Colombia permanent residence (R resident visa)

Besides accumulated time, the Cancillería lists R visas for former Colombians who renounced their nationality, for people recognised as stateless (free of charge for adults), for Venezuelan nationals who held the temporary protection permit for five years under the ETPV statute, and a resident visa for foreign direct investment. Each has its own requirements on the Cancillería's visa types page.

The Cancillería sets the minimum time as principal holder of valid M visas. Two years: mother or father of a Colombian by birth, mother or father of a Colombian by adoption, MERCOSUR migrant, Andean migrant and stateless migrant. Three years: spouse of a Colombian. Five years: permanent partner of a Colombian, refugee, worker, partner or owner of a company, independent professional, pensioner, internationalisation programme and investor, as well as beneficiaries of an R visa applying in their own right.

Continuity counts only when each new visa was issued before the previous one expired; periods covered by a salvoconducto or a Migración Colombia permit do not count, and the time a pending application takes is not added. Meeting the time requirement does not guarantee the visa: the authority still assesses the application and may check that social security obligations were met.

Copies of all visas and salvoconductos you held, which must have stayed valid; a certificate of migratory movements from Migración Colombia; a letter explaining how you support yourself and your beneficiaries and how the circumstances behind your earlier visas still apply; and a copy of your cédula de extranjería, used to check criminal records. Spouses and partners add a new letter from the Colombian partner confirming that the relationship and cohabitation continue, a copy of the partner's citizenship card and a notarised special power of attorney.

The R visa grants an open work permit to carry out any lawful activity, subject to rules for regulated professions. The holder can request beneficiary visas for a dependent spouse or partner, children up to 25 and children with a disability. A beneficiary over 18 who becomes financially independent can apply for an R visa as principal holder.

The holder must request a transfer of the visa every five years through the Cancillería's online platform; those who miss the deadline must also provide a salvoconducto. The R visa lapses automatically if the holder is absent from Colombia for two consecutive uninterrupted years.