This article has been written with direct inputs from a fellow traveler and expat Shawn Nay who is an American citizen and extended his Colombia tourist visa successfully online.
See Also
Colombian girlfriend: “Hey Shawn,. What happened to your plan to extend Colombia tourist visa? You know we were talking about the other day? You got it, right?”
Me: “Oh yeah! No worries at all. Was a piece of cake.”
Moment of truth? No, I had not. And no, I was not worried. I knew I could do it online and I had 15 days to go before my 90 days Colombia tourist stay would expire. So, we go back to netflixing.
Yeah, I know what you are thinking. No, we did actually start a new episode of Black Mirror with Spanish subs. Yes, cuddling was involved.
Anyways, fast forward 10 days, and I heard from some Expats that the online one wasn’t all flowers and rainbows- and that’s when I remembered I still hadn’t done it and that got me worried as fuck.
Coz’ if I couldn’t do it for some reason, I would have had to go for a last-minute ticket to leave Colombia. And I wasn’t ready to leave yet.
Well, to tell you the whole experience, it wasn’t really flowers and rainbows.
But hey, at least it wasn’t like when I tried to extend my Peru tourist stay online.
That portal is designed for giving heart attacks to people like me. And those heart attacks come in Spanish as well, which I needed to translate on Google later.
Ok, now, I am gonna explain you the whole process to extend Colombia tourist visa so that you know what comes after what, and your life is easier.
Note that this extension applies to Colombia tourist stay only, not to any other visas or permits. Many expats also refer it to as a Colombia tourist permit extension.
Colombia tourist stay extension = Colombia tourist permit extension ≠ Colombia tourist visa extension.Who is this visa extension for?
This extension is for people who entered Colombia with just an entry stamp as a tourist, and not with an actual visa sticker. Examples- Citizens of USA, Canada, EU countries, Australia, Philippines,New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago.
This extension is not for you if you entered with a real tourist visa with a visa sticker. Examples- India, South Africa, Nigeria, Vietnam
Table of Contents
Don’t be a Lazy Bum. Don’t Stall it.
You don’t have to extend the tourist permit right after your arrival. Just do it a couple of weeks before the 90-day deadline.
Whatever you do, don’t wait until the last moment to extend Colombia visa. Yeah, doing it the Jason Bourne way sounds awesome in your head, but you are not in a movie.
Once you know, you are gonna be in Colombia for the long run( Ok, I mean 180 days), just do it. The best thing about the Colombian visa extension is that the extension starts only after your current limit runs out.
It’s not like some other Latin American countries ( I am looking at you Bolivia), where it would start from the day you get it and eat up the days you already have.
Step 1: Colombia Visa Extension Requirements
Ok, so now that we know you are not a procrastinator, let’s talk about the documents. The fun part. Good news? Just 3 documents. Nothing more.
However, if you are trying to extend Colombia tourist stay for children, you need to submit a couple more documents.
1. Passport bio page
The passport bio page is, of course, the mandatory document. If you have a passport that has an address page, it’s not necessary to upload it. Just the page with your pic and name and DOB should do the trick.
2. Entry stamp
This is the page of your passport where the Colombian immigration stamped the date of your entry into Colombia.
3. Onward Flight from Colombia
An onward flight ticket that takes you out of Colombia. You can submit your flight confirmation email or a PDF of the ticket.
Make sure it has your full name, the date of departure falls within the range of the initial 180 days of arriving in Colombia. And the itinerary must be from any Colombian city to a non-Colombian city. That’s kind of obvious, but still!
If you want to get your full 180 days in Colombia, reserve a flight that leaves on that 180th day. If you don’t, you might get the Colombian stay extension until the date of departure.
There are several ways to get an onward ticket without spending a penny. The easiest one is to get a refundable once through Expedia or Orbitz and then cancel it within 24 hours.
But if you are looking to rent, here is one you can do on Onward Ticket for 48 hours.
4. Birth certificate for Children & Passport of One parent
While this was not something I experienced personally (since I don’t have children), I got to hear from some other expats that Colombian authorities are asking parents to prove that they are in reality parents of the children whose tourist permits they are extending.
Apparently, when you enter, they don’t ask you a thing. However, when you extend the Colombian tourist permit for your children, they ask for extra proof.
So you can upload the scanned copy of the birth certificate of your children in that case. And the Migraciones Colombia might ask you to notarize them as well.
If the birth certificate is in English, there is no need to get it translated. If it is in a language other than Spanish/English, check with them whether they need it to be translated.
Also, note that you need to upload your passport bio when you submit the application for your child. One of the parents’ passport bio has to accompany the visa extension application for the child.
Step 2: Submit the Online Colombia Tourist Visa Extension Application
You would need to start at the official website of Colombia migraciones.
Choose “English” on the top right. Be happy that they have that option, and you don’t need to use Google Translate.
If you can manage with a little Spanish and Google translate, go for the Spanish version. The English version is flaky and comes with its own baggage like most migration systems in Latin America.Then, under “Tipo de Tramite” check the box beside “Permiso Temporal de Permanencia para Prorrogar Permanencia.”
Have all your documents ready. The whole thing won’t take more than a few minutes.
Tips:
- When you choose English, the website doesn’t translate everything into English in reality, which is really fun.
Google what’s your nationality is called in Spanish and fill in the column for Nationality/Country of Issuance/Country. If the name you found in Spanish is not there, try searching for the English name. - If you can’t find your place of birth, select “NO APLICA”.
- Note that, the state/departments are not available for all the countries except for some like the United States and Canada. Same goes for city/town of issuance. So if you can’t find yours, simply select your country in the state.
