Visa-free requirements
When visiting Colombia, visa-free Russians are required to:
- Having a foreign passport valid for at least six months. When crossing the border, a border stamp will be placed in your passport. The number of days of stay will be written on it with a pen. Additionally, the purpose of entry may be indicated.
- Non-commercial purposes of the visit. This means that persons arriving from Russia cannot work in Colombia. Any other activity related to making a profit is also prohibited. At the same time, Russian guests are allowed to: relax, travel, go on excursions;
- visit family and friends;
- participate in educational, cultural and sporting events.
Subject to these rules, a visa to Colombia is not required for Russians. Visitors can freely enter and exit the country, as well as transit through Colombian territory.
Note to tourists! The 3-month visa-free period can be extended for another 45 days without leaving Colombia. To do this, you need to contact the immigration service at your place of residence. The cost of renewal is $40.
Duration of processing documents for a visa to Colombia
The standard period for reviewing documents is from 3 to 10 working days.
What are the passport validity requirements to visit Colombia?
The passport must expire no earlier than 3 months after the end of the trip. Also requires 3 blank pages.
How long can you stay in Colombia?
Citizens of the Russian Federation can stay in Colombia without a visa for 180 days. A tourist visa allows you to extend your stay for a similar period.
For how long is a visa issued?
The Embassy issues mostly multiple-entry visas for six months to Russian citizens.
Border crossing
When entering a South American country, “visa-free” foreigners must present a foreign passport.
In addition, they may be required to:
- return or third-party ticket;
- confirmation of availability of finances for the entire duration of the trip;
- confirmation of a hotel room reservation or an invitation from a local resident/university/conference organizers, etc.
However, usually they do not ask for any documents other than the foreigner. As for health insurance, it is not required when visiting Colombia. However, it is strongly recommended to take out an international policy (if necessary, providing for evacuation by air).
Recommendation for tourists! Before traveling to the Republic of Colombia, it is advisable to be vaccinated against yellow fever and hepatitis A and B.
Visa-free entry for citizens of other countries
To travel to Colombia, citizens of Armenia, Moldova, Ukraine, and Belarus need visas. Visas are not required for a 90-day visit for holders of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgian passports.
Citizens of the European Union, USA, Israel, Japan, UAE and South Africa can come to Colombia without a visa for 90 days and extend their stay for the same amount on the spot.
Contacts of official representatives
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Colombia
- Embassy of the Republic of Colombia in the Russian Federation (in Moscow)
- Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Colombia (Bogota)
Do citizens of Ukraine and Belarus need Colombian visas?
Our closest neighbors are not exempt from visa formalities when visiting Colombia. Even for tourist trips of less than 3 months, “visa-free” does not apply to citizens of Ukraine and Belarus. Obtaining a visa to Colombia for Ukrainians and Belarusians is complicated by the fact that there are no Colombian diplomatic missions in these two countries. Applicants from Belarus are visaed by the embassy of the South American republic in Moscow. Previously, candidates from Ukraine could request an entry document there. But starting from 2021, visa applications from Ukrainian citizens are accepted by the Colombian diplomatic mission in Warsaw. In addition, Ukrainians and Belarusians can apply for a visa at the embassies of states neighboring Colombia.
How long will it take
When planning a trip to Colombia, you should take care in advance to comply with the necessary formalities, just like to Cuba. If this is a tourist trip that will last no more than 90 days, then there is no need to worry about a visa. If circumstances require a longer stay in the country, you will need to apply for a visa. You can stay with her in Colombia for 180 days.
After preparing your visa documents, you should contact the embassy. This can be done in person, through a representative or through a travel agency. The documents are transferred to the diplomatic mission of this South American state. The application will be processed for at least 10 days. You will have to pay $17 to obtain an entry document.
Of course, tourists are not required to take out medical insurance. But no one is immune from health problems. In Colombia, medicine is paid, and even for calling an ambulance you will have to pay money. In addition, this country is unfavorable in terms of yellow fever. Therefore, it is worth taking care of the necessary vaccinations and obtaining health insurance.
It is advisable to be vaccinated against hepatitis A and B and typhoid fever. This is especially important if you are planning a trip to the village. In local water bodies there is a risk of contracting tuberculosis and schistomiasis. It will not be superfluous to get vaccinated against tetanus, and also maintain personal hygiene.
It's not worth saving on insurance. It is better to choose a package that allows you to travel by air if an injury or illness occurs.
If a tourist plans to stay in the country for up to 90 days, which exceeds the period of 60 days, then when flying out of the state, he will have to pay a fee at the airport. It is 17 dollars. In addition, it is best to take care of a return plane ticket in Russia. The fact is that in Colombia a ticket will cost 15% more, including taxes.
Procedure for obtaining a tourist visa
Ukrainian and Belarusian travelers who independently apply for a Colombian visa face several visa stages. It is important to remember that even if all steps are completed correctly, a visa may be refused without explanation. Paying the consular fee also does not guarantee receipt of the coveted entry document. However, the fee is non-refundable. It is not compensated in case of a negative response to the visa application.
