How to Get Colombia Refugee Visa
Colombia Refugee visa is intended for foreigners who intend to take refuge in Colombia. The Colombia Refugee visa is a Migrant visa of M-4 category. Foreigners who hold this type of visa can live, work, and study in Colombia.
The Colombia Refugee is valid for a period of three years and the visa allows multiple entries into Colombia. The primary visa holder can apply for beneficiary visa for his or her spouse and children. Please note that the visa loses its validity if the visa holder stays out of Colombia for 6 consecutive months.
Colombia has adopted international refugee policies since 1961. This matter is currently regulated by Decree 1067 of 2015 and the Advisory Commission for the Determination of the Status of Refugees is the entity responsible for receiving, processing and studying these applications.
Under the new visa resolution 5477, all Migrant visas require you to be in Colombia 180 days or more to keep your visa. If you are out of Colombia more than 180 days your visa will no longer be valid, and Migracion Colombia officials may cancel your visa on entry.
If you are allowed entry in to Colombia with just a stamp then the official will most likely allow you to enter as a tourist after cancelling your visa.
Related Topics of Interest for You:Â
Who can be considered a Refugee in Colombia?
- Who, social and political opinions, is out of his country of nationality, cannot or wants due to well-founded fears of being persecuted on the grounds of race, religion, nationality, belonging to a group to return there or avail themselves of their protection.
2. Who, lacking nationality, due to well-founded fears of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, belonging to a social group and political opinions, is outside their country of habitual residence and cannot or wants to return there or take refuge to your protection
3. Who would have left his country because his life, security or freedom have been threatened by widespread violence, foreign aggression, internal conflicts, massive violation of Human Rights or other circumstances that have disturbed public order.
Those included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted and proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization of December 10, 1948 are considered Human Rights.
4. Anyone with good reason to believe that he would be in danger of being tortured or subjected to other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, if he is returned to his country of nationality or, lacking this, to the country of his habitual residence.
Related Articles of Interest: Colombia Visas
|
|
How is the Refugee Status Application Process?
Submit the written request. This request must contain:
Date and form of entry into the country.
Data to be located (address, telephone numbers and / or email).
Full name of the interested party and beneficiaries.
Photocopy of the identity documents of the interested party and the beneficiaries (Passport or identity document. If you do not have them, you must sign and sign a declaration under the gravity of the oath on your identity).
FULL and DETAILED account of the facts that give rise to the request. In this sense, it is necessary that in that account detail:
- Why have you left your country of nationality or habitual residence?
- What kind of events or difficulties made you get out of there?
- Why are you afraid to return?
- What do you think would happen if you return to your country of nationality or habitual residence under current conditions?
Although it is not necessary to include exact dates, it is pertinent to give approximations as to the moment in which they occurred.
Documents that support the request (if any).
These documents are very varied. They may include news about the facts that give rise to the request, court decisions, witness letters, certificates or medical reports, psychological reports,
Photographs and, in general, any evidence that can confirm your story.
Signature of the interested party.
Recent and color 3×4 photography, blue background of the interested party and the beneficiaries.
Express manifestation on the acceptance of being notified via email.
This application must be submitted at any of the following points:
- Before the Migration authorities when entering Colombia.
2. Before the Correspondence Office of the Advisory Commission for the Determination of the Status of Refugees, located in Race 5 No. 9-03. In this case you can submit the application up to 2 months after entering the country.
3. Claim the safe-conduct in the office of Migration Colombia, after the Commission has authorized its issuance. The safe-conduct is a permit to be legally in the country during the process
4. Attend the personal interview, when the Commission has called the interview. This interview can be with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or in an office of Migration Colombia of the city where you are residing.
If the interested party does not appear in the interview, it will be understood as a withdrawal of the request. In that sense, Migración Colombia will be notified to proceed to cancel the safe-conduct that it has issued to the interested party and its beneficiaries.
5. Be notified of the Commission’s decision. You can go to the administrative act that resolves the request or wait for the electronic notification.
How long can this process take?
This process does not have an estimated duration, since it has no processing time established in the regulations that regulate it.
What is the Result of this Process?
It may be the recognition or not of the Refugee status of the interested party and its beneficiaries. The recognition of refugee status does not affect the immigration status of the interested party or his beneficiaries. To do this, you must start a Migrant Colombia visa application process as a Refugee.
What Characteristics Does the Migrant Visa for Refugees have?
This visa can be granted for up to three years and allows its holder to carry out any legal activity, including work or study.
How is the Application Process for the Migrant Visa for Refugees?
This process is carried out before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is a free procedure. For this, you must provide documents such as the Certificate of recognition of the status of Refugee granted by the Advisory Commission for the Determination of the Status of Refugees.
Why Use Our Visa Agency For Getting Colombia Refugee Visa?
Since 2005, our visa agency Visas by James has obtained hundreds of visas for foreigners who wish to study, work, invest, and live in Colombia. We are the oldest expat visa business in Colombia. We also have more attorneys in office than any other visa agency in Colombia. In addition to our visa services we offer a full range of legal and accounting services to our clients. By having a legal and accounting firm work on your application, we are able to handle any surprises or last minute requests by immigration officials.
Our Story
James Lindzey the owner of Visas by James has worked as a private investigator and paralegal in the United States from the 90s until he moved to Colombia in 2005. James arrived in Colombia in 2005 and started doing visas for expats in 2007.
In addition to our visa services our agency offers a full range of legal and accounting services to our clients. We are able to assist better in document collection services in the United States because of James legal experience in the United States.
More About Our Visa Services
Many visas require obtaining complicated documents in the United States, Canada, or other countries. We are experts at handling foreign documents!Â
Analysis of your Colombian visa immigration profile.
We identify necessary documents for your visa application.
We monitor your immigration process.
We handle Translations required for your visa application.
We handle Apostilles required for your visa application.
Chat Over WhatsApp – get your visa questions answered fast.
Online quotes for visas, bilingual legal and accounting services
Courier your passport to Bogotá to get the visa in your passport.
Main Office located in El Poblado, Medellin, Colombia.
Visas By James
(Visas y Trámites Internacionales)
Testimonials from a current and former clients who got a Colombian visas successfully.
Worked with James and Cristina on buying first property in Colombia. They were very knowledgable in Colombia law and banking. Went the extra mile to guide us thru the process of transferring foreign funds, reviewing/advising purchase documents, and walking us thru the maze of legalities. Invaluable, and in dual languages! Thanks to them the process was completed in less than one month!
I had James take care of the renewing of my US passport and all went very well I did not have to go to Bogota and all was completed with a new passport in a little over 2 weeks !! Highly reccomend.
This is really a dependable and reliable legal and accounting service, and for me it was nice being able to turn over these sometimes laborious tasks to competent and trustworthy professionals. I’ll be recommending them to my friends as well.
About Colombia Legal & Accounting SAS and its associates; Reliable, Trustworthy, Pristine, Honesty, Management, Punctual.  That’s all you need to know to put yourself in their professional hands.
Our main office is located in Medellin, Colombia near Parque Lleras in El Poblado. We have representation in Bogota, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale. Our main office address is Cra 39#5A-95, Oficina 709, Edificio Avangarde. We accept walk in appointments but its always nice if you can let us know ahead of time so we can schedule a time. Areas codes in Colombia have changed. To reach our office please call (57) 604-444-6634.
