Countries › Colombia › Guide › 8. Immigration › Applying for a Colombian visa: platform, fees, timelines, documents and refusals

Applying for a Colombian visa: platform, fees, timelines, documents and refusals

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

Every Colombian visa is requested online on the Foreign Ministry (Cancillería) platform, from a consulate abroad or from the Bogotá office if the applicant is already in Colombia in regular status. The process has two payments: a non refundable study fee of US$56 and an issuance fee once approved (US$138 for V, US$204 for M, US$183 for R in 2026), and the ministry has 30 calendar days to decide on a complete file. Supporting documents must be under three months old and foreign documents need an apostille or legalisation plus an official Spanish translation; refusals cannot be appealed and bar a new application for six months.

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

Visa application study fee (all main types)	56 USDResolución 3969 de 2026 art. 4, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Maximum decision time for a complete visa file	30 calendar daysResolución 5477 de 2022 art. 13, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Deadline to pay study and issuance fees	10 calendar daysResolución 5477 de 2022 art. 11 and 12, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Maximum age of supporting documents	3 monthsResolución 5477 de 2022 art. 20, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Waiting period after a visa refusal	6 monthsResolución 5477 de 2022 art. 99, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Visa transfer fee	112 USDResolución 3969 de 2026 art. 4, as of 2026-10-27 · in force

The rule

1. Where and how to file. All visa applications go through the Cancillería digital platform. Applicants abroad file before the consulate covering their country of residence (or a third country where they hold temporary or permanent residence); applicants in Colombia choose the Bogotá office, which only handles foreigners in regular migration status. Filing does not by itself give regular status, and a person may hold only one migration status at a time (a visa or a Migración Colombia permit).
Cost to do it: No fee to register the form; the study fee is paid once the reference number is issued.
Example: A foreign manager already in Bogotá on a visa free entry files from Colombia selecting the Bogotá office. / Same filing, no extra cost in US dollars.Resolución 5477 de 2022, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Art. 8 and its parágrafos 2 and 3; art. 98, 2022-07-22 official text · verified 2026-10-27

2. Two payments and their deadlines. After the form and scanned documents are submitted, the platform issues a payment reference and the study fee must be paid within 10 calendar days, otherwise the application is treated as withdrawn. The study fee is not refundable and does not guarantee the visa. Once a visa is authorised, the issuance fee must be paid within 10 calendar days. For 2026 the study fee is US$56 (EUR 44) and total fees are US$194 for a V visa, US$260 for an M visa and US$239 for an R visa; a visa transfer costs US$112. Fees exclude stamp tax. Some nationals pay less: Spanish nationals pay nothing, Japanese and Korean nationals pay only the study stage, and Ecuadorians pay a reduced study fee of US$31 with free issuance.
Cost to do it: US$56 study fee plus US$138 (V), US$204 (M) or US$183 (R) issuance; about COP 612,640, COP 821,064 or COP 754,748 in total at the TRM.
Example: M visa: COP 176,845 study plus COP 644,220 issuance, about COP 821,064 in total (orientation only). / US$260 for an M visa; US$194 for a V visa; US$239 for an R visa.Resolución 5477 de 2022 (art. 10 to 12); Resolución 3969 de 2026, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (art. 4 and 4.1), Res. 5477 art. 10, 11 and 12; Res. 3969 art. 4, par. and 4.1 lit. c, d and j, 2026-03-31 official text · verified 2026-10-27

3. Decision times. With a complete file and the study fee paid, the visa authority has up to 30 calendar days to decide; consultations with other entities can extend this. The authority may issue requests for documents or information up to three times; the applicant generally has up to 10 calendar days to answer, inaction for 10 days counts as withdrawal, and after a timely answer the authority decides within 10 more calendar days. The electronic visa is emailed within 10 business days after the issuance fee is paid, and errors must be reported within 15 calendar days, after which a paid transfer is needed. Applicants in Colombia must stay in regular status (visa, safe conduct or permit) during the whole process.
Cost to do it: No additional fee for requests; a transfer to correct a late spotted error costs US$112.
Example: Plan about 30 calendar days plus up to 10 business days for issuance: roughly six to eight weeks from a complete file. / Correcting an error after 15 days costs US$112 (about COP 353,689).Resolución 5477 de 2022, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Art. 11 par., 13, 19, 97 and 101, 2022-07-22 official text · verified 2026-10-27

