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Registration, cédula de extranjería and SIRE reporting: post arrival duties for foreigners and employers

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

Foreigners with visas valid over three months must register with Migración Colombia within 15 calendar days of entry or of visa issuance and obtain a cédula de extranjería (COP 294,000 in 2026); V tourism, business, crew and events visa holders are exempt. Employers, contractors, schools and landlords offering lodging must report foreigners in the online SIRE system: hires and terminations within 15 calendar days. Changes of address, employer or activity must also be reported within 15 days, and missed reports are fined in UVT.

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

Deadline to register with Migración after entry or visa issue	15 calendar daysDecreto 1067 de 2015 art. 2.2.1.11.4.1, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Cédula de extranjería fee	294000 COPResolución 0599 de 2026 (Migración Colombia), as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Deadline to report a foreign hire or termination in SIRE	15 calendar daysDecreto 1067 de 2015 art. 2.2.1.11.5.1, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Deadline to report change of address	15 calendar daysDecreto 1067 de 2015 art. 2.2.1.11.4.8, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Light migration infraction: minimum fine	26.31 UVTResolución 2357 de 2020 art. 15 (Res. 3770 de 2021), as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Light migration infraction: maximum fine	210.5 UVTResolución 2357 de 2020 art. 15 (Res. 3770 de 2021), as of 2026-10-27 · in force

The rule

1. Registration and cédula. Holders and beneficiaries of visas valid over three months must register in the Foreigners Register within 15 calendar days of entry or of the visa issue date if issued in Colombia, and request the cédula de extranjería at registration or within three business days if registration was online. The cédula is issued for the visa term (five years for R visas), must be collected within six months, and errors must be raised within 30 days. Children get a minors' cédula from age seven and must switch to an adult cédula within 15 days of turning 18. Holders of V tourism, business, crew and events visas, and of courtesy visas for visiting diplomats and international agreements, are exempt.
Cost to do it: Cédula COP 294,000 (US$93.10); duplicate COP 293,000 (US$92.78) under Res. 0599 de 2026.
Example: An employee, spouse and nine year old child: three cédulas, COP 882,000. / About US$279.Decreto 1067 de 2015 (art. 2.2.1.11.4.1, 2.2.1.11.4.4, 2.2.1.11.4.5); Resolución 5477 de 2022 (art. 118, text of Res. 9316 de 2024 art. 2), Decreto 1067 art. 2.2.1.11.4.1, 2.2.1.11.4.4 and 2.2.1.11.4.5; Res. 5477 art. 118, 2015-05-26 official text · verified 2026-10-27

2. Address and activity changes. Registered foreigners must report a change of residence or domicile within 15 calendar days. Holders of visas with an open work permit must inform Migración Colombia of any change of activity, position, occupation or trade within 15 calendar days. Failing to report changes of address, employer or contractor, or to register on time, are light infractions fined 26.31 to 210.50 UVT.
Cost to do it: Fine COP 1,377,960 to COP 11,024,727 (US$436.35 to US$3,491.11).
Example: A resident who moves from Bogotá to Barranquilla reports the new address within 15 days. / Avoids a fine up to about US$3,491.Decreto 1067 de 2015 (art. 2.2.1.11.4.8); Resolución 5477 de 2022 (art. 119); Resolución 2357 de 2020 (art. 15, light infractions 1, 3 and 4), Decreto 1067 art. 2.2.1.11.4.8; Res. 5477 art. 119; Res. 2357 art. 15, 2015-05-26 official text · verified 2026-10-27

3. SIRE: who reports what. Reports of hiring, contracting, admission, enrolment, termination, lodging, hospital care, events and transport of foreigners are made in the Sistema de Información para el Reporte de Extranjeros (SIRE), after the obliged person registers on the Migración Colombia website. Employers and contractors in any paid relationship report the start and end of activities within 15 calendar days, counted from the start date in the contract or supporting document; schools report enrolment and end of studies within 30 days; event organisers report foreign performers five days before the event. A new visa after an interruption or a change of category requires a termination report and a new hire report.
Cost to do it: No fee to use SIRE. Late or missing employer reports: 105.25 to 2,631.30 UVT (COP 5,512,364 to COP 137,811,706).
Example: An SAS hires a foreign engineer starting 1 March: SIRE report due by 16 March. / Fines up to about US$43,640.Decreto 1067 de 2015 (art. 2.2.1.11.5.1 to 2.2.1.11.5.5); Resolución 2357 de 2020, Migración Colombia (art. 3, 6, 7 and 8), Decreto 1067 art. 2.2.1.11.5.1 par. transitorio; Res. 2357 art. 3, 7 and 8, 2020-09-29 official text · verified 2026-10-27

4. Landlords and lodging. Owners or managers of properties rented or providing lodging to foreigners must report in writing within five business days after formal delivery of the property; hotels and lodging establishments report through SIRE. Breach is a moderate infraction.
Cost to do it: Fines 105.25 to 2,631.30 UVT.
Example: A company leasing a furnished apartment to an expatriate reports within five business days. / Same.Resolución 2357 de 2020, Migración Colombia, Art. 3 and art. 15 (moderate infractions 10 and 20), 2020-09-29 official text · verified 2026-10-27

Duty	Who	Deadline	Source
Register and request cédula	Visa holders over 3 months	15 calendar days from entry or issue	Decreto 1067 art. 2.2.1.11.4.1
Report hire or termination in SIRE	Employer or contractor	15 calendar days	Decreto 1067 art. 2.2.1.11.5.1
Report change of address	Registered foreigner	15 calendar days	Decreto 1067 art. 2.2.1.11.4.8
Report change of activity (open permit)	Visa holder	15 calendar days	Res. 5477 art. 119
Report student enrolment and end	School or university	30 calendar days	Decreto 1067 art. 2.2.1.11.5.2
Report lease to a foreigner	Landlord or manager	5 business days after delivery	Res. 2357 art. 15
Pay return travel	Employer	30 calendar days after termination	Decreto 1067 art. 2.2.1.11.5.7

Main post arrival deadlines

Worked example

A Colombian subsidiary hires a foreign controller whose M visa is issued abroad on 2 February; the controller enters on 20 February and starts work on 1 March.
The controller registers and requests the cédula by 6 March (15 days from entry), paying COP 294,000 (US$93.10). The subsidiary reports the hire in SIRE by 16 March.
If the controller leaves on 30 September, the subsidiary reports the termination by 15 October and offers return travel within 30 days.

Step by step

Employer: register the company in SIRE before the first foreign hire.
Foreigner: register with Migración and apply for the cédula within 15 days.
Employer: report start and end of work within 15 days; keep evidence of visas and cédulas.
Report address and activity changes within 15 days.

Common traps

The 15 day clock for employers runs from the start date stated in the contract, not from the visa date (Res. 2357 art. 7).
A cédula not collected within six months is cancelled and must be paid again.
Business visitors on V Negocios do not get a cédula; banks and landlords will rely on the passport.

Sources

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