Colombia: 90 day visit period renewed on re-entry? (UK national)
I'm a UK national currently in Colombia as a tourist, travelling on a British passport.
As such, I receive a free 90 day visiting period, without requiring a visa, upon entry as a tourist to Colombia. I'm wondering if this period is renewed when leaving and re-entering Colombia.
I have found the following on gov.uk:
British nationals can enter Colombia for up to 90 days as a visitor without a visa at the discretion of the Colombian Immigration Officer on arrival.
However I can't find anything on this page, or from any official source on the internet, on the rules about if/how this period is renewed.
For specifics, my sequence of actions has been as follows:
- I entered Colombia, for the first time ever, less than 90 days ago. I got a dated entry stamp in my passport.
- Some weeks later, I left Colombia to go to Panama. When I did this I got a dated exit stamp in my passport.
- Another couple of weeks later, I returned to Colombia. I had no questions at immigration about the first entry/exit, and the immigration officer gave me another dated entry stamp in my passport, which looks identical in type to the first.
So my question is, do I now have 90 days from the first, or from the second, entry stamp date before I must leave Colombia or apply for an extension?
I suppose, but please correct me if I'm wrong, that this question would have the same answer for most if not all countries whose citizens receive this same 90-day vistor period.
Best Answer
I would think that both your passport stamps include a reference as to how long you're allowed to stay.
CIBT (http://cibtvisas.com) claims that British passport holders get 180 visas upon arrival. You might have gotten 90 days that could have been extended by another 90.
This should mean that, leaving earlier and returning, it's most likely that you were given another 90 days from your second entry.
However, because the number of days you get is at the discretion of the immigration official, if the number of days you got is not specified with your stamp, there is no way to determine, without checking with immigration, how long you're actually allowed to stay.
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How do I extend my 90-day visa in Colombia?
To renew your visa, you'll need to visit the Colombian Immigration Authority's official website. From there, you'll need to select Formulario \xdanico de Tr\xe1mites (FUT). Next, select the option \u201cPermiso Temporal de Permanencia para Prorrogar Permanencia\u201d.How long can a UK citizen stay in Colombia?
Colombian immigration authorities allow visa-free entry to British nationals for stays of up to 90 days as a visitor. However, upon arrival, the authorities at the airport will stamp your passport with the granted stay period, which may vary, depending on your purpose of travel.How many times can I visit Colombia in a year?
Keepin mind that you can get 180 days in a year as a tourist. Typically many countries can enter with a 90 tourist permission, which can be extended in country for another 90 days at your local Migracion Colombia office, or online at their website https://www.migracioncolombia.gov.co/.How can I stay in Colombia for more than 180 days?
If you want to stay in Colombia more than 180 days in a 365-day period, you need to get a visa. The Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores\u2014also referred to as the Canciller\xeda\u2014in Bogot\xe1 issues all visas. However, you can apply for a visa online or at any Colombian consulate in your home country.THE SCHENGEN ZONE TRAVEL EXPLAINED - DIGITAL NOMAD TV
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Answer 2
So, thanks to the pointer by @PeterHahndorf I discovered that indeed, the type of pass and the number of days allowed is all written in pen on the entry stamp.
Without deliberate inspection I'd missed it on both stamps because the '90' was written very quickly and wasn't immediately recognisable as a number!
What confirms it is that on both stamps, the pass type of PIP 5 is also ticked. PIP followed by 9 boxes is printed on the stamp, along with a visa type line below, where the immigration officer will indicate the pass/visa type in pen.
Once I knew what to google for I confirmed that that PIP 5 is indeed a 90 day pass on the migracion Colombia site.
So, I have to presume I do have 90 days from the date of the latest stamp. I'll update this if I discover differently.
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