Colombia student visa (V Estudiante)

The visa covers arts and trades courses, pre-school, primary and secondary school, vocational training (educación para el trabajo y el desarrollo humano) and higher education, plus student internships and academic exchanges under agreements between universities. Nationals of countries exempt from short-stay visas under Resolution 5488 of 2022 may study without this visa when the stay does not exceed 180 calendar days. For a semester abroad that fits inside 180 days, the entry permit granted at the border is enough; full degrees need the visa.

If you apply on your own account, write a letter identifying yourself and describing the studies (programme, duration, schedule, location), and prove solvency with six months of bank statements showing monthly income of at least ten Colombian minimum monthly wages (SMLMV), yours or a sponsor's. If a legal entity backs you, its legal representative signs a reasoned letter stating its tax number (NIT), the relationship with you and who pays, and the entity proves solvency with three months of statements; in that case you must still show personal income of at least three SMLMV.

All applicants add the certificate of admission or enrolment stating the programme and its length, a letter from the institution for internships, and health insurance valid in Colombia covering accident, illness, maternity, disability, hospitalisation, death and repatriation. For a second or later student visa, attach a certificate that you attended and completed the previous course.

A visa valid for more than three months must be registered with Migración Colombia within 15 calendar days of entry, and foreigners aged seven and over obtain a cédula de extranjería: fill in the FUT online with your passport and visa, book an appointment at a service centre (CFSM) for fingerprints and photo, pay and receive a digital receipt with QR code until the card is printed. Children under seven are registered without biometrics. Leaving Colombia for more than 90 days ends the student visa unless the course is online or distance learning.

Only postgraduate university students may work, up to 20 hours a week, and only after the employer reports them on the platforms of Migración Colombia and the Ministry of Labour. Dependants can apply only with postgraduate students. A student who completes an undergraduate degree with honours at a Colombian university may request, without leaving the country, a visa for an internship in the field of study, sponsored by the university. Graduates in areas with a shortage of professionals, and all doctoral and postdoctoral graduates of Colombian universities, may apply for a work visa in their field.