Colombia Forum

cafetero
Joined 2015
Posts: 2328

5 years ago

Applying for Pensionado Visa here in Colombia

5 years ago

The way it works here in Colombia to apply for a migrant visa for pensioners is:

Step 1: Ask Social Security for your benefits letter.

Step 2: Contact US Embassy Bogota for an appointment to get your benefits letter translated to Spanish and certified by US Embassy.

Step 3: On the appointed day take your benefits letter to US Embassy and pay them $50 USD and they will give you a letter in Spanish with the US Embassy stamp at the bottom. It simply says how much your SS will be each month,

Step 4. Go online to https://www.cancilleria.gov.co/tramites_servicios and click for English language Fill out the application for the Visa.

Step 5: Upon approval of your application you will have to pay a Study Fee. You can pay it online or in person. Follow directions on the https://www.cancilleria.gov.co/tramites_servicios

Step 6: Within 30 days of the approval of your application appear at the Ministry of Foreign Relations in Bogota and pay the study fee at the Kiosk in the corner.

Then have the meeting with the agent to see if he/she will approve your visa. When your visa is approved you go back to the Kiosk and pay the visa fee. Then wait for your new Visa to be installed in your Passport. Then pick it up and go home.

Step 7: Within 15 days of receiving your Visa you must go to the website of Migracion Colombia in your city and ask for an appointment to apply for the Cedula, the national ID card.

Step 8: Appear at Migracion Colombia on the appointed day and fill out the application, get fingerprinted, pay the fee with your credit or debit card, and receive an approval.

Step 9: About one or two weeks later go back to Migracion Colombia to pick up your new ID card.

a precautionary note.....the last time I helped a gringo do this process the online application for the cedula at Migracion Colombia did not work in English. Once he re-entered the application in Spanish it worked and he was able to get the appointment.

William Russell

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