Guides
The hard parts of a Colombian visa, explained
Free, sourced walkthroughs of the steps that generate the most questions — and the most delays. Every figure derives from the current official numbers, with sources and a last-verified date on each guide.
- Documents
How to get an FBI background check apostilled for a Colombian visa
The FBI Identity History Summary is the slowest document in most U.S. applicants' files. The exact steps — fingerprints, the federal apostille, the official Spanish translation — and how long each really takes.
Read the guide - Checklist
Colombia Digital Nomad Visa: the document checklist for U.S. applicants
Every document the Digital Nomad (V · Nómada Digital) application generally requires, what officers look for in each, and the order to gather them so nothing expires before you submit.
Read the guide - Documents
Colombia Retirement (Pensionado) Visa: proving your U.S. Social Security income
How retirees document Social Security (or a private pension) for Colombia's retirement visa — the Pensionado (M): the benefit verification letter, the apostille chain, and the bank-deposit layer that prevents information requests.
Read the guide - Money
Colombia visa income requirements in U.S. dollars (SMMLV, explained)
Colombian visa thresholds are written as multiples of the minimum wage (SMMLV), not dollars. What that means, this year's numbers for every income- and investment-based visa, and why the peso figure is the one that counts.
Read the guide - Staying longer
Extending your stay in Colombia: the tourist-stamp extension and the 180-day rule
U.S. citizens get 90 days on arrival — then what? How the extension (Prórroga de Permanencia / PTP) generally works, the hard 180-day-per-calendar-year limit, why border runs don't reset it, and the options when the days run out.
Read the guide - Avoid these
The mistakes that delay (or sink) Colombian visa applications
The most common reasons applications draw a requerimiento or an inadmissibility — stale documents, wrong subtype, screenshots instead of official PDFs, missed deadlines — and how each is generally avoided.
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