4. Document rules. Documents other than passports must be issued no more than three months before the application is registered. Documents created abroad need an apostille or legalisation and an official Spanish translation, except bank certificates or statements in an official language of the OAS (Spanish, English, French or Portuguese), which can be filed without apostille or translation if they are clear. The passport must be valid for at least six months. Holders of several foreign nationalities must use one nationality for entry, stay, visa and exit; a visa obtained with one passport does not transfer to the other nationality.
Cost to do it: Apostille in Colombia COP 37,800 (US$11.97); apostille at a Colombian consulate US$11 outside the euro zone (Res. 3969 de 2026 art. 5).
Example: A US employment letter in English and US bank statements can be filed as is; a US degree needs an apostille and an official translation. / Apostilles issued abroad by foreign authorities follow the foreign fee schedule.Resolución 5477 de 2022, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Art. 20, 21 and par., 24 num. 3 and par. 1, 2022-07-22 official text · verified 2026-10-27

5. Refusals, inadmission and no appeal. The authority may authorise, request information, declare the application inadmissible (it ends but a new one can be filed) or refuse the visa, using a discretionary power. A refused applicant must leave Colombia within 30 calendar days, cannot file again for six months and must then apply from the country of nationality or legal permanent residence. No administrative appeal is available against approval terms, inadmission, requests, refusal, termination or cancellation. Irregular entry or stay is a ground for inadmission or refusal.
Cost to do it: The US$56 study fee is lost on refusal.
Example: A refused worker visa applicant in Bogotá must exit within 30 days and wait six months to reapply from abroad. / Loss of US$56 plus travel costs.Resolución 5477 de 2022, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Art. 94, 96, 98, 99 and 100, 2022-07-22 official text · verified 2026-10-27

Visa	Study stage	Issuance stage	Total	Total in euro zone
Visitor (V)	US$56	US$138	US$194	EUR 150
Migrant (M)	US$56	US$204	US$260	EUR 200
Resident (R)	US$56	US$183	US$239	EUR 185
Visa transfer	US$56	US$56	US$112	EUR 88
V tourist or airport transit (issuance only)	class fee	US$52	study plus US$52	EUR 40 issuance

2026 visa fees by stage (Resolución 3969 de 2026 art. 4; euro amounts apply in the euro zone and Cuba)

Worked example

A Colombian SAS wants to hire a German engineer living in Berlin. The engineer files online selecting the consulate covering Germany and pays EUR 44 within 10 days.
The ministry asks once for a clearer bank certificate; the SAS answers within 10 days. Approval arrives within the 30 day window and the engineer pays EUR 156 issuance within 10 days, total EUR 200 (about US$260 for a non euro payer, COP 821,064 at the TRM).
The electronic visa arrives within 10 business days. The engineer checks the data at once, since a correction after 15 days requires a US$112 transfer.

Step by step

Pick the visa category and check if the passport is visa exempt (see business visitors page).
Collect documents issued in the last three months; apostille and translate foreign public documents; keep bank statements in an OAS language.
Fill the online form, upload PDFs and pay the study fee within 10 calendar days.
Answer any request within 10 calendar days; keep regular status if in Colombia.
Pay the issuance fee within 10 calendar days of approval and check the electronic visa within 15 days.
Within 15 calendar days of entry or issuance, register with Migración Colombia if the visa lasts more than three months.

Common traps

Paying the study fee late silently ends the application (art. 11).
Documents older than three months on the filing date are a common inadmission reason (art. 20).
There is no appeal: build the file to be complete the first time (art. 100).
A refusal triggers a 30 day exit duty and a six month bar (art. 99).
A visa issued on one passport cannot be used with a second nationality (art. 24 par. 1).

Sources

← Visas and residence in Colombia: visitors, staff, investors and permanent residenceBusiness visitors and visa free entry to Colombia: what you can do, for how long and when you need a V visa →