Expatgroup.co Official Announcement: from September 16 to October 24, visa applications to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be suspended.
You can make the payment and start gathering the documentation, while applications are resumed.
Note: Remember that it is the responsibility of the foreigner to remain in Colombia on a regular basis.
To begin the transition to the new visa resolution, Resolution 5477 of 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has just notified that Colombian visa applications will be frozen.
When will Colombian visa applications be frozen?
Below we explain the dates you should keep an eye on in the processing of Colombian visas to understand the transition to the new resolution that is already beginning:
Friday, September 16, 2022:
The maximum term to apply for visas is M and V Student, M Religious, M Retirement / Rentista, M Marriage / Domestic Partnership, R Parent of Colombian Citizen, and R Foreign Direct Investment.
Friday, September 30, 2022:
The maximum term to apply for other visa types.
From September 30 to October 21:
ALL visa applications will be frozen. The government platform will be disabled for the registration of visa applications.
As of October 21:
In principle, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs system will be re-enabled for the application of any type of visa, including new visas and visas that have changed their category based on resolution 5477 of 2022.
In which cases will visa applications be frozen?
It applies for visa applications from Colombia through the Foreign Ministry in Bogotá, as well as for applications through the different Colombian Consulates abroad.
What are the consequences of visa applications being frozen?
- Process will be delayed.
- Loss of regularity in Colombia.
- Payment of fines before Migración Colombia for irregularities: Expiration of visa, expiration of tourism stamp or tourism extension, expiration of safe-conduct.
- Loss of continuity for future residence.
- Expiration of the validity of the documentation for the visa application.
- Obligation to comply with the new requirements and regulations from resolution 5477 of 2022.
Who will bear the responsibility for irregularities caused by the freezing of visa applications?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizes that it is the DIRECT responsibility of each foreigner to ensure and preserve their legal permanence if they are in the country.
If I have a visa that is about to expire and I cannot apply for my new visa yet, how can I guarantee my legal stay?
Before your current visa expires, you will need to apply for safe-conduct through Migracion Colombia.
The safe-conduct (Salvoconducto) is the temporary document issued by Migracion Colombia in order to extend the legal permanence of a foreigner in the country in case they are carrying out procedures to obtain a visa. The duration of the safe-conduct will be up to thirty (30) calendar days, extendable in special cases, up to thirty (30) more calendar days.
If my tourist stamp will expire during the freeze phase, what are my options?
Those foreigners who are in Colombia as tourists will initially have two options:
- Leave the country before the expiration of the tourism permit. In this case, they will be able to request a visa through a consulate abroad after October 21, once the system for the application of Colombian visas has been re-enabled.
- Stay in Colombia exceeding the tourism permit. In this case, it will be necessary to pay a fine through Migracion Colombia in order to obtain safe-conduct for legal stay in the country, which may be extended if necessary according to the discretionary power of the Colombian government.
What happens if I am in the visa process with expatgroup.co?
At expatgroup.co we understand that this new scenario may generate many questions and concerns from the expat community who are currently in the Colombian visa process or about to start their procedures.
However, it is our duty to inform the guidelines recently published by the Colombian government so that our entire expat community is aware and makes the appropriate decisions according to each specific case.
If you are currently in the visa process with expatgroup.co, please immediately contact your assigned adviser to guide you regarding the next steps.
It should be noted that this is a contingency that is not under the control of expatgroup.co but depends directly on the discretionary power of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Therefore, although expatgroup.co will not be responsible in the event of incidents that negatively affects the processes within the scenario referenced here, we do reiterate our commitment to make all possible efforts for the benefit of our client’s processes.
Contáctanos
I have not been able to reach you by Whatsapp.
I am interested in your visa services. please call me on my Whatsapp. 1-303-669-4840
Hi, Stephen, I see that your assigned agent Johana has already given you an answer, best regards.
Hi, we are booked for a diving holiday in Colombia starting 16 October, all tickets are paid and we have been struggling with the online application for the last week. We were unable to find where on the form we were supposed to attach flight details and hotel bookings. We were now informed that our application was turned down and we can only re-apply in six months.
Is there anything that can be done to still get a visa?
Hello, Coen. We are very sorry for your situation. When visas are denied, you must wait the period indicated, i.e., six months.