Since activating this new visa category, the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been flooded with requests from foreigners who want to learn more about the Digital Nomad Visa and apply for it to enjoy a legal stay in Colombia. Today, it is still the most popular visa type among the expat community, and the numbers are increasing.

The Digital Nomad Visa holds considerable appeal for investors and entrepreneurs. Its flexibility permits them to comfortably manage international investments and businesses while enjoying the Colombian lifestyle. According to the Single Business and Social Registry (RUES), just in 2022, 310,731 new companies were created in the country, and this growing economy makes Colombia a great place to do business and encourage investment and entrepreneurship.

About the Digital Nomad Visa

Firstly, you have to know that this visa doesn’t allow you to work as an employee for a business in Colombia. Suppose you will be hired by a legally domiciled company in this Latin American country or wish to find a job after arriving here. In that case, you must opt for another visa category, like M – Work Visa.

The Digital Nomad Visa can be granted for up to two  years. The Colombian government decides the visa duration at the approval and issuance time. However, according to current regulations, this visa can be renewed so that you can continue living as a Digital Nomad in Colombia even for several years.

If you are interested in applying for a Digital Nomad Visa, these are the basic requirements that you must collect:

• Original valid passport with at least two blank pages and six months validity.
• One digital 3×4 photo with a white background and without wearing accessories.
• Demonstrate minimum income through bank statements, with a minimum income of $773 USD (at a 4,500 COP-TRM exchange rate) equivalent to 3 monthly legal minimum wages (SMMLV) for the last quarter of the year and with the current national rate.
• It’s required and mandatory to have a health insurance policy.

Now, other essential requirements will depend on the nomad profile you have:

Digital Nomad Visa for Workers of a Foreign Company

Digital Nomad Visa applicants must be people linked by a labor contract with a foreign company. They must demonstrate that their companies permit them to work remotely without affecting their professional and economic stability. If this is your case, in the visa application, you will need a letter from your company noting this point and the fees agreed between the employer and the worker. Also, you must add your employment contract if you have it.

Living in Colombia as a digital nomad offers workers of foreign companies the advantage of experiencing a culturally rich and affordable lifestyle. With the Digital Nomad Visa, you can work remotely from Colombia’s best places while enjoying a lower cost of living than in other countries. This extended stay allows for deep immersion in Colombian culture and the opportunity to develop language skills, fostering a well-rounded personal and professional experience.

Digital Nomad Visas for Owners and Business Associates

Other applicants can be the owners or associates of a foreign company. They have to subscribe in the application to the good standing certificates of the company, a letter from the enterprise about the habilitation to execute their activities remotely, and other documents that demonstrate their connection to the business. A Certified Public Accountant must complete the letter requirement for sole proprietorship businesses.

Colombia attracts owners and business associates with its dynamic entrepreneurial environment. The Digital Nomad Visa facilitates engagement with the thriving Colombian startup scene, providing opportunities for networking and collaboration. In addition to cost-effective living, Colombia’s stunning scenery and vibrant culture can enhance creativity and inspire business growth. Whether you’re a business owner seeking expansion or a collaborator seeking new prospects or investments, the combination of opportunities and lifestyle that Colombia offers is truly unique and attractive.

Digital Nomad Visa for Entrepreneurs

Finally, the other applicants who can opt for the Digital Nomad Visa are digital entrepreneurs who want to do business in Colombia. The kind of projects has to be startups and digital companies or project models that impulse the national progress of the country. The foreigner must add to the application a motivational letter with an explanation of their company, a business plan with all the project’s details, and the financial and human resources that pretend to be invested in this entrepreneurship.

As a digital nomad destination, Colombia is a fertile ground for entrepreneurs. Besides the advantages of working remotely, the country’s thriving economy and creative atmosphere create favorable conditions for entrepreneurship. The Digital Nomad Visa allows you to establish a base for exploring business opportunities, tapping into new markets, and building a global network that presents an ideal backdrop for entrepreneurial inspiration and success.

