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Immigration: what you need to know now
Rules changed often in 2025 and 2026. See what changed, pick your situation, or ask about your own case.
Living in or visiting Colombia: the essentials
Colombia by the numbers
- Brazil: 90 days + 90
- Argentina: 90 days + 90
- Colombia: 90 days + 90
Show as a table
| Country | First stay (days) | Extension (days) | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 90 | 90 | 90 days; Federal Police extension up to 180 days in 12 months |
| Argentina | 90 | 90 | 90 days; one 90-day extension at Migraciones |
| Colombia | 90 | 90 | 90 days; one extension, 180 days per calendar year |
Sources: Itamaraty and Federal Police (Brazil); Migraciones and Decree 366/2025 (Argentina); Migración Colombia. Checked 8 November 2026. Rules for your passport may differ.
Had an accident? What to do now
Car crashes, rental cars, uninsured drivers, injuries at work, falls and dog bites: the first steps, the deadlines that protect you and who pays.
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Colombia: what to know before and after you arrive
Visas and costs, airports, getting to your hotel, renting a car, the laws that surprise visitors, buying property, getting married, what to avoid and what is important to know. Rules change often; each item links to the Ask tool for a full, current answer.
Colombia compared with the region
- Brazil: 90 days + 90
- Argentina: 90 days + 90
- Colombia: 90 days + 90
Show as a table
| Country | First stay (days) | Extension (days) | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 90 | 90 | 90 days; Federal Police extension up to 180 days in 12 months |
| Argentina | 90 | 90 | 90 days; one 90-day extension at Migraciones |
| Colombia | 90 | 90 | 90 days; one extension, 180 days per calendar year |
- Brazil: US$81
- Argentina: Free
- Colombia: Free
Show as a table
| Country | Cost (US$) | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 81 | US$80.90 e-visa for U.S., Canadian and Australian citizens; free for EU and UK |
| Argentina | 0 | Free; health insurance required |
| Colombia | 0 | Free; Check-MIG form is free |
Sources: Itamaraty and Federal Police (Brazil); Migraciones and Decree 366/2025 (Argentina); Migración Colombia. Checked 8 November 2026. Rules for your passport may differ.
- Brazil: Urban property open to foreigners; rural land limited
- Argentina: Urban property on the same terms as Argentines
- Colombia: Open to foreigners; register the investment with the Central Bank
Show as a table
| Country | Foreign cap | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | None | Urban property open to foreigners; rural land limited |
| Argentina | None | Urban property on the same terms as Argentines |
| Colombia | None | Open to foreigners; register the investment with the Central Bank |
Sources: Law 5.709/1971 (Brazil); Civil and Commercial Code (Argentina); foreign-investment rules of the Banco de la República (Colombia). Checked 8 November 2026.
How to spot a scam in Colombia
Scams change every month, but they share the same warning signs. If two or more of these appear together, stop and check before you pay or share anything.
Warning signs
- Pressure to act now: a deadline of minutes or hours, or a threat of arrest, deportation or a frozen account.
- Payment in an unusual way: gift cards, cryptocurrency, a personal bank account, or cash handed to a courier.
- Someone you met online, often recently, who asks for money, an investment or help moving funds.
- A caller or message claiming to be police, immigration, a court, a bank or a delivery company and asking for codes, passwords or a transfer. Real officials never ask for one-time codes.
- Returns that are guaranteed or far above normal, or a 'task' job that pays you first and then asks you to deposit money.
- A link or QR code that leads to a site that looks official but has a slightly different address.
- A request to keep it secret from your family, your bank or the police.
- An offer to 'recover' money you already lost, for an upfront fee. This is a second scam.
Common scams in Colombia
- Dating-app meetings that end in drugging and robbery.
- Men posing as police asking to check your cash or cards.
- Taxi hailing at night leading to 'paseo millonario' robberies.
- Fake Check-MIG and visa websites.
- Rental and tour deposits paid to fake listings.
Where to report
If it already happened: the first hour
- Stop paying and stop replying. Do not send 'one last fee'.
- Call your bank or e-wallet at once and ask them to stop or recall the transfer. Speed matters: minutes count.
- Keep the evidence: screenshots, phone numbers, account numbers, links, receipts and dates.
- Report it to the official channel listed on this page and to the police, and keep the report number.
- Change your passwords and turn on two-step verification on email, banking and social media.
- If you are a foreign national, tell your embassy or consulate; they can help with lost passports and contacts.