For example, if you are from Germany, you can see only three values in the states dropdown: BERLIN, MUNICH,GERMANY. I am pretty sure Germany has some more states. So in this case, simply choose Germany.
When you scroll down, you would find the option to upload the documents.
Now, what’s weird is that, when you upload the documents, it doesn’t really ask you for anything other than the passport bio page.
I have known people who did the extension without uploading an onward flight ticket. Hell, I also know people who just uploaded just the bio page of the passport and not the entry stamp page, and they got it as well.
However, if you ask me, I would say that you should do it the right way. And the right way is to simply combine all three documents in one PDF, and make sure that the size of that PDF doesn’t exceed 1 MB.
There are many websites that combine and compress PDFs for free. I love these three for what it’s worth.
If you do everything right, and click on the ‘ACEPTO’ button, you will be forwarded to a page with your unique application number.
After this, you should receive an email like below shortly. I got it in English only.
In case you get it in Spanish, It would say the same thing that your application has been received and that you will receive a response within one business day.
It would also include a confirmation number and a password to check your application status online.
You can take the key and the application number, and check for the status on the Migraciones Colombia website.
At this point of time, the Colombia Visa Extension status would be simply REGISTRADO, meaning “registered” and the payment status would be Tramite No Facturado, which basically translated to “Not paid”.
Step 3: Pray
In my experience, every time you file for a visa extension, apply for a cedula or do any bureaucratic work with migraciones in Latin America, just be a sport and pray.
Pray that the person from immigration who is assigned your case is an efficient and happy employee who takes the job seriously, and who would check the papers and the dates properly.
So extending the Colombian tourist permit is not gonna be any different.
Step 4: Pay the Fees to Extend Colombia Tourist Visa
Be on the lookout for the emails from Migraciones Colombia. If you didn’t miss out on any requirements, then usually you should get the email within a day only. This email should say “pre-aprobada or pre-approved”.
In my case, I received an email the next day indicating that my application had been pre-approved. This would contain the payment info.
If you’re a national of an EU country, your Colombia travel visa extension is free.
Otherwise, you have to pay the equivalent of $30 in Colombian pesos. I paid 99,000 COP.
As the relationship between COP and USD is not the best right now, the price has gone up. It is 110,000 pesos now, when I last checked but this seems to be fluctuating along with the peso.You can pay online, at a Banco Occidente bank, or at a Migracion Colombia office.
Now the thing about payment is I was not able to make the payment successfully the first time. I got some kind of error.
But after refreshing the page everything worked fine through a secure site called “Place to Pay”, and I was able to pay with my credit card.
Step 5: Receive Success Email for Colombia Tourist Permit Extension
After you are approved and have paid you will receive a PDF indicating that your tourist permit has been extended.
Take a printout and keep it with your passport. And there is no need to go to the Migracion Colombia office if you are able to successfully renew online.
This email must contain the phrase “con exito”. Those are the magic words you are looking for.
Problems with Extending Colombia Tourist Visa & Possible Solutions
Spoiler alert: The website can be slow and flaky. If you do it in English, you might see a lot of “Please Wait” or in Spanish, “Por favor espere”.
Here are the common scenarios that I got to hear from other expats. If you come across something else, do comment.
1. What to Do If You Get a Rejection Email
You might get a rejection email that would say “No fue aprobada” or something in the line of that for many reasons.
- You didn’t upload all the documents.
- The PDFs you uploaded were not of good quality. I would suggest uploading properly scanned documents rather than some pic from your phone.
- The guy who was assigned your case at migraciones was having a bad day.
- Your data was not correctly registered in the system when you entered Colombia, again by some immigration guy whose idea of work involved a bit of aguardiente.
In all these cases, if you are sure about your documents, fill out the form and upload the documents and submit a fresh application.
You don’t pay until it’s approved, so no worries there.Many expats have tried two or three times, and then only were successful.
Another thing: I have personally heard cases where someone received a rejection email, and when they scrambled to check what they missed and what their options were, an approval email made it to their inbox after a few hours.
So, if you get a rejection email, wait for the approval email for 24 hours or so.2. What to Do If You Don’t Get a Rejection or Approval Email
It’s possible that you don’t receive any kind of email after submitting the application. Wait for at least 24 hours but no more than 48 hours for the email.
Should You Go to Migraciones?
If you have already moved to Colombia or planning to, here is your chance to get a direct dose of Colombian bureaucracy.
My experience so far has been great with many other things like getting a Colombian Work Visa or Cedula, but a tourist stay extension is something else. From what I have heard from different expats yet and the comments, you never know.
- Sometimes, they might simply turn you back saying they are too busy.
- Sometimes they could say they don’t really get involved in this.
- Since you have submitted the application, it’s all that matters( Don’t believe that). See Chelsea’s comment.
- And then there are those great days when someone will be in a great mood and give you an out.
If visiting the office is the last resort, take an appointment and then, take a print off of the ‘code generated’ screenshot from the first email and a copy of all my documents.
Do carry a credit card and cash with you to make the payment. You never know what will work there.
COVID Updates: Colombia Tourist Stay Extension
Since the COVID hit, many expats have reported not receiving any emails even for one or two weeks. Due to COVID, things are taking much longer. Do check your spam folder and note down your case number.
Make sure that you are not missing any important docs like the onward flight.
And if you are not missing anything, then there is not much to do except to wait and watch until things get better.
3. What to Do When There are Payment Issues?
If your payment doesn’t go through the first time, give it one more try after some time, maybe on a different browser.
