Countries › Colombia › Guide › 8. Immigration › Hiring and hosting Venezuelan nationals: PPT, PEP Tutor, the Visitante Especial visa and residence

Hiring and hosting Venezuelan nationals: PPT, PEP Tutor, the Visitante Especial visa and residence

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

Most Venezuelans in Colombia hold the Permiso por Protección Temporal (PPT) under the 2021 Temporary Protection Statute, which runs ten years to 30 May 2031 and lets holders carry out any lawful activity, including employment with any employer. Registration in the statute closed for adults on 24 November 2023; later routes are the PEP Tutor permit for parents of PPT children (Decreto 1209 de 2024) and the one time V Visitante Especial visa created in December 2024 for two years. PPT holders reach an R visa after five years of PEP or PPT, and employers must still report them in SIRE.

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

End of the Temporary Protection Statute for Venezuelan Migrants	2031-05-30 dateDecreto 216 de 2021 art. 2; Resolución 12509 de 2024, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Deadline for adults to validate the Single Registry of Venezuelan Migrants	2023-11-24 dateResolución 12509 de 2024, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Years of PEP or PPT before an R visa	5 yearsResolución 5477 de 2022 art. 91, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
V Visitante Especial visa validity	2 yearsResolución 5477 de 2022 art. 57A, as of 2026-10-27 · in force

The rule

1. The statute and the PPT. Decreto 216 de 2021 created the Temporary Protection Statute for Venezuelan Migrants (ETPV), made up of the Single Registry of Venezuelan Migrants and the Permiso por Protección Temporal (PPT), for ten years. The PPT is a regularisation mechanism and identity document that lets Venezuelans stay regularly and carry out any lawful activity, including employment, subject to rules for regulated professions. It is valid until the last day of the statute, cannot be held together with other Migración permits, and lapses automatically if the holder obtains any visa.
Cost to do it: PPT duplicate COP 20,000 (US$6.33) under Res. 0599 de 2026.
Example: A Barranquilla logistics firm hires a Venezuelan PPT holder like any local worker, with no visa sponsorship. / No visa cost to the employer.Decreto 216 de 2021, Presidencia de la República and Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Art. 1, 2, 10, 11, 14 and 16, 2021-03-01 official text · verified 2026-10-27

2. Registration window and current coverage. The statute stays open until 30 May 2031 for children and adolescents in protection or juvenile justice processes and those enrolled in pre school, primary or secondary education; for other Venezuelans the deadline to validate information in the Single Registry ended on 24 November 2023.
Cost to do it: No cost.
Example: An adult Venezuelan who arrived in 2025 cannot obtain a PPT and must use the visa system. / Same.Resolución 12509 de 2024, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (considerations), Considerandos, 2024-12-04 official text · verified 2026-10-27

3. PEP Tutor. Decreto 1209 de 2024 created a special stay permit for Venezuelan legal representatives or custodians of children who held a valid PPT on 31 December 2023. It allows any lawful activity, including employment and service contracts, gives access to health and pension systems and financial services, is valid until 30 May 2031 without extension, counts toward the R visa, and must be reported in SIRE by employers.
Cost to do it: No fee stated in the decree.
Example: A Venezuelan mother of a PPT child obtains a PEP Tutor and is hired on a labour contract. / Same.Decreto 1209 de 2024, adding art. 2.2.1.11.2.1.1 to 2.2.1.11.2.1.10 to Decreto 1067 de 2015, Decreto 1067 art. 2.2.1.11.2.1.1, 2.2.1.11.2.1.2, 2.2.1.11.2.1.5 and 2.2.1.11.2.1.8, 2024-09-26 official text · verified 2026-10-27

4. V Visitante Especial visa. A transitional one time visa for Venezuelans who were in Colombia before 4 December 2024 and signed a verification and commitment act with Migración Colombia. It lasts two years, grants an open work permit, allows beneficiaries already in Colombia, and is charged at the student visa rate. The resolution creating it is valid for two years from publication on 5 December 2024; applications pending at expiry are decided within 15 business days. It is not available to people in custody, with deportation or expulsion orders, with criminal records or with another nationality.
Cost to do it: Student rate: US$16 study and US$21 issuance (Res. 3969 de 2026 art. 4.1 lit. g), about COP 116,844 in total.
Example: A Venezuelan worker without PPT who signed the commitment act obtains this visa and is hired. / US$37.Resolución 12509 de 2024, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, adding art. 57A to Resolución 5477 de 2022, Res. 5477 art. 22 and 57A; Res. 12509 art. 4, 2024-12-04 official text · verified 2026-10-27 · changed: The Visitante Especial window created by Resolución 12509 de 2024 runs for two years from 5 December 2024, so it is due to close in early December 2026.

5. Path to residence. Venezuelans who held a PEP for five years, a PPT for five years, or a combination totalling five years, and hold a valid PPT, can obtain an R visa under the statute; the PPT can be used instead of a passport and the visa can be issued automatically through linked platforms.
Cost to do it: R visa US$239 unless otherwise exempted.
Example: A PEP holder since 2019 who moved to PPT can count both periods. / US$239.Resolución 5477 de 2022, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Art. 24 par. 4 and 91, 2022-07-22 official text · verified 2026-10-27

Worked example

A retailer hires 40 Venezuelans: 35 hold PPTs, 3 hold PEP Tutor permits and 2 hold V Visitante Especial visas.
All may work under labour contracts. The retailer checks each document, reports each hire in SIRE within 15 days and affiliates them to social security.
Workers with five years of PEP and PPT can apply for R visas, which frees them from the 2031 statute deadline.

Step by step

Check the document type and validity (PPT, PEP Tutor, visa).
Report hires and terminations in SIRE within 15 days.
Encourage eligible workers to move to R visas before 30 May 2031.
For staff without status, check whether the Visitante Especial window is still open before it closes in December 2026.

Common traps

The PPT lapses as soon as the worker obtains any visa (Decreto 216 art. 14 par. 1).
Adults who did not register by 24 November 2023 cannot obtain a PPT.
PEP Tutor ends on 30 May 2031 with no extension.
Regulated professions still need degree recognition and a professional card.

Sources

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