Visa Type M – Pensionado

The pensioner visa for Colombia belongs to the group of type M (migrant) visas, designed for foreigners who aspire to settle in Colombia.

Specifically, the pensioner category allows obtaining legal residence in the country under the status of retiree or pensioner, as long as there is a constant monthly income derived from a pension granted by a State or a private pension fund.

This visa will be valid for up to 3 years and does not allow work in the national territory, nor affiliation to the Colombian social security system, except as provided for in bilateral or multilateral agreements in this regard.

However, it allows applying for a visa for beneficiaries, namely the spouse or permanent partner and children up to 25 years of age or who have a physical or mental disability and are economically dependent on the holder.

In addition to the requirements common to all visas, which are:

Fill out the visa application form available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Document-type digital photograph, in color and with white background.
Passport or travel document valid for at least 6 months at the time of application.

*Foreigners who make the procedure in the Colombian territory must provide a copy of the page of the passport where the most recent stamp of entry to the country is found.

*Citizens of countries exempt from short-stay visas who apply for a visa in a state other than that of their nationality must provide a copy of the document proving their regular stay in accordance with the regulations of the country in which they are staying.

On the other hand, in the case of citizens of countries that are not exempt from short-stay visa requirements, they must provide a copy of the document proving their resident immigration status.

Four specific requirements must be met:

Certification recognizing the monthly payment of a life pension in favor of the applicant foreigner for a minimum amount of 3 legal minimum wages in force, which for this year (2023) is equivalent to COP 3,480,000 and approximately USD 732.
Certificate of judicial, criminal or police record issued by the authority of the country where the applicant has stayed in the last 3 years.
Medical certificate attesting to the petitioner’s psychophysical aptitude.
To have a health policy with coverage in the Colombian territory against all risks for the time of stay in the country.

All these documents must be duly apostilled or legalized and translated into Spanish, except for certificates or bank statements when the content can be established by the immigration authority or is in one of the official languages of the Organization of American States, namely Spanish, English, French or Portuguese.

In addition, the procedure requires the payment of a fee that varies depending on the nationality and the stage of the process (study and issuance).

At the study stage, the cost for European and Cuban citizens is 42.25 euros, while for the rest of the world it is 54.92 US dollars.

At the expedition stage it costs 149.98 euros for European and Cuban citizens, and 270.4 dollars for the rest of the world.

However, there are some exceptions to these rates, such as Ecuadorian, Japanese, Republic of Korea and some nationals of the Republic of Peru.

To learn more about these exceptions, please visit the following link:

https://www.cancilleria.gov.co/tramites_servicios/visa/costos-medios-pago-oficinas-atencion

The duration of the process can be up to 30 calendar days, starting from the moment the application is filled out and the payment for the study of the application is made.

However, if approved, it will be delivered within 10 working days after the payment of the expedition.

In conclusion, the procedure to apply for this visa is simple and favorable for foreigners, since Colombia is among the 10 best places to retire in 2023, according to the prestigious magazine International Living, which demonstrates the quality of life offered by the country for retirees.

It is important to note that the interest of foreigners to retire in Colombia has been increasing, since according to migration flow data, only in 2022, 5,661 people entered the country as pensioners.