businessman, independent professional, religious, student, foreign direct investment, retiree or annuitant; for a minimum of five (5) years.
• Holder of a migrant visa as spouse or permanent partner of a Colombian national for at least two (2) years.
• Holder of an M type visa, with respect to residence agreements for Mercosur member states, Bolivia and Chile; for a minimum period of two (2) years.
• Adult beneficiary of type R visa in a period of five (5) years.
• When investments register an amount higher than six hundred and fifty (650) monthly minimum wages.

Important: It must be taken into account that all stipulated time periods must be fulfilled in a CONTINUOUS AND UNINTERRUPTED manner.

Requirements and processing of type R visa in Colombia

General documents:

• Valid passport or travel document, with free space for visa and in good condition. The copy must contain the identification data.
• Document that accredits the legal, regular and authorized stay in the country where the applicant is located.
• Document type photograph, size 3×4 and white background.

Likewise, complementary documents must be attached according to the special case presented, such as:

Minor or incompetent person:

• Birth certificate or birth certificate of the minor.
• Civil registry of parents, judicial sentence of assignment of parental authority or guardianship.
• Visa application letter from parent or legal guardian and specifying who will be in charge of the minor or incapacitated person within the Colombian territory.
• Letter of acceptance of responsibility from the person authorized to care for the minor or incapacitated person; provided that it falls on an individual other than the parents or whoever has parental authority or legal guardianship.

When Colombian nationality was renounced:

• Certificate of renunciation of nationality or letter of naturalization from a foreign country; in case of loss of nationality as a result of the 1986 Constitution, provide a document proving the acquisition of another nationality before 1991.

Father or mother of Colombian national by birth

• Authenticated Civil Registry of Birth of the Colombian child; with the respective annotations of validity that allow accrediting nationality or domicile in Colombia of any of the parents at the moment of the child’s birth.
• Letter as appropriate:
  • When the child is a minor, it must be signed by the other parent; additionally, it must state that the applicant complies with all the maintenance obligations that correspond to him/her. In case of not having the consent of the other parent, a certification from a Colombian family authority must be attached specifying the non-existence of protection measures, as well as the pertinent evidence to demonstrate the non-compliance of the absent parent with his or her child support obligations.
  • When the child is of legal age, he/she will be the one to request the visa for the foreign parent; likewise, he/she must attach a photocopy of the citizenship card.

Period of time with migratory visa (M)

• Certification of migratory movements and safe-conduct if applicable.
• Certification of occupation and/or source of income.
• Certification of the conditions or circumstances that allowed the granting of the last visa.

Time accumulated as R type visa beneficiary

• Migratory certificate issued by the Special Administrative Unit of Migration Colombia.
• Safeguards obtained.
• Certification of occupation and/or source of income.
• Certification of the conditions or circumstances that allowed the granting of the last visa.

Foreign direct investment

• Certification from the International Exchange Department of the Banco de la República (Central Bank), specifying the foreign direct investment by the applicant and that it exceeds the amount of six hundred and fifty (650) smmlv.

Important: The documents presented, with the exception of the identity card and travel document, must NOT have been issued more than three (3) months prior to the date of filing the visa application.

Likewise, all documents of foreign origin must be duly apostilled and translated into Spanish when issued in another language; additionally, such translation shall be delivered apostilled and duly legalized.

The competent authorities may check the applicant’s police record in the database of the National Police or require the applicant to present a record from his or her country of origin.

The institution is empowered to verify compliance with all requirements and length of stay, when applicable.

2. Application form for type R visa in Colombia:

Any application for a type R visa in Colombia must be registered in advance through the online visa application form, from the web page of the Colombian Embassy of the Republic of Colombia. [chancellery]https://www.cancilleria.gov.co/tramites_servicios/visa) or filed at the points of on-site attention; likewise, the previously stipulated documents must be attached to said form.

3. Payment study request:

The payment must be made within fifteen (15) days following the registration of the visa application, whether virtual or in person.

4. Response to request:

The competent authority must respond to the application filed within a period not exceeding five (5) days from the date of payment.

However, in case it is necessary to clarify or add information, the response time may be extended for up to thirty (30) calendar days.

5. Payment for issuance of type R visa in Colombia:

Once the application is approved, the corresponding payment must be made for the issuance of the Visa.

6. Stamping of Visa in the Passport:

When the person is within the Colombian national territory, he/she must request, before the office that issues the visa, that it be stamped in the passport.

On the other hand, if the visa was acquired abroad, you will have thirty (30) days from the date of arrival in Colombia to go to the Visa Office in Bogotá and have the visa stamped; once the term has expired, you must request the transfer of the visa.

Important: The process for the issuance of type R visa in Colombia, or residence visa, can be done both virtually and in person.
It is essential to take into account that due to the sanitary emergency caused by Covid-19, visa stamping is suspended for those visas valid for 3 months or more.

Terms and Pricing

In general, the time stipulated for the process is eight (8) working days; taking into account that, once the registration and payment of the visa application has been made, the institution has five (5) working days to issue a response and if approved, the entity must issue and send the visa to the interested party within three (3) days following the registration of the expedition payment.

The fees to be paid for the R type visa adjudication process in Colombia are as follows:

Visa Application Study:

• Europe and Cuba= 40.00 euros
• Colombia and rest of the countries = US$52.00

Visa issuance:

• Europe and Cuba= 301.00 euros
• Colombia and other countries = US$ 391.00

Validity of type R visa in Colombia

Currently, the term is no longer indefinite and is only awarded for a specific period of time, which will be defined by the competent authority and in no case may be longer than 5 years.
Finally, when the holder of the type R visa in Colombia is absent from the country for a period of 2 years or more, in a continuous manner, he/she will lose the right granted.