Renewal of Colombian visa

How to renew your visa in Colombia according to the new resolution?

Resolution 5477 of 2022 does not contemplate specific cases or procedures for the renewal of the Colombian visa when it is about to expire or has already expired.

What it does is to mention the visa extension, understood as the term designated for a new visa of the same type as the previous visa, for the foreigner to continue developing the activity previously authorized.

In this sense, if you wish to extend your stay in the national territory, you should check if this possibility is contemplated according to the type of visa you have.

In the case of visitor visas, it is possible to find cases such as the tourist visa, in which an authorized stay in the national territory is for 90 calendar days, continuous or discontinuous, which may be extended for another 90 days, until completing 180 days within each 365 calendar days, counted from the issuance of the visa.

The procedure for the extension or renewal of the Colombian visa is carried out before the expiration of the initial term given to stay in the country.

To do so, it is necessary to fill out the Single Form on the web page (https://apps.migracioncolombia.gov.co/registro/public/formularioRegistro.jsf;jsessionid=0F21693134BBE064A7F2A2F3BF3788F3), provide the requested documents and pay 125,000 Colombian pesos, if required, since for nationals of the Schengen area and Ecuadorians it is free of charge.

However, within this same type of visas there may be categories that do not allow the extension of the terms, as in the case of the business visa or the medical treatment visa, in which the extension may not be made within the national territory.

This shows the importance of reviewing each of the conditions included in each visa category, since specifically with respect to extensions there are no general rules regarding the type of V visa.

Type M visas (migrants) will be valid for a maximum of 2 to 3 years, depending on the category.

Within these categories no extension is allowed, but the possibility of accumulating the time to apply for the resident visa in specific categories is contemplated.

If the requirements to obtain a resident visa are not met and the applicant wishes to remain in the national territory, he/she must request a new visa from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or consular offices prior to the expiration of the current visa.

On the other hand, for type R visas, Resolution 5477 only states in the case of the category of Renunciation of Colombian Nationality that the visa will be valid for 5 years and that the holder must request the transfer of his/her visa before it expires through the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Finally, with respect to the former Resolution 6045 of 2017 there are no substantial differences with respect to this issue, so the recommendation will always be to review the conditions and possibilities provided by each type and category of visa.

Cybergraphy:

• https://www.cancilleria.gov.co/visas-1#:~:text=En%20Colombia%20no%20existe%20la,vencimiento%20de%20la%20visa%20vigente.
• https://expatgroup.co/extranjeros-en-colombia/visa-de-turista-en-colombia/
• https://www.migracioncolombia.gov.co/prorroga-de-permanencia/requisitos-prorroga-de-permanecia