Real cases
A visitor invited a dating-app contact to his apartment, was drugged and woke up with his accounts emptied.
How to avoid it: Meet only in busy public places and never invite new contacts home.
A long-term visitor left and re-entered thinking his days restarted, and was fined for exceeding 180 days in the calendar year.
How to avoid it: Count all days since 1 January; switch to a visa if you need more.
Men posing as police asked to 'inspect' a tourist's cash and returned less.
How to avoid it: Ask for identification, call 123 and never hand over cash or cards.
Visas and costs
- Visa-free 90 days for the U.S., Canada, the UK, the EU and many others.
- One extension (PTP) up to 180 days per calendar year, through Migración Colombia.
- Check-MIG is free on the official site.
- Digital nomad (V) visa up to two years.
Airports
- Bogotá – El Dorado (BOG), the main hub.
- Medellín – José María Córdova (MDE) in Rionegro, about 45 minutes from the city.
- Cartagena (CTG), Cali (CLO), Barranquilla (BAQ), Santa Marta (SMR), San Andrés (ADZ).
From the airport to your hotel
- Use official airport taxi queues or app rides from marked zones.
- At night, pre-book a transfer.
- Never accept rides from people who approach you inside the terminal.
Renting a car or motorbike
- Driving is on the right.
- Foreign licences are accepted for visitors for the length of the tourist stay.
- Bogotá and Medellín restrict driving by licence-plate number on weekdays (pico y placa).
- Avoid rural roads at night.
Laws and what to know
- Sex with anyone under 18 is a serious crime, including 'sex tourism'; penalties are long prison terms.
- Drug trafficking is a serious crime even for small amounts above the personal dose.
- Carry a copy of your passport and entry stamp.
Buying property
- Foreigners can buy property.
- Register the foreign investment with the Banco de la República to repatriate money later.
- Check the certificate of title (certificado de tradición y libertad).
- Deeds are signed at a notary and registered.
Getting married
- Civil marriage at a notary or judge; apostilled birth certificate and proof of single status, translated into Spanish.
- Same-sex marriage is legal.
- Marriage can lead to an M (spouse) visa.
What to avoid
- Meeting dating-app contacts in private places.
- Accepting drinks, cigarettes or sweets from strangers.
- Hailing taxis on the street at night.
- Fake Check-MIG websites.
Important to know
- Emergency: 123.
- Tourist police operate in Bogotá, Medellín and Cartagena.
- Report crimes to the Fiscalía or the police online (A Denunciar).
Key local laws
- Political Constitution of 1991 — rights and the tutela action.
- Migration rules of Migración Colombia — stays, PTP extensions and visas.
- Law 820 of 2003 — urban home leases.
- Consumer Statute, Law 1480 of 2011 — 5-day withdrawal.
- Labour Code and Law 2466 of 2025.
- Law 1696 of 2013 — drink-driving.
- Law 1581 of 2012 and Law 1273 of 2009 — data protection and computer crimes.
- Civil Code — family, property and inheritance.
City guides
Airports, immigration offices, hospitals and local rules in the places foreigners go most.
Medellín
- Airport
- José María Córdova (MDE) in Rionegro.
- Immigration
- Migración Colombia regional office for extensions and cédulas.
- Hospitals
- Pablo Tobón Uribe, Clínica Las Américas.
- Police
- 123; tourist police in El Poblado.
- Know this
- Most robberies of visitors start with a dating-app meeting.
Bogotá
- Airport
- El Dorado (BOG).
- Immigration
- Migración Colombia headquarters.
- Hospitals
- Fundación Santa Fe, Clínica del Country.
- Know this
- Altitude 2,600 m; use app rides at night.
Cartagena
- Airport
- Rafael Núñez (CTG).
- Know this
- Agree prices for beach services and boat trips in advance; minors' sexual exploitation is prosecuted severely.
Legal topics in depth
Property, marriage, children, inheritance, work, business, taxes and arrest.
Buying property
- Foreigners can buy property.
- Register the investment with the Banco de la República (Form 11).
- Check the certificado de tradición y libertad for liens.
- Sign at a notary and register at the Office of Public Instruments.
Visas for longer stays
- V visa for digital nomads, up to two years.
- M visa for pensioners, spouses, investors.
- R (resident) visa after five years on M visas.
Tutela and rights
- A tutela protects fundamental rights and must be decided in 10 days.
- Anyone, including foreigners, can file one without a lawyer.
- Useful for health care refusals and unanswered petitions.