The Process to Apply for a Digital Nomad Visa

You can access the application form on the official government website and fill it out online, uploading all the documents. Please note that the Colombian government initially accepts documents in English for the Digital Nomad Visa application; However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may request that documents from abroad be apostilled and officially translated into Spanish.

The first step, the study process, has a fee of $54 USD, for an equivalent of 246,000 Colombian pesos (at a 4,500 COP-TRM exchange rate), which you can pay by credit card or with another national payment method. The final payment when the approval of the visa is $177 USD, for an equivalent of 796,500 pesos (at a 4,500 COP-TRM exchange rate).

When you make the approval payment, your electronic visa will be issued within the next ten days (it usually takes around three days), then you will be ready to start the Foreign ID Card process (known as a Cédula de Extranjería). This ID implies fees of 246,000 pesos, for an equivalent of $54 USD (at a 4,500 COP-TRM exchange rate), that you must pay at Colombian Migration. If you want to know the details of this last step, obtain the guide on requesting your Cédula de Extranjería and learn about its benefits. You can read more here: Benefits of the Colombian Cédula de Extranjería.

In addition to having the possibility of working remotely in any region of the country, you can access the Beneficiary Visa option to bring your family members to accompany you on the adventure of digital nomadism in Colombia. The Beneficiary visa in Colombia applies to couples and children under 25.

The online form will take you at least 30 minutes to complete it. However, if you are still getting familiar with the visa application process, the best choice is to seek assistance from an experienced visa agency. In that way, you will benefit from the expertise that can be invaluable in ensuring all aspects of the Digital Nomad Visa application.

Having completed many Digital Nomad Visa approvals (more than 500 in recent months), expartgroup.co can help you to obtain this Visitor Visa. For answers to questions, additional information, or professional guidance, please contact them by any of the following methods:

• Web chat on website https://expatgroup.co/english
• Customer service email sales@expatgroup.co
• Telephone attention in Spanish and English: (+1) 954 799 36 92
• Attention through WhatsApp: (+1) 954 799 36 92
• Via social networks: Facebook and Instagram
• Google Business link: https://g.page/expatgroup-colombia

Proof of vaccination must be presented either on paper or digitally, and must include the individual’s full name, date of vaccination, name of the vaccine administered, and the number of doses administered. Only vaccines authorized by the World Health Organization will be recognized by Colombia under this resolution.

For Colombian citizens, foreign residents of Colombia holding a cédula and/or resident visa, and diplomats and their dependents 18 years and older, vaccinated travelers must present proof they have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 for at least 14 days prior to travel. If less than 14 days have elapsed or if the vaccination scheme is not complete, the traveler must present a PCR test with a negative result taken within 72 hours of boarding.

All international travelers are still required to complete the online Check-Mig form between 72 hours and 1 hour prior to arrival in, or departure from, Colombia. Travelers must present a print-out of the form or be ready to show the electronic version on a mobile device to the transporting airline before receiving a boarding pass, and possibly again at Colombian immigration.

Image by hakan german from Pixabay

New Nationwide Post-Semana Santa Restrictions

Colombia has announced additional measures to reduce the risk of contagion by COVID-19. Movement restrictions in municipal areas will be triggered if hospital occupancy rates of hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU) reach certain levels. These measures will be in effect from Monday, April 5, until Monday, April 19.

As a courtesy to our readers, this message has been reprinted in its entirety as issued by the US Embassy in Bogotá.

For information on your city’s specific restrictions and ICU occupancy rate, consult local media and the Colombian Ministry of Health website.

For cities with ICU occupancy of 85% or higher:

• Complete restriction on movement from 6 PM to 5 AM. Medellin, Santa Marta, and Cali currently meet this threshold.

For cities with ICU occupancy of 80% to 84%:

• Complete restriction on movement from 8 PM to 5 AM. Barranquilla currently meets this threshold.

