Visas & Entry
For most travelers Colombia is visa-free on arrival — here's the 90-day rule, the one form to fill out, and how to stay longer if the city wins you over.
Most travelers don't need a visa. You get 90 days stamped on arrival, extendable to 180 in a calendar year. The only homework: the free Check-Mig form, filed online within 72 hours of your flight.
Good news first: for a normal visit, you almost certainly don’t need to do anything in advance. Most travelers walk off the plane, get a stamp, and are through in minutes. Here’s exactly what to expect — and the two small things worth doing before you fly.
Do you even need a visa?
If you hold a passport from the US, Canada, the UK, the EU, Australia, or most of Latin America, no — not for tourism. Colombia gives you a free tourist permit (the Permiso de Ingreso y Permanencia) stamped into your passport on arrival. You don’t apply for anything, you don’t pay anything at the airport.
A handful of nationalities do need a visa arranged ahead of time. If you’re unsure, check your passport against Colombia’s official list before you book — the Migración Colombia site is the only source that’s always current.
How long you can stay
The stamp on arrival is usually good for 90 days. That’s the default, but the officer can write a shorter number, so glance at what they’ve stamped before you leave the desk — it’s much easier to sort out there than later.
Extending your stay
Want more time? You can extend once, for up to another 90 days, at a Migración Colombia office or through their online portal. The ceiling is 180 days total within a calendar year on the tourist permit. Start the extension a few days before your current stamp runs out, not the morning it expires.
The Check-Mig form
This is the one piece of homework. Check-Mig is a free online form you fill out within 72 hours of both your arrival and your departure. It takes five minutes, it’s on the official Migración site, and skipping it means a slower time at the counter. Do it the day before each flight and forget about it.
Heads up — Beware of copycat sites that charge a “processing fee.” The real Check-Mig form is free and lives on the official Migración Colombia domain.
Thinking about staying longer?
If Medellín gets under your skin — it happens to a lot of people — there are proper routes to stay: a digital-nomad visa, a work or student visa, a rentista or investment visa. Those are a different conversation and worth talking to a Colombian immigration lawyer about rather than piecing together from forums. Ask Kathe and she’ll point you at what fits your situation.
Before you fly — the short version
- Confirm your nationality doesn’t need a visa in advance
- Fill out Check-Mig within 72 hours of departure
- Check the number of days the officer actually stamps
- Have an onward or return ticket handy in case they ask
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Ask Kathe anything about arriving in Medellín: visa runs, extensions, the digital-nomad route, or what to have ready at the airport. Answers come from a verified local source, not the open internet.