If you don’t receive the payment link, one trick is to try the payment link with your login creds: https://apps.migracioncolombia.gov.co/registro/public/numeroGenerado.jsf
See Jay’s comment on this.
Also, at the end of the payment, you can take note of the email: servicios.ciudadano@migracioncolombia.gov.co
, and use it for any communication related to payment issues.
4. Call to Sort Things Out
I get that it is not always possible to go to a migraciones office, especially if you are in someplace deep in the jungle or something.
So, if there is a problem with your application and you can’t go to the immigration office, you may be able to solve this via the phone. You can ask to talk to an English-speaking agent.
- Land line (fijo) at 6-055454
- Toll free to 01800 0510454.
You can also schedule an appointment at a migraciones office through the same phone number.
Leaving and Re-entering Colombia after Visa Extension
So let’s say you extend Colombia stay for 90 days, and then want to go to that yoga retreat in Costa Rica for a couple of weeks, where a spot just opened up cause someone canceled.
Or maybe that Shaman in Iquitos(Peru) finally decided that you and your digital nomad partner are ready for that Ayahuasca package deal available for a limited time.
Or whatever.
The point is if you leave Colombia within the extension period, and then want to come back, you will be fine as long as you have some days left out of your 90 days of extension.
At immigration, they will usually count the number of days left. On very rare occasions, an official might make a mistake and give you 90 days again but don’t count on that.
Updates on Colombia Visa Extension
“How to extend a Colombia tourist visa?” is a common question asked by expats and tourists in Colombia. That being said, the visa processes change frequently in Colombia.
If you experience something different than the Colombian tourist visa extension process outlined above, please let us know in the comments below. We intend to keep all of our visa articles up-to-date.
Should You Move to Colombia? Living in Colombia- Magic Realism & Everything Under the Table
How to Fill in Check Mig Colombia Form in 3 minutes like a Pro?
Thailand Long Stay Visa- How to Stay Longer as a Thailand Digital Nomad, Travel Restrictions & More
Thanks dude. This was exactly what I was looking for.
I received the unique application number from migración Colombia, but didn’t receive a confirmation email !
I’m a bit worried, my correct email was used.
Sorry, just read your other section on what to do if no email received.
Hey Liam.
Glad you could find it. Let me know how it went.
Hi Liam,
I filled out the application form yesterday morning and also have not received any confirmation email. Did you eventually receive an email from them? I’m a bit worried too as I left the whole thing to the last minute!
Lots of expats are reporting this issue. Due to COVID, things are taking much longer. Do check your spam folder and do note down your case number. Make sure that you are not missing any important docs like the onward flight.
Hi, in the end I went to the Migración office. Was many people having the same problems waiting outside.
They told me they have the application, however, It’s still being processed.
I have to go back Friday if I still haven’t received an email from them.
It’ss been over 3 weeks since sending my application.
No, I’m still waiting. As said on a previous comment just posted. I had to go to migración. They have the application, but still no reply 3 weeks later. Will return Friday again and see what they say.
So im having the same issue. how did you go?
Any advice.. I have just over a week to expiry.
One week and nothing
I have submitted successfully my visa extension application on 21-jan-2021 and my visa is expired on 27-jan-2021 and i have not received any confirmation email from immigration office and there is not schedule of appointment before my visa expiry date and please advice me what should i do i have visited three time to immigration office and they are required appointment to process further while i do not pay the visa extension fees do i pay visa extension fees without confirmation of email please advise me what should i do ?
Hi Shahzad,
Seems like a lot of people are facing the same issue. These things are happening due to the COVID situation. You can try to email them and wait.
Hi, really need to go to a migración office. Impossible booking an appointment online for some reason. I went and explained the situation that website isn’t allowing online appointments. They eventually let me in.
I’m still trying to get my extension, but feel calmer knowing they have my application.
On a side note, they really don’t seem very well organised !!
Hi Deb – do you know about scenarios when someone applied for their 90-day extension after their original 90 days had expired? I’m planning to go straight to the Migracion office, but I’m worried they’ll only give me 15 days to stay (that’s what I’ve heard). Do you know more about this scenario and what the outcomes are? I’m planning to stay until May, which would be toward the end of 180 days here, so I’m hoping they won’t make me leave.
Hi Melanie,
Since you are past the 90 days limit, you can leave the country and come back. You would probably need to pay an overstay fine. Or get a salvo conductado that would allow you to be legal for 30 days. Then you can apply for a student visa to study Spanish( the easiest).
Hi Deb – I paid my visa extension thru my bf’s credit card but sad to say we still haven’t received any documents from them. The email that we got is only “ La transacción en http://www.migracioncolombia.gov.co – Sitio web por un valor de COP $105,000 ha sido APROBADA” but there’s no documentation attached. Have you encountered this problem before?
Thank you.
Hi Vanieza,
Yes. At least you got an email. People don’t even get that email sometimes. 🙂
Yes, but how long did you receive an email after you PAID the fee with the magic words “con exito” since we never received that email after processing the payments.
Thank you.
The next day.
But since the COVID hit, lots of expats have faced this issue. Please refer the section on what to do when you don’t receive an email.
Hi, thank you for this post! It’s amazing and I am just about to follow all the steps. I have a question tho. If I extended my visa for 180 days but will leave let’s say to Guatemala for a month before the whole 180 days expires. Can I use the remaining days of my visa after my Guatemala trip? Thanks 🙂
Hi Pati,
Thanks for stopping by. Yes, you can use the remaining days. You don’t lose the days when you leave.
