15 days left: foreign residents with older visas must transfer them by October 31

What happened

Foreigners in Colombia who hold a Permanent Resident visa issued under the old rules, before the 2022 visa reform, have until October 31, 2026 to transfer it to the current rules. On September 15, the foreign ministry said this covers holders whose visa label has expired, is about to expire, or was issued with indefinite validity. Migración Colombia needs the transfer to issue the foreigner ID card (cédula de extranjería). It's done online only, on the ministry's portal, and it costs US$112. The application needs a copy of the visa and the cédula, a certificate of entries and exits from Migración Colombia, a document showing what the holder does in Colombia, and a short letter giving the reason for the transfer. The ministry says to do it yourself, without intermediaries.

What it meansThe deadline was set in March and repeated in September. The ministry hasn't said what happens to people who miss it. Without the transfer, the holder can't get a new cédula, the ID foreigners use for banks and health insurance here.

What it means for usIf you got your residency before the 2022 reform, check your visa today. The Migración certificate has to come before the application, and the ministry can take up to 30 days to decide, so don't leave it for the last week. If your visa was issued under the current rules, this deadline doesn't apply to you. You'll transfer it every 5 years, before it expires.

How to do it

1. Check the date on your visa. This deadline is only for visas issued under the old rules, before the 2022 reform.
2. Get your certificate of entries and exits (certificado de movimientos migratorios) from Migración Colombia, on its website or at one of its offices. Do this first, because it isn't instant.
3. Gather the rest: a copy of your visa and your cédula, a document showing what you do in Colombia, a short letter giving the reason for the transfer, and a photo (JPG, up to 300 KB). Documents go in as PDFs.
4. Fill in the online visa form on the foreign ministry's portal, choose the transfer (traspaso), choose the Bogotá office if you're in Colombia, and upload the documents.
5. Pay the study fee, US$56, with the payment reference the system gives you. The ministry only studies the application after you pay, and it has up to 30 days to decide.
6. If it's approved, pay the issuance fee, another US$56, within 10 calendar days. The electronic visa arrives by email within 10 days of payment.
7. Within 15 calendar days of the new visa, register it with Migración Colombia and renew your cédula.