Eligibility quiz
Do you receive a lifelong pension of at least 3 times Colombia’s legal monthly minimum salary each month?
Benefits
Benefits for youBenefits for you
Live in Colombia
You can live in Colombia for the time your permission is valid, up to two years.
If it is valid for more than three months, you can get an identity card showing your identity and lawful immigration status in Colombia.
Work in Colombia
You can work remotely from Colombia for companies abroad, as an employee or an independent worker.
You can also start a digital business in content or information technology that is of interest to Colombia.
Travel in and out
You can enter and leave Colombia while your permission remains valid, with the usual immigration checks.
How to apply
From outside ColombiaFrom outside Colombia
Find your consulate
Find the Colombian consulate nearest to where you live. You will select it in your online application.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which Colombian consulate handles visa applications near your city?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for your visa application.
See required documentsFill in the application
Complete the Colombian visa application online yourself, choosing M Pensionado or V Rentista and your consulate. Add your photograph and documents in the formats requested by the form.
Fill in the formSubmit your application
Submit the completed application online. Keep the payment reference the application gives you.
Submit your applicationPay the study fee
Pay the application study fee within 10 calendar days using the payment method your selected consulate gives you. Your application will not be considered for study until you pay.
Find payment instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I pay the Colombia visa application study fee at a consulate?”
Wait for the decision
Check your application status and email, and answer any requests for more information or an in-person visit.
Check your application statusPay the issuance fee
If your application is approved, pay the visa issuance fee within 10 calendar days using the payment instructions from your consulate. If you do not pay on time, your application will be treated as abandoned.
Find payment instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I pay the Colombia visa issuance fee at a consulate?”
Receive your visa
Receive your electronic visa or follow the issuance instructions sent by the ministry or consulate.
Find visa issuance instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I receive my Colombia electronic visa after approval?”
Travel to Colombia
Travel with your valid passport and visa. Your visa lets you travel to a Colombian point of entry, but it does not guarantee admission.
Find entry informationSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I enter Colombia with a Colombian visa?”
Once in ColombiaOnce in Colombia
Register your visa
If your visa is valid for more than three months, register it with Migración Colombia within 15 calendar days of entering Colombia.
Find visa registrationSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I register my Colombia visa with Migración Colombia after entering Colombia?”
Get your identity card
If you have an M Pensionado visa, get your foreigner identity card from Migración Colombia. You can use it as your identity card in Colombia.
Get your identity cardSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I get a Colombia cédula de extranjería from Migración Colombia?”
Documents needed
Required to applyRequired to apply
Proof of health coverage
Provide a health policy covering Colombia for your planned stay; for an M Pensionado visa, proof of Colombian health coverage also works. It must cover accidents, illness, maternity, disability, hospitalisation, death and repatriation, and should generally be no more than three months old.
Copy of your passport
Provide a clear copy of the page showing your personal details. Your passport or travel document must be valid, in good condition and have space for the visa.
Passport photo
Provide a recent colour photo of yourself facing forward against a white background. It must be 3 by 4 cm and in JPG format.
Proof of immigration status
Provide proof that you are allowed to stay in the country where you apply. If you apply in Colombia, show that your immigration status is regular; documents should generally be no more than three months old.
Police certificates
Get a police, criminal or court record certificate from each country where you stayed during the last three years. The certificates should generally be no more than three months old.
Application form
Complete the online visa application form for either the M Pensionado or V Rentista visa. Submit it with your photograph and document copies.
Pension certificate *
Get a certificate from the office or pension fund that pays your lifelong monthly pension, or from a diplomatic or consular mission of the country where you obtained it. It must show a pension of at least three Colombian minimum monthly wages and should generally be no more than three months old.
* Only if you apply for an M Pensionado visa.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationProof of rental income *
Provide a certificate showing the rent paid or sent to you, from a government office or a private company recognised by the relevant government, or proof that you own the Colombian property that produces the rent. Your income must be at least ten Colombian minimum monthly wages; documents should generally be no more than three months old, and savings alone do not replace the income requirement.
* Only if you apply for a V Rentista visa.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationCopy of entry stamp *
Provide a copy of your latest Colombian entry or exit stamp, or your salvoconducto. These are recorded or issued by Migración Colombia.
* Only if you apply in Colombia.
Visa request letter *
Write and sign a letter asking for the visa. Explain the lawful source of your rent or other qualifying income.
* Only if you apply for a V Rentista visa.
May need translationMedical certificate *
Get a medical certificate showing that you are physically and mentally fit. It must come from a Colombian health authority or the health or medical authority in your country of origin, and should generally be no more than three months old.
* Only if you apply for an M Pensionado visa.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationConsiderations
Things to think aboutThings to think about
Foreign identity card
If your visa lasts more than three months, you and any family members with a family visa must get a foreign identity card.
Apply within 15 calendar days of entering Colombia or receiving the visa, as applicable.
The general fee published for 2026 is COP 294,000.
Limits on work
Your permitted work is remote work for companies abroad or the digital business described in your permission.
You cannot do paid work for a person or business based in Colombia.
Medical insurance
You must keep medical insurance covering your intended stay in Colombia.
It must cover accidents, illness, maternity, disability, hospital stays, death and return to your country.
Permission can end
Your permission ends when it expires and does not renew automatically.
It can also end early or be canceled.
A family visa ends with yours; a child's also ends at 25 or on financial independence, unless disability prevents independence.
Discuss
Online communitiesOnline communities
Medellin Expats
English Facebook group for people living in Colombia interested in Colombian local life
Join on FacebookMedellin Gringo Info
English Facebook group for people living in Colombia interested in Colombian local life
Join on FacebookExpat in Santa Marta - Magdalena - Colombia
English Facebook group for people living in Colombia interested in Colombian local life
Join on FacebookConsultation
Talk to a professionalTalk to a professional
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