Colombia tourist visa requirements for interns
The Colombia visa requirements for interns have changed over the years. And in the latest visa regulations adjustment, published by the Cancillería in December of 2017, the terms have been simplified. And this is good news for students who plan to start an internship in Colombia.
Entry without a visa
The Colombian government defined over 90 countries, whose citizens can enter without a visa. The countries include for example: United Kingdom, United States, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Russia, Canada (Canadian citizens need to pay a 190.000COP fee) and Chile, and citizens from countries within the “Shengen” Agreement (Check the list of 26 countries here). For these students it is not necessary anymore to apply for a student visa, before travelling.
Students, who are invited by companies in Colombia for temporary work assignments like internships, are allowed to stay for a maximum of 180 days (6 months). As most internships have a maximum duration of around 5 to 6 months, this also applies to all internship positions at Paisa internship. The students will receive a permit stamped in their passport by the immigrations officers at arrival in Colombia.
Required documents
It is important to stress clearly though that students who can travel to Colombia without a visa, need to travel with a cover letter from the Colombian institution that is inviting the student for their internship in Colombia. They will receive it directly from the company, or through their Internship Agency. All students who do not comply with this, take the risk of being sent back to the place of departure, upon arrival in Colombia.
In all other cases, if you are from a country that is not eligible, or if you need to stay longer than the maximum 180 days, you need to apply for a visa. For more information, you can check the website of the Colombian Chancellery.
Extending a Colombia tourist visa
If you currently are in Colombia with a regular 90 day Colombia tourist visa permit stamped in your passport, you can easily extend it for another 90 days online without the need to go to a Migracion Colombia office. It will just require the scans of required documents in pdf and the photo in jpg format. The link to the website you find here. Migracion Colombia informs that you need to take at least five days before the Colombia tourist visa expires to submit your renewal application form!
Don’t overstay your Colombia tourist visa
It is highly recommended to avoid overstaying the total period of 180 days on your Colombia tourist visa. Colombian immigration authorities are getting quite strict on it and you may stay registered and signaled in their systems. This can make it more difficult to reenter Colombia on a future occasion. Also a fine will be charged, generally from 350.000 COP until 4.500.000 COP, depending on the mood of the official and the total time the Colombia tourist visa period was overstayed. We recommend not to handle this at the airport, to avoid a delay of your departure. Instead, go to the nearest Migracion office a few days before leaving the country.
Sign up with Paisa Internship
Paisa Internship is your go-to specialist for a paid foreign internship. Check out our broad range of paid internship positions in cities like Bogota, Medellin and Pereira. And in case you are looking for specific terms and conditions in a specific region or out of the season, our Diamond Package is ideal for you. You can sit back and relax, we’ll arrange everything! Contact us and we’ll find you the paid internship abroad that fit your needs.
We also have WhatsApp support and a local team available to guide you with whatever need you have during your whole stay in Colombia.
More information
You can read all about the benefits of an international internship experience on your resume by clicking here. Want to know all the advantages of interning in Colombia, check-out our post Why doing an Internship in Colombia?
Contact us with any questions and be sure that we’ll take away all your doubts.
