Immigration
Migración Colombia visas plus large-scale Venezuelan regularisation
Visas are issued by the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores in three classes — visitor (V), migrant (M) and resident (R) — and Migración Colombia handles entry control and the cédula de extranjerÃa. Colombia additionally created the Estatuto Temporal de Protección for Venezuelan migrants, granting ten-year temporary protection permits at very large scale.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — National, split between the foreign ministry and Migración Colombia
- Deadline — Register a visa and obtain a cédula de extranjerÃa within 15 days of issue or entry
- Deadline — Resident visa: generally after five years on an M visa, or two in some categories
Governing law
- Decreto 1067/2015consolidated foreign affairs regulation
- Resolución 5477/2022visa categories
- Decreto 216/2021 - Estatuto Temporal de Protección para Migrantes Venezolanos
In practice
The Estatuto Temporal de Protección is one of the largest regularisation programmes ever undertaken in the region, providing a ten-year permit with work and service access to millions of Venezuelan nationals and a bridge into the ordinary visa system. The 15-day registration duty after visa issue is strictly enforced and late registration attracts fines.