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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, 202
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:Â 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 to visa applications from Colombia through the Foreign Ministry in Bogotá and to applications through the different Colombian Consulates abroad.
What are the consequences of visa applications being frozen?
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.
How can I guarantee my legal stay if I have a visa about to expire and cannot apply for my new visa yet?
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 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.
What are my options if my tourist stamp expires during the freeze phase?
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 Migración 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.
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