Family visa in Colombia

• The spouse visa (M, cónyuge) is for foreigners married to a Colombian citizen who want to live with them in Colombia.
• The permanent partner visa (M, compañero(a) permanente) is for foreigners in a de facto union with a Colombian citizen.
• A parent of a Colombian citizen has a separate migrant visa: one for parents of a citizen by birth, and one for parents or children of a citizen by adoption.
• Spouses, permanent partners, children up to 25 who depend on you and dependent children with a disability of a foreign visa holder apply for a beneficiary visa instead; it does not allow work.
• Marrying or partnering with a Colombian citizen is the condition. A relative who is a foreign resident only opens the beneficiary route above, and only for a spouse, partner or dependent child.

Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería de Colombia). Checked 16 October 2026.

• The spouse and permanent partner visa lists we read ask for no income, savings or deposit test.
• The parent-of-a-Colombian visas ask you to show financial solvency through average bank statements for the last six months and a source of income; the sources give no figure.
• For a beneficiary visa, the main holder shows average bank statements for the last six months, or an employer certificate, proving enough income to support the beneficiaries; no figure is stated.
• Because no figure is stated for these tests, there is no safe target to give; ask the visa authority or a consulate how it reads the evidence.

Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería de Colombia). Checked 16 October 2026.

• Spouse visa: the Colombian civil registry of the marriage, issued within the three months before you apply.
• Spouse visa: a letter from the Colombian spouse asking for the visa and stating that you live together, with their phone, physical and email address and a copy of their citizenship card; the authority may ask for more proof or an interview.
• Spouse visa: a special power of attorney, with contents and signature recognised before a notary or a Colombian consul, and migration-movement certificates from Migración Colombia for you and your spouse.
• Permanent partner visa: a public deed, court decision or conciliation record (or a validity certificate) declaring the de facto union, issued within three months, formalised more than one year before you apply.
• Permanent partner visa: a letter from the Colombian partner stating a single, constant, stable life together and promising to report any change, plus the same power of attorney and migration certificates.
• Applying through a Colombian consulate, a document proving the union under the law of the place where it was declared is accepted, with the formalities for foreign documents.

Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería de Colombia). Checked 16 October 2026.

• The visa is filed online on the Cancillería's platform; the Colombian spouse or partner signs the support letter and a power of attorney lets you apply.
• You have 10 calendar days after filing to pay the study fee, and the Cancillería has up to 30 calendar days to decide once the file is complete and paid, longer if it consults other bodies.
• After approval you have 10 calendar days to pay the issue fee.
• The Colombian spouse or partner must tell the visa authority in writing, with a fingerprint, when the bond ends or stable cohabitation stops, so the visa can be ended early.
• The visa authority may check your records and can refuse a request that does not match the visa type.

Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería de Colombia). Checked 16 October 2026.

• Spouse and permanent partner visas are migrant (M) visas: US$56 for the study, which is not refundable, plus US$204 to issue, US$260 in total.
• These fees do not include stamp tax, whose amount we did not find, so it is unknown.
• The foreigner identity card costs COP 294,000 under Migración Colombia's 2026 tariff.

Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Migración Colombia. Checked 16 October 2026.

• The spouse visa lasts up to three years; the permanent partner visa lasts up to one year.
• Both visas give an open work permit that lets you do any lawful activity in Colombia, within labour rules and any rules for regulated professions.
• An M visa loses its validity automatically if you are out of Colombia for more than 180 calendar days within each 365 days counted from its issue.
• The parent-of-a-Colombian visas last up to three years.
• A beneficiary visa never lasts longer than the main holder's visa, and it ends automatically when a child turns 25 or the main visa is cancelled.

Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería de Colombia). Checked 16 October 2026.

• Resolution 5477's accumulated-time table gives three years as spouse holder before you can apply for the resident (R) visa, and five years as permanent partner. The Cancillería's summary text for the spouse visa says five years, so the two differ; confirm with the visa authority.
• Parents of a Colombian citizen by birth or adoption need two years.
• For spouses and partners, the resident visa request needs a letter from the Colombian spouse or partner confirming the bond and cohabitation continue, and a power of attorney.
• Meeting the time does not guarantee the resident visa, and each visa must have been granted before the previous one expired.
• The R visa lapses after two consecutive years outside Colombia and has to be transferred every five years.

Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores. Checked 16 October 2026.

• Your tax status depends on days, not on your visa or marriage: more than 183 days in any 365 consecutive days makes you a Colombian tax resident. The extra deemed-residence tests in the tax summary apply to Colombian nationals.
• Residents are taxed on income and gains from Colombia and abroad. Because both visas give an open work permit, pay from a Colombian job is employment income taxed in Colombia.
• Resident income tax is progressive, from 0% up to 1,090 UVT (COP 57,087,660 at the 2026 UVT) to 39% above 31,000 UVT; tax paid abroad on the same income can be credited against the Colombian tax.
• An employee governed by Colombian labour rules pays health and pension contributions: pension is 16% of the base salary (12% employer, 4% employee) and health is 12.5% (8.5% employer, 4% employee). That is 28.5% in total, of which the employee bears 8%.

Sources: Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales (DIAN), Unidad de Gestión Pensional y Parafiscales (UGPP). Checked 17 October 2026.

