Colombia country guide
Entrepreneur · Last checked 2026-08-07
Visa M Profesional Independiente
Independent professional activity
Colombia’s Visa M Profesional Independiente is a migrant visa for an applicant carrying out an independent regulated profession or, exceptionally, an unregulated activity considered of interest to the country.
- Country
- Colombia
- Applicant basis
- Independent professional activity
- Responsible authority
- Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores
- Official route status
- Current official route
- Information available
- Detailed guide
- Last checked
- 2026-08-07
Supported requirements
What the current source supports
- Provide a letter explaining the profession or independent activity the applicant intends to perform in Colombia.
- For a regulated profession, provide the applicable title validation and professional card, license, or provisional permit. For an experience-based nonacademic activity, provide the evidence required by the resolution.
- Provide a bank certification issued within 30 days describing the account and products and showing average monthly income of at least five statutory monthly minimum wages during the preceding six months.
- Provide health coverage in Colombia or the policy against the risks specified by the current resolution.
- File through the SITAC electronic visa channel and follow the apostille, translation, validity, and competent-authority rules that apply to the applicant.
Applicant scope
Who this route generally serves
- Generally designed for
- Independent professionals able to document the required credential or experience, financial support, health coverage, and proposed activity in Colombia.
- Legal basis named by the authority
- Resolution 5477 of 2022, Article 76 and the accumulated-time rule in Article 90, as currently amended.
Route lifecycle
What to confirm from application onward
- Financial basis
- Average monthly income of at least five Colombian statutory monthly minimum wages during the preceding six months. The indexed value is not converted here.
- Government service fees
- The visa process uses separate study and issuance payments. Confirm the current official tariff before paying; no numeric fee is hard-coded here.
- Administrative service targets
- Current general visa instructions describe up to 30 calendar days after a complete paid application. This is an administrative target, not a guarantee.
- Initial status
- Migrant (M) independent-professional visa valid for up to three years.
- Renewal
- A later application must again establish the qualifying activity, finances, credentials where applicable, and current route conditions. Renewal is not automatic.
- Dependents
- A qualifying family member may use the separately administered beneficiary-visa procedure; status is not automatic.
- Work rights
- Work permission is restricted to the profession or independent activity authorized by the visa. Regulated activities remain subject to professional authorization.
- Presence considerations
- The cited route materials do not establish one route-specific physical-presence maintenance rule.
- Permanent residence
- Five accumulated years in this qualifying M category may support a separate Resident (R) application. Time alone does not guarantee approval.
- Citizenship relationship
- Naturalization is a separate discretionary process requiring a valid Resident visa and the applicable domicile period.
Official evidence
Sources for this route
General planning information only—not legal, tax, or investment advice. A listed route does not determine eligibility. Verify current rules with the responsible authority before acting.