Hi,
we submitted the application now for extension. I assumed that since today is Sunday, hopefully we will be receiving an email tomorrow..
All the best Lex.
We never get any email 🙁
we just received an email with the username and password and that we both need to pay 105,000cop. he is a UK citizen though but i wonder why he needs to pay too?
Technically UK is not a part of the EU anymore, right? That’s what I thought.
that’s what I thought too. maybe that’s the reason why we have to pay. Can I ask, his visa will end on AUgust 21 and mine is on August 31 but we already have the pre approval email. if we pay now, how long before we received an email of extension and will that start from the day our visa runs out? thanks!
The extension starts only after your current limit runs out. So even if you receive the email before that, that is totally fine.
Thanks so much. We both paid 105,000 cop. the payment went through. May I ask how long it usually takes for the PDF email?
thanks a lot!
Hey, thank you it was very helpful i however have a question. I applied 6 days ago and never received any email, confirmation of application, nada. Should I be worried? Or should I resend the application in case it didn’t go through? Thanks
Hi,
May I ask what documents did you attached?
Honestly, I only attached my passport copy and pic of my entry stamp in Colombia.
I got the email after 2 days.
Thanks man! Just did mine and this made the process super easy. Much gratitude 🙏
Happy to help, Blair.
Thank you for this article. Question, if i extend my tourist visa in October after my initial 90 days expire, and I get another 90 days and hit the max of 180 days, does this max reset in 2022 wherein I can apply for another 180 days? Thank you!
Hi Kami,
You get 180 days in a calendar year. The limit starts from the day you enter Colombia, rather than the beginning of a year. So it would reset when the calendar year for you ends, that is a year from the day you entered.
Hi Deb,
Thanks for this info. But i just want to clear something.
We enter July 24, 2021 and had 90 days, if we are successful to extended our visa we can have 180 days in total in January 21, 2022.
If we exit December, we can only return in July to get another tourist visa for 90 days? Because as you answered Kimi is the “calendar year you have entered”
Hi Det,
Yes, that is right.
Thanks for one of the most useful and detailed articles I have read. I have another question. Is the 180 days just contiguous? in other words, if i do the 180 days in a calendar year then leave to a non-Colombian city and return does my 180 days reset in that same year? so if I just leave and return I can get a new 90 days each time irrespective of how many days I have spent in Colombia in the year?
Hey Brad,
Yes, your calendar year would end after 365 days from the day you enter, and the 180 days limit applies to that duration. So it is very much possible that the 180 days limit can reset in the same year.
See Bet’s comment here.
Has anyone tried the on-line visa extension form yet? Apparently there is a new portal, but I did not see an option to extend a visa. And when I tried a search on visa, it only returned a list of articles. Nowhere on the migracioncolombia.gov.co site did I see anything related to visas.
Never mind, I found it. Google translate was not giving me a proper translation of “visa.”
hAHAH … I just completed the process. Sent in my flight leaving on April 4. They Extended my visa until…January 23rd. I’m screwed. Thanks for this informative website. No Thanks Colombia. I will probably leave early now because Fkit
I find that the country of birth option doesnt give me a selection. My application is rejected and I have no way of filling in that question. So frustrating.
Hi Andrew,
Have you tried filling it by choosing the language as Spanish? The web page acts weirdly some times when the language is English.
Your suggestion worked! Thank you.
I just did this whole process in one day here in January 2022. As advertised I would say. It takes a little hunting to find the correct link to start the process. Other than that, the most difficult part is covering the 3 photos of the passport, stamp, and onward travel down to under 1mb before being able to upload. Good luck!
Thank you so much for providing guidance with screenshots. I don’t know why your page doesn’t come up first before the Guru of Medellin. The site was down when I tried the first time. I was very panicked. This is one thing I wish I hadn’t procrastinated on!
The cost was raised a bit to 105,000. I applied on the 3rd of February, and I got the payment request email today February 7th. Not bad. The 24 hour turn around is definitely not happening.
I paid a guy $15.00 to file a salvoconducto for me. Don’t do that. When I went to the immigration office in Bogota, one of the officers told me that it doesn’t apply to tourist visas.
They told me that I should hear from them in three business days, so that was about right. I’m glad. I did everything you suggested above including praying that they see it.
One more thing. Google’s automatic translation of website might have fucked up my process. I sent the immigration office two emails that bounced back, but I saw this email at the end of the payment process: servicios.ciudadano@migracioncolombia.gov.co
Did they make you come into the immigration office?
Has anyone had trouble with the Place of Birth field on the online form? I complete the form but then the Place of Birth does not provide any places. I tried two different browsers (Chrome and Firefox, on laptop and phone) but the same issue. All required info is filled out up until this point. Thanks.
Hi William,
Have you tried filling the form by choosing the language as Spanish and then checking the Spanish name for your country in the dropdown list?
If you restart the application go to the place of birth first if the drop down works fill out the other 2 for a state/department and city; then complete the rest of the application.
Please don’t publish my last, I see I had asked this question previously, and you replied with a suggestion. I will try that and let you know how it goes.
What do you think would happen if I overstayed by 1 day? Our 90 day visa expires on March 31st and our flight is April 1st. Seems like a lot of work for 1 day. Is it better just to change my flight if possible?
I would recommend changing the flight, but I know people who were able to reason with the immigration for an overstay of a couple of days or paid some fine.
thanks. Turns out the earlier flight is full unless I want to pay for an upgrade to business class. Guess I’m going to renew for 1 day. 105000 COP is probably still cheaper than the fine will be for one day. Thank you for your post.
