Pensionado or rentista visa in Colombia

Any person who receives a retirement pension or an income on a regular and periodic basis in another country and is interested in entering our country must apply for a pensioner’s or annuitant’s visa in Colombia.

If this is your case, you will have to apply for the type M visa, which has a duration of three years.

General requirements

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. The purpose of this is 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 Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs may request judicial background information.

Specific requirements

Additionally, in order to obtain a pensioner or annuitant visa in Colombia, a certificate is required depending on each case.

If you want a pensioner visa, you must attach a support or certificate of the monthly pension payment you will receive. Such support shall be issued by the competent entity or diplomatic or consular mission of the country where the foreigner obtained the pension accredited in Colombia.

If you have an income, you must attach a certificate issued by a public entity or private company, which is recognized by the respective Government, detailing the income paid or sent in your name. This documentation must be apostilled or legalized and translated into Spanish when it is not in this language.

If I am a pensioner, what is the minimum amount to apply?

To apply for this visa, the monthly pension payment must be for a minimum of 3 minimum monthly legal wages in force in Colombia.

In the case of annuitants, what is the value that I must prove for this visa?

For annuitants, the amount to be demonstrated must be equal to or greater than 10 legal monthly minimum wages in force in Colombia.

Checklist of requirements

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

Pensioner or annuitant visa application fees in Colombia

These procedures have two rates.

First of all, a payment must be made at the moment the application is made, this is the study cost and may vary depending on the place where the procedure is carried out.

If the application is made from Europe and Cuba the cost is €40.00 and if it is from Colombia and the rest of the world the cost will be US$52.00.

If you are an Ecuadorian national, the cost is €23.00 if you apply in Europe and Cuba and US$30.00 in the rest of the world. For Spanish nationals there is no cost for the study of the application.

Second, when the application is approved, a fee equivalent to the cost of issuing the visa must be paid. If the visa is paid in Europe and Cuba the cost is €177.00 and if it is in Colombia and the rest of the world it is US$230.00.

For nationals of the Republic of Peru who settle in the Amazon and Putumayo river basins, Ecuadorians, Spaniards, Japanese and Koreans, the visa is free of charge.

Methods of payment

There are different methods for the payment of visas in Colombia:

1. In public attention offices, which can be located in Bogotá and abroad in the Colombian consulates.
2. On the chancellery’s web page with PSE or VISA and MasterCard credit cards.
3. SERVIBANCA ATM located in Colombia.
4. Branches of Banco GNB Sudameris.

Duration of the process for pensioner or annuitant visa in Colombia

In order to know the duration of these processes, 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.

Online application

To complete the online process, you must enter www.cancilleria.gov.co. Next, you will have to identify the “procedures and services” and “visa” options and finally enter “online visa application”.

It is advisable to read the previous indications and then fill in the personal data as they appear in the passport. The “application registration number” box will be filled in with the application number that was sent to the e-mail, when it was a previously registered application. If this is a first time application, this part is left blank.

At the end of the form, the system will assign a number that you will receive in your e-mail.

Next, you must choose one of the options shown in the drop-down menu in each box, for example: type of visa, type of application, etc. It is important that no box is left blank.

Afterwards, you must continue to complete all the requested information with truthful information and avoiding typing errors.

A recent document type photograph, in color, with white background and front view, in JPG format and weighing a maximum of 300 KB, must be attached below.

After this, the supporting documents are uploaded in order, as listed. Remember that the documents required are those required for the type of application and must be in PDF format.

Finally, you must select the office where you will apply for the visa study and choose the means of payment.

It is essential to check the e-mail address, since there you will receive the application number and all the notifications concerning the procedure.

How long must the passport be valid to apply for this visa?

The passport must be valid for at least 6 months prior to the registration of the application.

Is it possible to apply from abroad?

The application process for the pensioner or annuitant visa in Colombia can be done online through the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Also, you can go to a Colombian consulate.

Is it the same for foreigners from all countries?

The requirements to apply for a pensioner or annuitant visa in Colombia are the same. On the other hand, the costs of the procedure do vary.

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.

At Servicio Legal, we have lawyers with expertise in
Immigration Law
We offer you the legal advice you need to apply for a pensioner visa in Colombia.

Contact us, our lawyers are ready to help you.