Colombian Consulates Resume Visa Processing

1) Most Colombian Consulates are open for visa processing. From March 2020 through September 2020, Colombia was not publishing visas. Some visas may be approved without appointments at your local consulate. You still must indicate which consulate nearest to your residence you with which you which to handle your visa. ** You do not need to have visa stamped into your passport ** The consulate may send your visa via email, but do not worry this is an accepted for to receive visas. Colombian Consulates.

2) International Flights Resume to Colombia – but require all travelers to have PCR Covid-19 tests within 96 hours before flight. For many people this is a challenge to find a private testing center which performs tests this quickly. Some larger cities have faster options in some cases. Click here for our article on requirements for international flights to Colombia.

3) New Visa Requirements – All Migrant and Resident visa applications are requiring health insurance for the duration of the visa. First time visa holders are not required to have state insurance, and may use travelers insurance or foreign insurance if it qualifies. Please click here for health insurance requirements for Colombian visas.

4) New Cedula Requirements for Covid-19 – Cedula. Migracion Colombia is now open for certain services, such as the Colombian ID card, also called the Cedula de Extranjeria in Spanish. Click here for Cedula Requirements.

IMPORTANT CEDULA FILING EXTENTION: All persons who have received visas from March through September of 2020, have an extention through December 15, 2020. Once this period has passed it is important to understand you have 15 days to apply for a cedula after your visa is issued. If you are not in Colombia when the visa is issued, then the 15 day limit starts once you enter the country. Foreigner’s Identity cards are only issued inside of Colombia. Click here to see the special resolucion for extention of cedula processing time.

Additionally, please note that to obtain a Colombian ID card (cedula de extranjeria), you must first have a Colombian Visa which has been issued for a minimum of 3 months.