Thank you very much for your posting. Without your explanation we could not find the property way to apply for our Colombian visa extension on line. We fortunate to have people like you.
Thanks again. All the best
Helped a lot! Thanks!
But the english version did not let me choose my birthay place, so i always got an error when submitting the form. Switching to the spanish website solved the problem.
I had the same issue. I had to switch over to the Spanish version. Now in the praying phase. Haven’t received any sort of confirmation email yet…
I did the same thing. DO NOT USE THE ENGLISH VERSION
Okay y’all. Estadounidense here. I just filled out the application last night around 6/7pm local time exactly as is recommended here, and got my pre approval and invitation to pay online at 9:30 this morning. Just waiting now for the final document.
Congratulations Jess!!
This was very helpful. I wish I would have read this before I first submitted the extension without adding any documents but my passport. Hopefully, round 2 goes better.
Great article. I got pre-appproved, paid the fee and got the approval in a total of 4 hours.
The price is now $110 Peso.
I did not supply a airline ticket.
Thanks, Scott for the update.
Hi Deb. I paid I didnt get an email but instead got this below not sure if you can put it in your browser and it works.
I just want to know it has been approved. It looks pretty official. It has the migratoria colombia emblem on the top.
it basically says how much i paid, what it is for, the status being approved, my email, my bank,.
It doesnt say when I have to leave, Im guessing it doesnt need to say it.
I just would like to know for sure because I want to book another month at airbnb where I am , but want to be sure because once I book it is not refundable.
Thank you.
I really appreciate your article it helped me a lot and I did a lot of praying and the next day got an email from Migratoria colombia saying it was approved.
file:///C:/Users/Tito/Downloads/Receipt%20for%20temporary%20visa%20paid%20in%20full.pdf
Glad to know it all worked out, Tito.
Hey Deb and everyone here, thanks for the article and commentary. I just applied and got the confirmation email. I expect everything to go fine tbh. I just wonder if they even really know how long I have left or have been here. I’ve literally traveled back and fourth for the last 3 months and every time they stamp my passport for 90 days.
Does anybody know what type of document is required for “Documento emitido por autoridad judicial o administrativa donde se requiera al solicitante para aclarar situación personal.” ?
Does that refer to proof of your personal economic situation?
Thanks so much!
In a word, this article is EXCELLENT!
Thanks Lou.
I’ll add my experience here in case it’s helpful for anyone else. My girlfriend and I both submitted our visa extensions on the same day and both received the confirmation emails with the login info. She received a payment link the next day but I never received mine after 2 weeks. My application was stuck in approved but not paid status. I decided to try the same payment link she had but with my login credentials and it allowed me to make the payment. About an hour later I received the signed pdf of the visa extension.
My girlfriend had another problem, she paid and the status changed to paid but not payment approved. The same time I did my payment we tried another payment on hers and the 2nd payment made the visa extension and the status changed. For some reason the first payment did not change the status even though we got charged on the credit card.
Hi Jay,
Thanks for this comment. I hope some day they would fix all these payment issues.
I am sure it would be helpful to others.
No problem, happy to help. Thanks for writing the original article, it was very helpful
For extra context, here is the link I used to make the payment. I only had access to it because my girlfriend received it. I know it’s pretty hard to find if they don’t send it to you, I was lucky because my girlfriend received it. Let me just note that on the website my application status said approved but not paid so all I needed was to pay so this link worked in my situation. It may be different in other situations
https://apps.migracioncolombia.gov.co/registro/public/numeroGenerado.jsf
Please help: My 90 days are up this Saturday, July 30. I applied for an extension online on Monday, but have only received a confirmation email (no approval or payment email). I went to the immigration office in Medellin this morning to finish it in person but they wouldn’t let me. 3 different receptionists told me that I must wait for my approval email and that they are backed up right now. They said even if my visa expires on Saturday, not to worry because I submitted an application and that’s all that matters. But it still scares me to stay in the country on an expired visa, especially if there is a fine.
What would you suggest doing? Should I go back to the office again tomorrow? Or wait until next Monday to see if the approval email arrives, and then go in person if it doesn’t? Book a last-minute flight out of the country?
Hi Chelsea,
I understand your frustration. Check Jay’s comment here if it could help you : https://thevisaproject.com/experience/extend-colombia-tourist-visa-online/#comment-3117.
I would not recommend overstaying in Colombia. The fines can be too high and arbitrary depending on the migración. One great option is to apply for Salvo Conductado. See if you can get one for 30 days. That would buy you a lot of time.
Thank you very much for the information.
Do you know if we can simply leave the country for a couple of days and return, renewing the 90 days? Your article seemed to indicate ‘no’, but I wanted to confirm.
Thank you!
Hi Andy,
In my opinion, it would be easier and cheaper to get the extension.
And you could get 90 more days by doing a border run if you have not exceeded the 180 days in a calendar year.
Thank you for the reply!
I have been having problems with the Migracion website. It doesn’t have my city of birth in the drop-down. I tried it in English and Spanish, to no avail. I would rather just go to Ecuador or something for a couple of days than sit in the Migracion office all day.
So, I was hoping to do a border run at about day 70, because I need a total of 150 days in Colombia.
I’m worried that they will just honor my original 90 day visa upon returning, instead of granting me an extra 90 days.
Should I do a border run at day 90 to make sure I get an extra 90 days?
Thank you very much!
Hi Andy,
I understand. Usually, they would grant you extra 90 days. Just to make sure, better leave a day or 2 before the 90 days run out and re-enter.
If your city of birth does not appear in the drop-down, you could choose your country.