• Digital nomad visa in Colombia
• Retirement visa in Colombia
• Work permit in Colombia
• Investor visa in Colombia

• Visas in Colombia
• Colombia

1. Visa types: remote worker (nómada digital), rentista, pensionado, worker, spouse, partner, investor and resident visas, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería de Colombia). Checked 16 October 2026. Read in Spanish on 16 October 2026.
2. Resolution 5477 of 2022 (visas), compiled text with later amendments, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, compilation on the Cancillería website. Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026. Articles 11 to 13, 20, 21, 24 (general requirements), 46, 54, 56, 66, 67, 68, 70, 74, 77, 79, 81, 82, 87, 88, 90 and 93.
3. US citizens and residents abroad: filing requirements, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026.
4. Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR), Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Checked 15 October 2026.
5. US international Social Security agreements, Internet Archive copy, US Social Security Administration (Internet Archive copy of 10 October 2026). Checked 15 October 2026. Colombia is not among the agreements in force.
6. United States income tax treaties, A to Z, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026.
7. General visa guide, Consulate General of Colombia in Toronto (PDF), Consulado General de Colombia en Toronto (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores). Checked 15 October 2026. File metadata dates it September 2023. Says the consulate itself handles only the visitor visa and that any other visa is applied for online with all documents loaded on the SITAC platform.
8. Resolution 0599 of 2026 (Migración Colombia tariffs for 2026): article 1 and the exemptions in article 2, Migración Colombia, compilation on the Cancillería website. Checked 15 October 2026. Diario Oficial 53.402 of 18 February 2026. Sets the identity card (cédula de extranjería) at COP 294,000 and an extension of a temporary stay permit at COP 150,000; COP 270,000 for control and migration verification of Canadian citizens, with exemptions that include Canadians holding a valid Colombian visa.
9. Authentication of documents: frequently asked questions, Global Affairs Canada. Checked 15 October 2026. Date modified 26 August 2026. The Apostille Convention entered into force in Canada on 11 January 2024; Global Affairs Canada authenticates name-based criminal record checks at no fee, and Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Québec and Saskatchewan issue apostilles for their own documents.
10. Entry into force of the Tax Convention between Canada and Colombia, Department of Finance Canada. Checked 15 October 2026.
11. Canada-Colombia Tax Convention Act, 2010: Schedule 1 (the convention), articles 4 and 22, Justice Laws Website (Government of Canada). Checked 15 October 2026.
12. Social security agreements, Government of Canada. Checked 15 October 2026. Date modified 9 October 2026. Colombia is not on the list.
13. Consulado de Colombia en Canberra: services and procedures, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Consulate of Colombia in Canberra. Checked 15 October 2026. Lists passports, consular services and apostille and points visa requests to the Cancillería's central visa page.
14. Notarial services and fees (fee schedule from 1 January 2026), Internet Archive copy, Australian Government, DFAT (Smartraveller), Internet Archive copy. Checked 15 October 2026. Internet Archive capture of 7 October 2026: an apostille costs A$105 per document.
15. Notarial services in Australia: how to request document legalisation, Internet Archive copy, Australian Government, DFAT (Smartraveller), Internet Archive copy. Checked 15 October 2026. DFAT legalises documents by mail or in person; a document that is not an original Australian public document first goes to an Australian Notary Public.
16. Australian resident for tax purposes (archived copy), Australian Taxation Office (Internet Archive copy). Checked 15 October 2026.
17. Foreign and worldwide income (archived copy), Australian Taxation Office (Internet Archive copy). Checked 15 October 2026.
18. Income tax treaties in force, Australian Treasury. Checked 15 October 2026.
19. Consulate of Colombia in Auckland: services, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Consulado de Colombia en Auckland). Checked 15 October 2026. Lists passports, consular registration, apostille and visas, and sends visa questions to the Cancillería's central visa page.
20. Use your New Zealand documents overseas: apostilles and authentications, New Zealand Government (govt.nz), Department of Internal Affairs. Checked 15 October 2026. Country list includes Colombia.
21. Tax residency status for individuals, Inland Revenue (New Zealand). Checked 15 October 2026.
22. Tax treaties: double tax agreements and tax information exchange agreements, Inland Revenue (New Zealand), Tax Policy. Checked 15 October 2026.
23. Online visa application form (SITAC), Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería de Colombia). Checked 15 October 2026. Says to allow at least 30 minutes, to have a 3x4 cm colour photo in JPG under 300 KB and PDF documents totalling under 5 MB.
24. Resolution 3969 of 2026 (consular and Foreign Ministry fees), article 4: visa fees, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, compilation on the Cancillería website. Checked 15 October 2026. Diario Oficial 53.445 of 31 March 2026. Visitor (V): US$56 study plus US$138 issue; migrant (M): US$56 plus US$204; resident (R): US$56 plus US$183. The fees do not include stamp tax, whose amount we did not find.
25. Tax Statute (Decreto 624 de 1989), DIAN compilation: articles 9, 10 and 254, Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales (DIAN), compilation of the Tax Statute. Checked 15 October 2026.
26. Resolution 000238 of 2025: tax value unit (UVT) for 2026, Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales (DIAN). Checked 15 October 2026. 2026 UVT of COP 52,374.
27. Employer and employee social security shares (ABC salario integral, 2026), Unidad de Gestión Pensional y Parafiscales (UGPP), Colombia. Checked 17 October 2026. Table of pension 16% (12% employer, 4% worker) and health 12.5% (8.5% employer, 4% worker); guide is written for integral salary contracts.