New Cedula Required For All Foreigners Living In Colombia; US Global Entry Program Coming

Colombia’s Special Migration Administrative Unit has announced that from July 25 of 2015, a new cedula de extranjeria complying with Article 75 of Decree 834 of 2013; Colombian legislation that stipulates this will be the only valid identification documents for foreigners residing in Colombia. The new cedula has been designed to comply with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) Standards.

According to the agency, the foreign cedula functions as Identification, and as a conduit to enable foreigners to exercise their civil, political, and commercial rights in Colombia. Not renewing one’s cedula, said the agency, means not availing oneself of the financial sector, health, education, work, or the ability to participate in commerce.

US Global Entry coming to Colombia

In a separate announcement, Christian Krüger Sarmiento announced an agreement between Colombia and the United States that will allow visitors that are members of the United States’ Global Entry program to utilize automated kiosks with biometric capabilities to enter Colombia, bypassing the normal immigration lines, as an option.

Global Entry is already available in US allies such as Canada and Mexico, and this agreement is the first step in the process of removing visa requirements for Colombians to travel to the United States, initiated by President Juan Manuel Santos in December, 2013. The process is projected to take up to another decade.