Cheers,
Deb
Hello Deb,
I (EU citizen) spend 90 days in Colombia from May 7th until August 5th. I never extended the visa and just left to Ecuador.
I am now planning a trip with some friends end of November to Colombia. Do I need to submit for anything before I take my flight to Colombia or can I just go and will my entry be granted since I’m not over my 180 days in a calendar year?
With all the visa extension answers I’m a bit puzzled with my case. Thanks a lot for your thoughts.
Hi Quintin,
Yes, it should not be an issue since you have not exceeded the 180-day limit.
Curious about this, as this is giving me some stress. My Colombian girlfriend and I spent about 83 days between April and June in Colombia in 2022.
During this trip we took a short trip for 5 days to Curacao. Upon return the immigration officer stamped my passport with the remaining 25 days I had left of my original 90 days.
Upon exiting Colombia, the (surprisingly friendly!) immigration officer told us that if I were to return later in the year, I would only have 7 days left. And that I would need to file for an extension.
We are now going back at the end of November, and intend to stay until February.
Can I expect to get a new 90 day stamp upon arrival? While 7 days should in theory be enough to file for the extension it seems quite short, in case something goes wrong…?
As per comments above, why are some people just getting restamped 90 days upon re-entry? And why do some have to file for the extension? Is this mostly random?
Hi Charles,
I didn’t get the part about 25 days remaining out of 90 days and spending 83 days. It doesn’t add up.
There are 2 possibilities now. Most probably, you will get 90 days when you reenter. There is a little chance that if you have not consumed the 90 days given to you initially, then they will give you 7 days and you will need to file for an extension asap.
I wouldn’t say that the stampng is random. I have heard of reports of 30-day or 60-day stamps. This depends on how long you have stayed in Colombia.
Very complete article. Thanks for all the effort. One thing is not clear to me, though. Could most of these problems be avoided if you applied for the extension as soon as you first entered the country (starting out your calendar-year boundary), if you knew you were going to stay 180?
Hi Ronmon,
Yes, applying asap does make sense due to all kinds of technical issues that always pop up.
Hi,
Great article! I applied on Tuesday and received the application email. However, I still haven’t received any update yet. Is it supposed to take this long?
My visa expires on Thursday next week. If I don’t have a reply by end of today, should I go to the migration office on Monday? If so, do I need to make an appointment?
Thanks for your help. I’m rather stressed at the moment about this.
Hi Richard,
Have you received any emails by now?
If not, try sending an email to: servicios.ciudadano@migracioncolombia.gov.co
That email doesn’t exist.
Never mind. Please remove my reply
Hi, I entered Colombia on the 22nd November 2022, which was exactly I month after my MIGRANT Visa had expired. I tried to renew it at the consulate office in London during the summer but it was closed due to the elections and the change of rules regarding VISAS. As my wife is Colombian I thought it best to wait until we got to Bogota Colombia to apply for it here. At Immigration in the airport they stamped my UK passport with the 90 days tourist visa after looking at my Migrant visa page which had recently expired even though I told him the story on why I couldn’t renew it. I am in the process of renewing the migrant visa on line but there appears to be some complications with what documents are actually required due to the new rules. I am considering waiting until after Christmas now and reapply towards the end of January 2023 when things have a chance to settle down a bit. Do you think this a good idea or should I extend my tourist visa for an extra 90 days? I have no return flight back to London. Your advice would be most appreciated. Thank you
Hi Anthony,
Since you have almost until the last week of February, I would say you could simply wait until the mid of Jan to apply for the M visa renewal. Since the process should not take longer than 30 days, you should be good. And in case for some reason, it takes longer, you can always extend the tourist visa.
Cheers,
Deb
Let me add some notes from my personal experience in case it saves somebody some trouble…
I was in Colombia for 139 days in the beginning of the year on a tourist visa, then i returned in late Nov and was only granted 41 days for a total of 180 days ending on Dec 31. Immigration would not grant more than 41 days at the airport and rejected extension of the visa even though any additional days would fall into the new calendar year. They literally told me I had to leave Colombia on Dec 31, 2022 so that I don’t stay additional days in calendar year 2022!
So, now I need to exit Colombia on Dec 31 and can reenter Colombia the next day starting Jan 1. At that point supposedly i will be granted 90 days at the airport and eligible for a 90 day extension. It seems Colombia’s immigration system requires you exit the country on day 180, even if it is the last day of the year with the following day starting the new calendar year.
This whole exercise of crossing the boarder and returning the next day just to obtain the stamp in the passport doesn’t result in net fewer days in Colombia. Funny how one part of Colombian government is pushing to expand tourism, while immigration office enforces a stay shorter.
Just wanted to let folks know based on my recent experience trying to extend tourist visa….
You must exit Colombia on day 180, even if it falls on the last day of the year. The system only counts number of days and does not consider if it’s the last day of the year.
It seemed logical to me that I reach day 180 for the year on Dec 31st, and the next day, Jan 1st, the count resets. Unfortunately immigration at the airport did not agree and only gave 41 days till end of the year. Visa extension also didn’t work even though the 90 extension would have started on Jan 1st, 2023.
Hopefully will save someone from a trip over the border just to get the extra ink in the passport.
Hi,
All this information has been really helpful!
However, do you know what’s going on with the form to extend the visa permit? I keep getting a 404 error when I try to access the form on the website and that error comes up with any link associated with the form.
Yes, seems like something is wrong with the website. Please keep on checking.
Okay thanks! I wasn’t sure if there was another alternative link being used instead…hopefully it starts working again soon
Man there are lots of water in your article.
