Colombia tourist visa and visa-free entry

Resolution 5488 of 2022 sorts nationalities into lists. Holders of passports on List A, List B or List C, and people covered by the special cases, may enter, stay and leave Colombia without a visa for short activities such as tourism, leisure, cultural interest and business, provided they receive no payment, salary or fee in Colombia. Permanent residents of Pacific Alliance member states and non-Andean permanent residents of Andean Community countries are also exempt.

The exemption works through an entry and stay permit (Permiso de Ingreso y Permanencia, PIP) that the immigration officer grants at the airport or land crossing after a short interview. No prior application is needed. The permit is valid for up to 90 calendar days from the date of entry. You must show a valid passport, a return or onward ticket and, if asked, proof that you can support yourself.

The V Turismo visa is strictly for leisure, tourism or cultural interest. The applicant writes a letter identifying themselves and describing the trip: activities, participants, duration, schedule and places. If someone invites you, the host must be a Colombian citizen or a foreigner holding a resident (R) visa as principal; the host signs by hand with a fingerprint, gives phone, address and email, explains the relationship, accepts financial responsibility and undertakes to report if you overstay.

Solvency is shown with bank statements for the six months before the application proving monthly income of at least ten SMLMV, either yours or the host's. You also need health insurance valid in Colombia covering accident, illness, maternity, disability, hospitalisation, death and repatriation for the whole stay, and a reservation of entry and exit tickets.

Fill in the visa form on the Cancillería's SITAC site, attach a colour photo in JPG (white background, maximum 300 KB) and PDFs of the passport bio page and the supporting documents. The passport must be valid for at least six months. Documents other than the passport must be issued no more than three months before filing; foreign public documents need an apostille or legalisation and an official Spanish translation.

SITAC then generates a reference number, and you have ten calendar days to pay the study fee; otherwise the application is treated as abandoned. The authority decides within 30 calendar days. If it asks for more information you get up to ten days to upload it. If the visa is approved you pay the issuance fee within ten working days and receive the e-visa by email.

If you want to stay longer than the days stamped on arrival, you apply to Migración Colombia for a temporary stay permit (Permiso Temporal de Permanencia, PTP), regulated by Migración Colombia Resolution 2061 of 2020. You need a valid PIP when you apply. The request is made online with the Formulario Único de Trámites (FUT), a PDF of your passport and documents supporting the original purpose of the trip, and the fee is paid online by PSE or card or at a bank.

The total time spent in Colombia on PIP and PTP cannot exceed 180 calendar days, continuous or not, within the same calendar year. Changing the purpose of a visa-free stay requires a separate change of permit (CPIP), which is discretionary. Migración Colombia publishes its 2026 fees in Resolution 0599 of 10 February 2026.

Visa decisions are discretionary and cannot be appealed. A refused applicant who is in Colombia must leave within 30 calendar days and cannot apply again for six months, and then only from the country of nationality or legal permanent residence. Irregular entry, overstaying, inaccurate data or helping another foreigner enter irregularly are grounds for refusal. The V Turismo visa allows no work; at entry the officer will ask to see your outbound ticket.