Colombia country guide

MERCOSUR or regional mobility · Last checked 2026-08-08

Visa M Migrante Andino

Nationality of a state party to the Andean Migration Statute, subject to reciprocity

Colombia's Visa M Migrante Andino is the one-time, up-to-two-year temporary-residence visa for a national of a state party to the Andean Migration Statute, applied on a reciprocal basis. It carries open work permission and can support a separate permanent-resident application after qualifying continuous visa history.

Country
Colombia
Applicant basis
Nationality of a state party to the Andean Migration Statute, subject to reciprocity
Responsible authority
Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores
Official route status
Current official route
Information available
Detailed guide
Last checked
2026-08-08

Supported requirements

What the current source supports

  • Provide a passport valid for at least six months and the current general visa form and photograph through the SITAC online channel.
  • If filing while in Colombia, provide the entry stamp or migration card and maintain regular migration status. Applicants outside Colombia select the competent Colombian consular office.
  • Provide judicial, criminal, or police certificates from the Andean member state of nationality and any country where the applicant resided during the five years before filing.
  • Provide a written statement of the purpose of establishing temporary residence and the means of subsistence available for the stay.
  • Apostille the required foreign public documents under the Hague Convention or have them certified by the origin-country consular office where the official rule permits; provide an official Spanish translation when required.
  • Reciprocity can add requirements equivalent to those imposed on Colombian nationals by another member state. The authority may request original or additional documents and retains the visa decision.

Applicant scope

Who this route generally serves

Generally designed for
Nationals of another state party to the Andean Migration Statute who intend to establish temporary residence in Colombia and satisfy the current reciprocal conditions.
Legal basis named by the authority
Resolution 5477 of 2022, especially Articles 21, 27, 65, 72, and 93; Resolution 10434 of 2023 Article 76 amending the accumulated-time rule; and the Andean Migration Statute as applied reciprocally.

Route lifecycle

What to confirm from application onward

Financial basis
The applicant must state the available means of subsistence. The current route publishes no fixed minimum income or bank-balance threshold.
Government service fees
Resolution 3969 of 2026 lists the general M-visa tariff as US$56 for study plus US$204 for issuance outside the euro zone, or EUR44 plus EUR156 in the euro zone and Cuba, before any stamp tax. Applicable nationality rules materially change the result: Ecuadorian nationals pay only the special study charge, and qualifying Peruvian nationals settling in the Amazon or Putumayo basins pay only the study charge. Confirm the live applicant-specific amount before paying.
Initial status
A Migrant (M) temporary-residence visa for up to two years. It is granted only once, permits multiple entries, and is not permanent residence.
Renewal
The same M Migrante Andino visa is granted only once and is not renewed as another two-year permit. Before expiry, the holder must qualify for and obtain a separate later status without a continuity gap; filing alone does not extend status or create continuity.
Dependents
A spouse or permanent partner and economically dependent children under 25, or older children with a qualifying disability, may apply through the beneficiary-visa rules. A beneficiary visa cannot outlast the principal visa and does not permit work.
Work rights
The principal visa carries open work permission for any lawful activity, subject to labor, social-security, migration-reporting, and regulated-profession requirements. Beneficiaries do not receive work permission from beneficiary status.
Presence considerations
The visa terminates automatically if the principal holder is absent from Colombia for more than 180 continuous calendar days within each 365-day period counted from visa issuance.
Permanent residence
Two years of valid qualifying M Migrante Andino history may support a separate R visa by accumulated time. Continuity requires the next visa to be granted before the preceding visa expires; a salvoconducto does not create continuity. The two-year period and documents do not guarantee approval, and reciprocal additional requirements may apply.
Citizenship relationship
Naturalization is a separate discretionary process that requires a valid Resident visa and the applicable domicile period. This M visa does not grant or guarantee nationality.

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.