We are here to look for quick and straight to the point information. Not about your Netflix and cuddles
One thing to note: sometimes if you take too long to fill out the form, by the time you get to the upload documents section the security token (most likely a CSRF token) has expired and the POST from the form will not work. Just refresh the page and do it faster. Some web developers set it to expire after 15 minutes. It happened to me on the form, I refreshed, did it again and was able to get the “cargar” button to work.
Is there any regulations on how much time is left till your passport expires? I went to migracion in cartagena and they said it didn’t matter but some other sources say that you need at least 6 months till your passport expires to qualify for the extension.
the same migracion office told me that I can only apply 8-5 days before the end of the 90 day stay, is that true or can you do it sooner like the article suggests? I don’t want to buy plane tickets too early nor too late for cancelation reasons
Hi Cole,
I am sure about the second part. You don’t have to wait until the last week. You can do it beforehand.
Coming to the first question, I don’t think your passport expiring in 6 months should be an issue. But I might be wrong. The only way to know is to apply 🙂 And I would request you to post an update once you do it so that others can benefit.
Ok, I will for sure. I just applied on the site and after putting in the code at the final of the application, it says. “La validación del captcha ha fallado, los caracteres no coinciden”. But I received an email stating that it has been received and it gave me a número de solicitud y clave.. I don’t know if that means that it’s been processed correctly. I also applied like 7 times getting that same error but received the emails stating it was processed. Should I continue to to apply even tho the e-mails state it was received but the main web page said it failed?
Hi Cole,
If you have received the email, that means it was successful. Please wait for 24 hours or so, and check the status using the application number. It should display the information. If it does not, that means it has not been submitted.
One VERY IMPORTANT point that I don’t see ANY mention of… Colombians don’t count the way the “intelligent world” counts. If you count 90 days, Colombia will count it as 91. If you count 180 days, Colombia will count it a 181.
YOU WILL GET SCREWED if you count a day as a 24-hour period from the moment you land.
Colombia Counts a day as any calendar day that you were in the country for even 1 minute, so if you arrive at 11:59 PM on Monday night and you leave at 00:01 AM on Wednesday Morning, that counts as THREE days: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (not “one day” and not even Two days counting the extra 2 minutes as a day).
And no, my experience is that they will not let you slide by even a few minutes. Our plane was delayed by the airlines, making our departure time less than an hour past our arrival time on the 180th day. And although we were IN THE AIRPORT 3 hours in advance, waiting for a flight that was scheduled to leave on the “180th day” before the delay, the asshole checking our passport timestamps pulled us aside to “talk to the boss” about our exceeding our stay limit”! We sat “in custody” for three hours until our flight announced last call and the f^ckr finally allowed us to board, even though we never spoke to anyone else.
So please do not wait until the last day unless you count the first day as day 1 and not 24-hours later as “one day elapsed”.
Colombian “imbeciles” in positions of _any_ type of authority tend to abuse that authority.
The “exception” to that rule is if you meet someone in a position of power who is not an “imbeciles”, but they are a rare breed. That’s not really an exception to the rule as much as an exception to encountering an imbecile.
If they happen to have a brain, then they are as friendly as the general population. But “power” goes to the heads of the idiots.
Even if you have scheduled your departure withing that 180 day window, if the flight is delayed to the next day, then you _could_ encounter an asshole like we did.
And no, I’m not just a disgruntled tourist. I have lived in Colombia now for over 4 years and “stupidity” is the
general order of the day. If you know how to “manage” a child and can make them feel good about themselves, then they might give you what you want. So be sure to “praise” them and their 60-80 IQ before you attempt to “reason” with them, because there is no reasoning, there is only their “childish emotions”.
Treat every Colombian as you would treat a 6-year old and you’ll be fine. You’ll be their best friend as long as they feel that you love them like your family.
Don’t try to reason with them. Simply “appeal to their authority” and ask them to help you.
The average IQ in Colombia is 83. The Average IQ of a Colombian in a position of authority is 10 points lower! They hit their own level of incompetence much more easily here. (The Peter Principle)
Wow Daniel!! That’s quite an ordeal!! Glad that you were able to catch the flight.
Found your website. The best one on here by miles. Very clear for an incompetent, barely Spanish speaking senior. Thank you. Just to put everyone’s mind to rest with my experience as I was panicking reading the comments. I started with the English version of the website, it doesn’t work. Switched to Spanish and asked for help with translation from the receptionist at the hostel. All the boxes worked for the UK. And make sure they’re all filled in, apart from the ones that don’t need to be. Photographed my passport picture and stamp with a iPhone, condensed them to under 1 MB, popped a bestonwardticket.com flight for 12 bucks in there for good measure and pressed the button. Got a confirmation instantly with the number etc. Approval the next day with payment link, paid with my UK credit card COP125,000 no problems. Received my 3 month extension in a pdf later on the same day to store on my phone or print off. Worked like a breeze, no stress inducing terror, no faff, very smooth. Thank you Colombia. Now I can head off to the beach to become a beach bum. Ta.
Thanks Kate for the update. Glad it worked out for you.
Hi Dab
I entered Colombia on July 5 and yesterday I applied to get my 90 days extension. If it goes through I`ll have 180 days in Colombia and will have to leave the country by January 1st 2024.
So if I leave the country before new years and let’s say celebrate it in Mexico and come back in the beginning of January 2024 will I get a new 90 day periode since the year changed?
