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Business visitors and visa free entry to Colombia: what you can do, for how long and when you need a V visa

Argentina. For full detail on Argentina, go to The Argentine Thread.

Last verified: 2026-10-27 · Status: Changing

Nationals of the 100 countries on the Foreign Ministry exempt list, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the EU states and Argentina, enter without a visa on a Migración Colombia permit of up to 90 days, extendable to 180 days in a calendar year. Visa free visitors may hold meetings, attend events, study markets and set up a company, but paid activity in Colombia requires a visa; urgent technical assistance up to 30 days and visiting lecturers are carved out if no salary is paid in Colombia. Visitors who need more time or come from countries that need a visa use the V Negocios visa (US$194, valid up to two years, at most 180 days in each 365), which still does not allow work.

USD figures use the TRM (tasa representativa del mercado) of COP 3,157.94 per US dollar valid on 27 October 2026, from the official TRM series of the Superintendencia Financiera on the national open data portal (datos.gov.co). Peso thresholds use the 2026 minimum wage of COP 1,750,905 (Decreto 1469 de 2025) and fines use the 2026 UVT of COP 52,374 (DIAN Resolución 000238 de 2025). Visa fees are fixed in US dollars or euros; Cancillería sets its own peso conversion rate every four months, so peso amounts for visa fees are orientation only.

Key facts

States whose nationals need no visa for short stays	100 countriesResolución 12189 de 2026, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Visa free stay per entry (tourism or business permit, PIP)	90 daysResolución 3167 de 2019 art. 14, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Maximum visa free stay per calendar year (PIP plus PTP)	180 daysResolución 3167 de 2019 art. 14, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Fee to extend a visa free stay (PTP)	150000 COPResolución 0599 de 2026 (Migración Colombia), as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Visa free urgent technical assistance (no local salary)	30 daysResolución 3167 de 2019 art. 14 as amended by Resolución 2772 de 2026; Resolución 5477 de 2022 art. 49 par. 1, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
V Negocios visa: maximum stay per 365 days	180 daysResolución 5477 de 2022 art. 35, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Visitor (V) visa fee, total	194 USDResolución 3969 de 2026 art. 4, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Reciprocity fee for Canadian nationals	270000 COPResolución 0599 de 2026 (Migración Colombia), as of 2026-10-27 · in force

The rule

1. Who enters without a visa. Nationals of the states listed in Resolución 5488 de 2022, as replaced on 3 September 2026 by Resolución 12189 de 2026, do not need a visa for short stays. The list covers 100 states and includes Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, the United Kingdom, the United States and the EU member states. Others need a V visa before travel.
Cost to do it: No visa fee for exempt nationals. Canadian nationals pay a reciprocity fee of COP 270,000 (US$85.50) to Migración Colombia (Res. 0599 de 2026).
Example: A US national flies to Bogotá for board meetings without a visa. / A Canadian pays about US$85.50 reciprocity on entry.Resolución 5488 de 2022, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, as amended by Resolución 12189 de 2026, Res. 5488 art. 2 and 3 (text of Res. 12189 art. 4), 2026-08-31 official text · verified 2026-10-27 · changed: Resolución 12189 de 2026 (Diario Oficial 53.614 of 3 September 2026) replaced the exempt list; Israel was added.

2. Entry permits and how long you can stay. Migración Colombia grants exempt nationals a Permiso de Ingreso y Permanencia (PIP) without intention of domicile or profit. The tourism permit (PT) covers rest, medical treatment, events, conventions and business and lasts up to 90 calendar days. The integration and development permit (PID) covers personal procedures, job interviews and selection processes, lectures, teaching and research programmed by educational or business entities and journalism, generally 90 days. The other activities permit (POA) covers urgent specialised technical assistance not obtainable in Colombia for up to 30 days. Total time on PIP and its extension (PTP) cannot exceed 180 calendar days, continuous or not, in the same calendar year. Activities under these permits may not be for profit.
Cost to do it: Extension (PTP) COP 150,000 (US$47.50) under Res. 0599 de 2026.
Example: A UK executive spends 90 days on a PT permit and extends with a PTP for COP 150,000. / US$47.50 for the extension.Resolución 3167 de 2019, Migración Colombia, as amended by Resolución 2772 de 2026, Art. 9, 12, 13 and 14 (POA table as amended by Res. 2772 art. 1), 2019-10-25 official text · verified 2026-10-27 · changed: Resolución 2772 de 2026 (16 June 2026, Diario Oficial 53.541 of 2 July 2026) rewrote the permit periods table for other activities (POA), keeping technical assistance at 30 days.