For cities with ICU occupancy of 70% to 79%:

• Complete restriction on movement from 10 PM to 5 AM. Manizales currently meets this threshold.

For cities with ICU occupancy of 50% to 69%:

• Complete restriction on movement from Midnight to 5 AM. Bogota, Bucaramanga, Villavicencio, Armenia, Monteria, and Pereira currently meet this threshold

Please note that Pico y Cedula will be in effect in localities with ICU occupancy rates of 50% or above. Restaurants and parks are exempt from implementing Pico y Cedula measures. Under this policy only one member of each family may leave the home for shopping, banking, and any other services or errands. Businesses will allow entry to individuals based on the last number of their ID according to the following guidelines:

• On odd-numbered dates, people with IDs ending in even numbers may enter.
• On even-numbered dates, people with IDs ending in odd numbers may enter.

Local governments can take additional, more restrictive measures. You should monitor media reports for more specific information in your area. Refer to the municipal website of your locale for specific Pico y Cedula information.

COVID Testing Requirements

​Starting on April 7 until further notice, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection is requiring that all Colombians and foreign residents present a negative COVID PCR test to enter Colombia by air.

Further Information

• Consult the CDC website for the most up-to-date information.
• Review the CDC’s latest recommendations on reducing your risk of contagion.
• Review the State Department’s guidance on travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Visit our Embassy webpage on COVID-19 for information on conditions in Colombia.

Assistance

• U.S. Embassy Bogota, Colombia
  Tel. +57-1-275-2000
• acsbogota@state.gov
  https://co.usembassy.gov/
• U.S. Consular Agency, Barranquilla
  conagencybarranquilla@state.gov
• U.S. Department of State – Consular Affairs
  1-888-407-4747 or 1-202-501-4444
• Colombia Country Information
• Enroll in Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security updates
• Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

With the next tax holidays scheduled for July 3 and 19, the government, stung by criticism is moderating its tactics significantly. While it has not canceled the tax holidays, Duque’s government has prohibited retail in-person sale of household appliances, computer equipment and televisions in large retail stores to avoid crowds of shoppers.

“It is necessary that the local authorities adopt extraordinary, strict and urgent measures complementary to those dictated in relation to the containment of the virus and advance in the recommendation of processes, procedures and guidelines to be followed by citizens, in order to guarantee that people who converge in commercial establishments, considered to be large stores, avoid crowds and spread the coronavirus,” said a joint circular issued by the Ministry of Commerce Industry & Tourism along with the Ministry of the Interior.

Appliances and electronics could still be purchased according to the government, but via e-commerce online for delivery or for consumer in-store pickup during the two weeks following the tax holiday.

Mayors and local health authorities were further empowered to impose additional restrictions and safety measures, and the government also encouraged local officials to consider establishing crowd-limiting restrictions such as access schedules based on cédula (identity card) numbers and genders.

According to the president during his nightly television address during the Pandemic, municipalities that had few or no COVID-19 cases could experiment with restaurant reopenings “obviously with all the protocols authorized by the mayors and with the measures that have been recommended by the Ministry of Health.”

Duque decreed that “the mayors of the municipalities and districts, in coordination with the Ministry of the Interior, may authorize the implementation of pilot plans in establishments and premises of companies that provide food service, to provide attention to the public on site, face-to-face or table service, as long as the biosafety protocols issued by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection are complied with at all times, for the development of this activity.”

As far as worship, “the religious services that may involve the gathering of people may be allowed as long as authorization is obtained from the mayors in coordination with the Ministry of the Interior and that the protocols of biosecurity issued by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection for the development of this activity are complied with.”

Duque also emphasized that there will be no vaccine anytime soon and that as a country, Colombians are going to have to adapt.