Arrest and police
- You have the right to a lawyer and an interpreter.
- Ask that your consulate be told.
- The Defensoría del Pueblo can provide a public defender.
Consumer rights
- Five working days to cancel online purchases (retracto).
- Complain to the Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio.
- Keep invoices.
Step by step
Office, time, cost, documents and each step for the most common procedures.
Extend the tourist permit
Bring
- Passport
- Entry record
- Onward ticket
Steps
- Apply online before day 90
- Pay the fee
- Keep the approval with your passport
Get a cédula de extranjería
Bring
- Passport with visa
- Photo
- Blood type certificate
Steps
- Apply within 15 days of the visa
- Book an appointment
- Attend for biometrics and collect the card
Real cases and scams
What actually happens to foreigners, and how to avoid it.
A visitor invited a dating-app contact to his apartment, was drugged and woke up with his accounts emptied.
How to avoid it: Meet only in busy public places and never invite new contacts home.
A long-term visitor left and re-entered thinking his days restarted, and was fined for exceeding 180 days in the calendar year.
How to avoid it: Count all days since 1 January; switch to a visa if you need more.
Men posing as police asked to 'inspect' a tourist's cash and returned less.
How to avoid it: Ask for identification, call 123 and never hand over cash or cards.
Fees, offices and procedures in Colombia change often. Confirm with the office or a licensed lawyer before you rely on them.
Visas and staying legal in Colombia
The 90-day tourist permit and extension (180 days a calendar year), Check-MIG, the digital nomad visa, retirement and marriage visas, and overstays. Rules change often; this page was last checked on .
Choose your situation
Forms finder
| Document | What it is for | Who needs it |
|---|
Deadlines you cannot miss
| What | When | Source |
|---|
How the law works
The building blocks behind every answer: where law comes from, how common law and precedent work, how courts are organized, and the core ideas of contracts, torts and property.
Time limits
Statutes of limitations. Exceptions exist, so confirm your deadline.
| Type of claim | Deadline | Source |
|---|
Key court system facts
Legal terms in plain words
Law libraries
Read the law yourself. These free, reliable libraries hold the statutes, regulations and court decisions that Plainright cites, for Colombia.
What changed in the law
The latest visa, immigration and legal updates in Colombia that affect visitors and residents, in plain words, with who is affected and a link to the source. Updated every week; last update .
Lawyers and free help near me
When your situation is serious, urgent or involves a court deadline, speak with a licensed attorney or a nonprofit legal service. Press one button and Plainright lists three to six highly rated law offices and the immigration help centers and legal aid offices near you, anywhere in Colombia.
Talk to a lawyer licensed in Colombia
Only a lawyer licensed in Colombia can represent you in its courts and agencies. Use the finder below for highly rated law offices and free legal help, or open the map to see lawyers near you.
Connect with a licensed lawyer in Colombia
Tell us briefly what happened. The Plainright desk checks each lawyer on the official register (Registro Nacional de Abogados (Rama Judicial)) and introduces you to up to three licensed lawyers who handle your kind of case. The connection is free for you. You decide whether to hire anyone, and you agree fees directly with the lawyer.
These official registers let you check, free, that a lawyer is licensed in Colombia. Always check before you pay anyone.
- SIRNA national lawyer registerCheck that a lawyer holds a valid professional card.
- University legal clinics (consultorios jurídicos)Free help from supervised law students.
How law offices are selected
- Open and operating according to its current public business listing.
- Rated 4.5 stars or higher from at least 25 reviews; low-rated and thinly reviewed offices are never shown.
- Practice match: the office's listing or its own website must name your type of problem.
- Reachable: a published phone number and website are required.
- Nearby: within about 25 miles of the location you give.
- No middlemen: referral directories and lead-generation sites are excluded.
- Fair ranking: offices are ordered by rating weighted by the number of reviews, so a few five-star reviews cannot outrank hundreds of strong ones.
- No payment: no office can pay to appear or to move up. Any future sponsored listing would be labelled and shown separately.
How help centers are selected
- Free help: government legal aid, bar association legal-aid centres and embassy lists of lawyers.
- Everyday legal problems: legal aid societies, legal services programs, court self-help centers, bar association programs and law-school clinics near you.
- Left out: notarios, tax and "multiservice" shops, insurance agencies and help centers rated below 4 stars.
- All of Colombia: every department.
Listings and ratings come from Google; office websites are checked automatically. Always confirm a lawyer's licence with the Registro Nacional de Abogados (Rama Judicial) before hiring.
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