3. Business activities allowed without a visa and their limits. Visa exempt nationals may attend conventions and business, cultural or academic events, and visiting professors, lecturers or researchers invited by academic institutions may come, for up to 180 days in 365, provided they receive no salary in Colombia. Urgent technical assistance by exempt nationals needs no visa if it lasts no more than 30 days and no salary is paid in Colombia. A visa is required for any foreigner who intends to carry out paid activities with intention to stay.
Cost to do it: No visa cost when the exemptions apply.
Example: A Spanish software vendor sends a technician for a 10 day urgent repair paid by the foreign parent: no visa needed. / No cost beyond travel.Resolución 5477 de 2022 (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores); Resolución 3167 de 2019 (Migración Colombia), Res. 5477 art. 41 and par., 49 par. 1; Res. 3167 art. 8 par. 1, 2022-07-22 official text · verified 2026-10-27

4. V Negocios visa. For business management, market studies, investment plans or procedures, incorporating a company, negotiating, signing contracts or commercial representation. It is meant for nationals that need a visa and for exempt nationals who need a longer stay. Valid up to two years with a maximum stay of 180 calendar days, continuous or not, in each 365 days from issuance. It does not allow work in Colombia or affiliation to the social security system and has no beneficiaries. The applicant files personally (with bank statements for six months showing at least 10 minimum wages a month of income) or with the backing of a company (motivation letter from the legal representative and three months of the company's bank statements). V Negocios holders do not register with Migración Colombia or obtain a cédula de extranjería.
Cost to do it: US$194 (US$56 study plus US$138 issuance). Personal backing needs income of 10 minimum wages, COP 17,509,050 a month (US$5,544.45).
Example: An investor from a country that needs a visa, backed by its Colombian subsidiary, obtains a two year V Negocios visa for about COP 612,640 (orientation). / US$194.Resolución 5477 de 2022, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Art. 31, 32, 35 and 118 (text of Res. 9316 de 2024 art. 2), 2022-07-22 official text · verified 2026-10-27

5. Free trade agreement business persons. A V Empresarios TLC visa, valid up to two years with beneficiaries, facilitates mobility of business persons under free trade agreements in force, for the services registered in the visa and only for the requesting organisation.
Cost to do it: US$194.
Example: Check the business persons chapter of the relevant agreement before filing. / US$194.Resolución 5477 de 2022, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Art. 50, 2022-07-22 official text · verified 2026-10-27

Permit	Typical business use	Days granted
PT tourism	Meetings, conventions, events, business	Up to 90
PID integration and development	Interviews, recruitment, lectures, teaching, research, journalism	90
POA other activities	Urgent specialised technical assistance	30
PTP extension	Extra time after a PIP	Up to the 180 day calendar year cap

Visa free permits for exempt nationals (Resolución 3167 de 2019 art. 13 and 14, POA table as amended by Resolución 2772 de 2026)

Worked example

An Argentine founder (Argentina is on the exempt list) enters Colombia for 60 days to incorporate a SAS, open a bank account and sign a lease. This is business activity without pay and fits the tourism permit.
The founder returns three times during the year; Migración counts days and stops at 180 in the calendar year. A 30 day extension costs COP 150,000 (US$47.50).
When the founder starts drawing a salary from the SAS, a migrant visa (M Socio o Propietario or M Trabajador) is needed before the paid work begins.

Step by step

Check the nationality on the exempt list (Res. 12189 de 2026).
Carry evidence of the activity: invitation letters, return ticket, lodging and funds; officers may ask at random (Res. 3167 art. 8 par. 2).
Track days per calendar year; request a PTP extension online before the permit expires if needed.
Use a V Negocios visa if you need a visa or more than 180 days a year, and a work visa before any paid work in Colombia.

Common traps

Being paid in Colombia while on a PIP or V Negocios: doing an unauthorised activity is a ground for deportation (Decreto 1067 art. 2.2.1.13.1.2 num. 6).
The 180 day cap is per calendar year for permits but per 365 days from issuance for V Negocios; plan rotations accordingly.
The technical assistance exemption is only for urgent work up to 30 days with no Colombian salary.
Nationals of non exempt countries who enter on a V visa cannot switch to M or R inside Colombia (Res. 5477 art. 29 par.).

Sources

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