“We must understand that it is not a viable option for the sustainability of our societies to simply say: we are going to lock ourselves in until a vaccine appears; we have to learn to live with this virus (covid-19) and we have to beat it…We Colombians cannot fall into defeatism to say that somewhere we have not been judicious enough, and then the only alternative has to be to shut ourselves up, no. We, as a society have to demonstrate that it is our discipline, our civic culture that takes us forward.”

Colombia’s travel industry is shut down, with no commercial aviation operating, and most hotels completely shut down. Casinos, bars, discos, amusement parks and recreation centers are closed, and restaurants so far have only been authorized for takeout and delivery service. With certain exceptions for essential services, Colombians are only allowed out in public on certain days of the week based on their “cédula” or national ID numbers as a public health measure to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic. All public gatherings until now have been prohibited, and by presidential decree, all jobs that can be done remotely, whether government or private sector, must be done remotely.

Many visitors and expatriates are in Colombia, whether by choice or circumstance. Immigration offices are closed though, so those who need visa extensions, or had things like immigration interviews scheduled are out of luck. There are also people outside of Colombia that wish to get in, whether to immigrate or just to visit. Their plans are on hold as well. That leaves a lot of questions.

Finance Colombia sought answers by speaking with attorney Jaime Aristizabal of Expat Group, a specialty law and services firm that specializes on assisting foreigners with visa applications and business formation, along with other business services such as payroll and accounting.

Finance Colombia: This pandemic has seen a lot of people stuck around the world. Normally, the rules say visitors can stay for up to 90 days in Colombia. What can happen to people who unintentionally violate this because they cannot travel right now?

Jaime Aristizabal: Yes, this is one of the biggest concerns for foreigners currently in Colombia. In this sense, the Colombian government has relaxed migration rules in order to give calm in the midst of the crisis.

For this reason, through Resolution 0918 of March 19^th, 2020, Migration Colombia decided to suspend the timing of tourism permits until May 30^th or until the end of the National Sanitary Emergency, whichever comes first. So foreigners will not enter into irregular stay or be subject to sanctions and will be able to return to their country of origin legally as soon as the borders are opened.

Finance Colombia: Before the Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic, many foreign investors were opening businesses here in Colombia. Does this complicate business registration and obtaining business and investor visas?

Jaime Aristizabal: In times of crisis, people, institutions and companies need to reinvent and adapt to the circumstances and needs of the environment.

In this sense, registration and control entities have adapted their processes and protocols to be carried out entirely by digital means; As for the visa issuance system in Colombia, it’s already known that it is an advanced system that has been using technology for the whole process of studying, approving and issuing visas for a few years.

So at this moment, even the dollar is at a very good exchange price, therefore many foreigners are still interested in making their investments in the country and there are no barriers to it.

We continue to leverage services related to business in Colombia, legally registering  new companies through 100% online Chambers of Commerce, opening corporate bank accounts, legalizing foreign investments and requesting visas of all categories, including business categories, through the Ministry of External Affairs.

The only step that we are not taking at the moment is the stamping of the visas in the passports after their approval, which will be resumed without any problem when the quarantine has ended. However, foreigners may have complete peace of mind since you will have an electronic visa to prove your immigration status.

Finance Colombia: Citizens & residents are only allowed to travel here in Colombia on certain days based on our cédulas (National ID) .What about foreigners, people without cédulas?

Jaime Aristizabal: The lockdown permits movement in Colombia to make purchases and carry out bank procedures or access essential services, based on the last digit of the identification document, which in this case may be understood as the citizenship card, the immigration card or the passport itself in the case of foreigners who do not have a valid visa or identity card.

Finance Colombia: What if someone must travel, maybe there is an evacuation fight. How can people get to the airport without breaking the rules?

Jaime Aristizabal: Foreigners who are going to travel using humanitarian flights that have been enabled by government entities, may move to the airport without restriction.

In order not to break the rules or receive a fine, you will have to show the control authorities, if necessary, the ticket and the corresponding travel itinerary, and your movement will have to be in a direct route: from their place of residence towards the airport without detours.