Step one: preparing documentation
To begin, the applicant collects a set of papers and converts them into electronic PDF format. Make sure that the total weight of your documents does not exceed 3 MB. If necessary, files should be compressed (even with a slight loss of quality).
The documentation package for a tourist visa to Colombia for Belarusians and Ukrainians includes:
- Scan of the first page of the passport. The expiration date of the “abroad” is at least six months on the date of arrival in the republic. Colombian visas and entry/exit stamps in the passport are also copied.
- Photo card: JPG format;
- maximum weight 300 KB;
- size 30 by 40 mm;
- colored;
- on a white background;
- the person being photographed looks directly into the camera, eyes open, ears visible, face not covered by hair or accessories or hats.
On a note! If the visa is issued through the embassy in Warsaw, the submitted papers can be translated into English rather than Spanish.
Step two: filling out the form
The visa application is completed online at:
- https://tramitesmre.cancilleria.gov.co/tramites/enlinea/solicitarVisa.xhtml.
Information on the form must be entered in Spanish or English. But there shouldn’t be any difficulties - the form is quite simple and can be filled out in 15 minutes. The type of tourist visa requested is TP11. During the filling process, a photograph and prepared documents are loaded into the form in the specified order. You also select the embassy/consulate where you plan to obtain a visa.
The day and time of the visit to the diplomatic mission is assigned using the link:
- https://tramites.cancilleria.gov.co/ciudadano/inicio.aspx.
After completing all these steps, an “ONLINE VISA APPLICATION” letter will be sent to the specified e-mail. It will contain a unique application number that must be saved.
Step three: payment of the document review fee
After filling out the application form and uploading documents, the visa applicant pays a fee for processing his application. It is $52. Money is deposited in person at the embassy or through the Colombian payment system PSE. Anyone can make a payment if they have an application number.
Step Four: Waiting for a Decision
If the result is positive, a letter “SOLICITUD VISA – APROBADA” will be sent to your e-mail. This means that the application has been approved. The time it takes to make a decision depends on which diplomatic department the application was submitted to. Usually it takes no more than 5 working days to study the dossier. For example, at the embassy in Moscow, a decision on a visa to Colombia for Belarusians is made in 3-4 days (excluding weekends and holidays). If 4 days after paying the fee you have not received a response, you should call the diplomatic mission and ask about the status of the application.
Step five: obtaining a visa
After the application is approved, all that remains is to put the visa in your passport. When submitting an application to the embassy in Moscow, this should be done within 15 days from the date of arrival of the letter “SOLICITUD VISA – APROBADA”.
You can obtain a visa sticker in one of the following ways:
- come yourself;
- contact a visa or travel agency (the service will cost at least $100–150 per passport, excluding payment for the visa itself);
- send the “foreign passport” to the diplomatic mission by courier service;
- through the mediation of a trusted person (relative, friend, acquaintance).
The applicant or his representative arrives at the diplomatic office with a foreign passport. If the entry document is received by an authorized person, you will need the original power of attorney. For affixing a visa, another fee is paid - $82. And the letter “SOLICITUD VISA – PUBLICADA” is sent to the applicant’s email. As a rule, a tourist visa to Colombia for Ukrainians and Belarusians is multiple. The maximum period of stay on its basis is 1 month. Usually the document is opened until the end of the hotel reservation. In conclusion, we note that from December 2017 it is planned to introduce new rules for obtaining Colombian visas.
Instead of the currently available two dozen TR visa categories, 3 types of entry documents will be valid:
- 5-year R (for parents of children with Colombian citizenship and those who have lived in the country for 2 years on an M visa);
- 3-year M (for spouses, adopted children/parents of Colombians, and refugees);
- annual V.
V-visas will be intended for temporary stay in the republic. They will be available to tourists, businessmen, exchange students, conference participants, artists, athletes, etc. A V visa will be issued for a period of up to 1 year (in some cases up to 2 years).
What documents are needed for a Colombia visa?
Crossing the border by Russian citizens requires the presentation of the following documents:
- international passport;
- round trip air tickets;
- confirmation of financial solvency.
Passport control officers have the right to require confirmation of a hotel reservation or an invitation from the host.
To apply for a tourist visa, the following documents are submitted to the Colombian embassy:
- valid passport (original and 2 copies);
- photocopies of internal passport;
- 2 questionnaires;
- 3 photos;
- original and 2 copies of health insurance;
- certificates confirming employment;
- documents demonstrating the applicant's financial viability, or a letter of sponsorship;
- confirmation of hotel reservations and air tickets with clearly indicated dates;
- for children – 2 copies of birth certificate and its original, notarized travel permit, confirmation of sponsorship.
Documents must be translated into Spanish, but do not need to be notarized. Consular officers may require other information and also invite the applicant for an interview.
