What do you need to enter Colombia?
Short answer
Most visitors need no visa for Colombia: up to 90 days for tourism for US, UK, EU, Canadian and most Latin American passports, granted at the immigration officer’s discretion rather than automatically. Two things catch people out. First, the annual cap: no more than 180 days in any 12-month period, and leaving and re-entering does not reset it. Second, Check-Mig is no longer mandatory — it is now an optional form filed between 72 hours and one hour before travel, although most travel pages still say it is compulsory. You must be able to show an onward or return ticket within the 90 days.
On this page — 6 sections
The short version
For most visitors Colombia is one of the easiest countries in South America to enter: no visa, no compulsory form, no vaccination certificate. What trips people up is not the entry itself — it is two rules that are counted differently from how travellers assume, and one form that most of the internet still describes wrongly.
The 90 days, and the 180-day cap nobody mentions
You are admitted for up to 90 days for tourism or business. The FCDO is careful with its wording here and so are we: it is granted at the discretion of the Colombian immigration officer on arrival. It is not an entitlement, and the officer can give you fewer days than you ask for.
The rule that catches people is the other one. You cannot remain in Colombia for more than 180 days in any 12-month period. That is a rolling annual total, not a per-entry allowance, and leaving the country does not reset it. Travellers who stay 90 days, cross to Ecuador or Panama for a weekend and come back expecting a fresh 90 days discover that the clock never stopped. This is the single most expensive misunderstanding about Colombian immigration, and it is almost never on the front page of a travel guide.
Check-Mig: no longer mandatory, and still misreported
Check-Mig is Migración Colombia’s online pre-registration. For several years it was compulsory, and that is what a large part of the internet still says.
It is now optional. You may complete it between 72 hours and one hour before you travel, and filing it can move you through the arrival queue faster — which on a busy afternoon at Bogotá’s El Dorado is a genuine benefit. But you will not be denied boarding or entry for not having it.
We flag this the way we flag Ecuador’s customs form on the Ecuador page, for the same reason: the gap between what the rule is and what the internet says it is causes real anxiety at check-in. File it if you like queues moving; do not panic if you did not.
Passport validity, and what the rule actually is
The rule is simply that your passport must be valid on entry. There is no formal six-month requirement, which surprises people who are used to one.
What complicates it: Colombian authorities recommend an expiry date at least six months after you plan to leave, and some airlines enforce that recommendation at check-in as though it were law. The practical advice is therefore not the legal position: if your passport expires within six months of your return date, you are within Colombia’s rules and you should still expect a conversation at the desk.
The onward ticket they can ask to see
You must be able to show an onward or return ticket valid within the 90-day period. In practice the airline asks more often than Colombian immigration does, because the airline pays to fly you home if you are refused entry.
If you are travelling one way — overland onward to Ecuador, or with open plans — carry something that shows an exit within 90 days. A bus ticket out of the country counts.
Yellow fever: when it is asked for
A yellow fever certificate is required if you are arriving from a country with transmission risk, and may be requested if you are travelling into areas of Colombia considered high risk.
For the ordinary Cartagena–Medellín–Bogotá circuit arriving from North America or Europe, it is not required. It becomes relevant if your trip runs into the Amazon or certain parts of the coast, and it matters more if you are arriving from another South American country. If you do carry a certificate, carry it on you rather than in checked luggage — it is asked for at the desk, not at the carousel.
⚠️ Entry rules change without much warning, and this page states what the UK FCDO published on 3 September 2026, read on 19 September 2026. Before you fly, open the source link below and check it yourself — that is why the link is there.
Questions people also ask
Do you need a visa to visit Colombia?
Not for tourism if you hold a US, UK, EU, Canadian, Australian or most Latin American passports. You are admitted for up to 90 days, and the UK FCDO is explicit that this is granted at the discretion of the immigration officer on arrival rather than being an entitlement. You may be asked to show an onward or return ticket within that 90-day window.
What are Colombia’s entry requirements in 2026?
A passport valid on entry, an onward or return ticket within 90 days, and nothing else for most visitors. No visa for tourism for the usual passports, up to 90 days. The Check-Mig online form, which used to be compulsory, is now optional — you can file it between 72 hours and one hour before travel to speed up the queue, but you will not be turned away without it. Yellow fever vaccination is required only if you are arriving from a country with transmission risk, and may be asked for if you are heading into high-risk areas within Colombia.
How long can you stay in Colombia as a tourist?
Up to 90 days per entry, and this is the part that catches people out: no more than 180 days in total in any 12-month period. The annual cap is not reset by leaving the country and coming back. Travellers who do a border run to Ecuador or Panama expecting a fresh 90 days find that the 180-day clock kept running.
Is Check-Mig still mandatory for Colombia?
No. Check-Mig is Migración Colombia’s online pre-registration, and it is now optional rather than compulsory. You may complete it between 72 hours and one hour before your flight, and doing so can move you through the arrival queue faster. A great many travel pages still describe it as mandatory, which is the single most common out-of-date claim about entering Colombia.
How long does my passport need to be valid for Colombia?
The rule is that your passport must be valid on entry — there is no formal six-month requirement. Colombian authorities do recommend an expiry date at least six months after you plan to leave, and airlines sometimes apply that recommendation as though it were a rule. If your passport expires within six months of your return date, expect a conversation at check-in even though Colombia itself does not require it.
Do you need a yellow fever certificate for Colombia?
Only in two situations: if you are arriving from a country with yellow fever transmission risk, in which case a certificate is required; or if you are travelling into areas of Colombia considered high risk, where it may be requested. For a Cartagena–Medellín–Bogotá itinerary arriving from the United States or Europe, it is not required. If your trip includes the Amazon or certain parts of the coast, check before you travel and carry the certificate with you rather than in your luggage.
Do you need proof of onward travel to enter Colombia?
Yes — the FCDO states you must be able to show an onward or return ticket valid within the 90-day period. In practice this is asked for at airline check-in more often than at Colombian immigration, because the airline carries the cost if you are refused entry. One-way travellers should expect to be asked.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from one of these. If one of them changes and we have not caught up, tell us and we will fix it the same day.
- UK FCDO — Colombia entry requirements — The 90-day rule, the 180-day annual cap, passport validity and the onward-ticket requirement, as published 3 September 2026.
- Migración Colombia — Check-Mig — The official pre-registration form itself, and the window in which it is filed.
- UK FCDO — Colombia travel advice — Which departments carry warnings, including the border strips that affect overland entry.
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