Finance Colombia: What happens to people who had visa appointments that got canceled because of the pandemic?

Jaime Aristizabal: For foreigners who, being in Colombia in the middle of a visa process, received a cancellation of their appointment in Bogotá have the possibility of being reprogrammed by digital means to continue the process; in fact, at this moment the procedures and interviews are being carried out by email and video-call as appropriate.

In the case of those foreigners who had appointments in the consulates for the processing of a Colombian visa, they must wait for the situation to normalize to continue their processes, since currently the Colombian government does not allow the admission of visas for foreigners staying outside the national territory.

Finance Colombia: What about people outside of Colombia who still want to visit or move here once travel is permitted? What should they do?

Jaime Aristizabal: According to Resolution 1296 of April 21^st, 2020, which we explain in one of our blogs, foreigners who are outside Colombia and wish to come to the country, must wait until the Sanitary Emergency declared by the Ministry of Health is lifted.

The reason for this is that the processing of visa applications by foreigners through consulates abroad is currently suspended, and the borders continue to be closed.

In this case, it is important to first consult an expert, in order to verify compliance with the visa requirements to which they will be able to apply when the quarantine has ended, start preparing the documentary support that is possible to expedite the process in case it is required and stay updated on the latest news on this topic.

Finance Colombia: People fear mayhem and crowds at the Visa office once it reopens. What alternatives do people have?

Jaime Aristizabal: The visa office has a full online management system, and this system will surely be sustained and will continue to be strengthened in search of favoring the care of its officers and of all national and foreign people who require the services of this unit.

However, when it is necessary and opportune to reopen the physical facilities for the processing of some essential procedures that require attendance, the visa office will guarantee the correct implementation of all safety and health regulations in accordance with the measures ordered by the Ministry of Health and the National Government.

It is important to note here that unless the government requires a face-to-face interview, which now is not even within being contemplated, in expatgroup.co we offer a complete service of legal representation and management in order to avoid foreigners having to move or do face-to-face procedures.

Finance Colombia: You represent a firm called Expat Group. What does your firm do?

Jaime Aristizabal: At expatgroup.co we are dedicated to providing immigration, legal, accounting, real estate, technology and business solutions to all foreigners who have an interest in Colombia. On our website you can see in more detail the services we offer https://expatgroup.co/english/, and even, quote and receive a quote online in a couple of minutes https://expatgroup.co/english/quote-now/.

We have more than 10 years of experience in the market, and a 100% online service system that makes our consulting and processes much more agile and efficient.

Our commitment is to help foreigners to clearly understand Colombian regulations, help them find their best option to settle in the country and optimize all resources in order to fulfill their objectives in Colombia.

Finance Colombia: How can expats and visitors contact you?

Jaime Aristizabal: Any foreigner may contact us from Colombia or abroad, through the following channels:

• Web chat enabled on our site https://expatgroup.co/english/.
• Customer service email info@expatgroup.co.
• Telephone attention in Spanish and English on the lines: (+57) 350 894 8130 / (+57) 350 211 2552.
• Attention through WhatsApp: (+57) 350 894 8130.
• On our social networks: Facebook and Instagram.
• In addition, they will be able to verify our location, hours of operation, contact information and some of the reviews of our clients at the following Google Business link https://g.page/expatgroup-colombia.

Finance Colombia: What other advice would you give to expats and visitors in Colombia?

Jaime Aristizabal: At this time, there are many foreigners waiting for the first opportunity that presents to move to Colombia and apply for a visa, so it is advisable to previously be informed by an expert in the matter, and go ahead preparing the needed documents as possible, since the system could collapse later, which would represent delays and some complications in the procedures.

Additionally, the government requirements regarding visa applications are continually changing and adjusting due to the current pandemic situation in the world, so it is necessary to be well prepared and advised to guarantee success in current and future processes.

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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.