Hi Allan,
No I don’t think so. You would need to wait for the 180 days cooling period from 1st Jan 2024.
ok, so it doesn’t reset by new year? I thought it was 180 days from 1st jan to 31st dec. So I was hoping when the new year starts it’ll reset everything and I could get another 90 days. hmm…
So I sent my application yesterday and got the email that they’ve registered it, but nowhere in that email it says that they’ll have to issue a decision in 24hours. So I wait couple of days and if no confirmation email then go to migracion office here in Bogota?
I`m from a European country so I would either get it approved or not, right? no email for payment and stuff like that.
No it does not. It is counted from the day you enter always, and they add up the days you have been. When you complete 180 days, they reset it. https://thevisaproject.com/experience/extend-colombia-tourist-visa-online/#comment-1589
Payment and email seem to still plague the system unfortunately. Maybe this helps : https://thevisaproject.com/experience/extend-colombia-tourist-visa-online/#comment-3117
Thank you so much Deb! I went there to ask about it and they told me to just wait :/ do you think it’s reasonable? my 90 days are ending on September 25th
Hi there! I applied for the extension on September 6th and still haven’t received any approval or payment link. I received only confirmation with the number. Tried to call them and email but it didn’t work. Do you think it’s reasonable going there tomorrow without the appointment etc? What’s the exact address in Bogota?
Also if i entered on 15th May this year and been laving and coming back it will reset only next May right?
Also my 90 days are gonna expire on 25th of September (pretty soon) if i leave before and come back they will let me in because i don’t exceed 180 days? If there will be no updates about my case with the extension
Thank you for the helpful article!
Hi Alex,
Yes, this seems to be a common issue. I believe you have already been there, so now you could wait. Have you tried everything that I have mentioned in the section What to Do When There are Payment Issues?
Please keep us updated if any of those options does the trick.
Deb
Hello, do you know if this option of visa extension is available for tourist e-Visa too? Many Thanks!
It might be possible. But not through this channel online. You can check with the cancilleria.
Hey Deb,
I have a question for you. I am a citizen of the United States. I entered Colombia on September 1st. I plan to stay in the country until October 26th, at which point I will return to the United States for a wedding. I plan to fly back to Colombia on October 30th. My plan is to remain in Colombia until December 20th, at which point I will fly back to the United States for Christmas and the New Year. Since I will be in the country for more than 90 consecutive days, I know that I will need to extend my tourist visa, and I plan to do that online while in Colombia in November.
I plan to return to Colombia on January 5th of next year to enroll in Spanish courses at a university in Medellín (EAFit). I want to study Spanish at the university until early May of 2024. My question for you is this: will I need to obtain a student visa in order to return to Colombia in January? Or will my tourist visa enable me to stay in Colombia without a problem between January – May 2024? A related question: Is the tourist visa valid for 180 days in a calendar year? Or is it valid for 180 days within a 365 day period? I have seen some conflicting information on this subject.
Thanks in advance,
Karlton
Hi Karlton,
Yes, you will need a student visa and I don’t it is hard to get one. The university can help you with the paperwork.
You can apply for it when you are under the extension.
And no it is 180 days in a calendar year.
All the best,
Deb
Nice job. This is my fifth stay as a tourist in Colombia over the last nineteen years but first time in five years. I sadly was not surprised to see the fee skyrocket by almost ten times to thirty dollars.
My Colombian visa was rejected, what should I do now?
You can apply again after 6 months.
Thanks for this very helpful guide!
How long does it take to get an approval? I have paid and have now been waiting 7 days for my final approval. Does anyone have a working email address to chase this?
Second question, my visa expires in 3 days, so if I haven’t heard back, can I do a visa run, e.g go to Panama for a week and then if I come back to Colombia will I get another 90 days?
Hi Emily,
Have you had any luck calling the numbers I have provided?
Did your payment go through? You can reach servicios.ciudadano@migracioncolombia.gov.co if it did not.
You can expect to get 90 days after the visa run.
All the best,
Deb
Firstly, thanks for an amazing website which made my life a lot easier.
Secondly, here’s my experience. I filled in the form online and chose ‘Bogota’ as the city where I wanted to get this processed. I got the initial email from Migration saying that my application has been received. After that nothing for a week. A friend I know here, gave me a very useful tip. They mentioned that I should reapply (apparently you can fill in the application as many times as you want), but to choose a very small town like Popayan, instead of Bogota. I did that. Within an hour I got a ‘pre-approved’ email, with a link asking me to pay 125,000COP. I paid using a credit card. No problems at all. An hour later, I got the ‘con exito’ email (success!) and a PDF of the final document saying that my extension has been approved for another 90 days.
So, there you have it. Pick a small town instead of a big one like Bogota and Medellin.
Thanks a lot Harry for this tip. Hope it helps the others.
Cheers,
Deb
Hey Deb,
My 30 day tourist stamp expires on the 19th of August and I plan to stay until 11th of September. In the last weeks I’ve been applying for the extension online but each time I get rejected even though all my documents are correct. What can I do? I’ve heard if u apply before 10-15 days of the expiration it tends to be denied, is this true? Should I wait until 10-15 days before it expires to apply again? Thank you.
Hi Nando,
Sorry to hear this. Is there a reason you got a tourist stamp for 30 days? Have you already completed 180 days in the calendar year by any chance? If not, then try calling them or if possible, you could get an appointment.
Thanks,
Deb
Sorry no I’ve made a mistake, I had a 90 day stamp, the point is my applications to extend my stamp to 180 days keep getting rejected and they don’t give me a reason just a email saying “rechazo” I only spent around 9 days in Colombia earlier this year and now almost these 90 days which will expire on the 19th of August . Also I’ve tired calling migracion Colombia but I never get to talk to a real person as each time it’s a robot talking.