Colombia visa requirements for Indian passport holders

Check your circumstances

Read these conditions alongside the entry rule. Where official guidance does not state a condition, that is not confirmation that no condition applies.

Passport type Conditions to check

India is on the conditional list of Resolution 5488 of 2022. This guide covers ordinary passports; diplomatic and official passports fall under separate agreements that were not checked.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia (Cancillería), legal compilation.

Trip purpose Confirmed for this scope

The Visa V Turismo covers leisure, tourism and cultural visits only and does not allow work. Any paid activity in Colombia needs a different visa.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia (Cancillería), legal compilation.

Age Conditions to check

A minor's application needs a document naming the parents or guardians and a written request from both, naming who will look after the child in Colombia.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia (Cancillería), legal compilation.

Residence Conditions to check

You apply online to the consular office for your country of residence, or for a third country where you hold residence. Applying outside India means proving your resident status there.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia (Cancillería), legal compilation.

Other visas or residence permits Conditions to check

A valid US or Schengen residence permit, or a US or Schengen visa valid at least 180 days on arrival, lets you enter without a Colombian visa. Pacific Alliance and Andean Community permanent residents are also exempt.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia (Cancillería), legal compilation.

Carrier and arrival route Conditions to check

India is on the list of nationalities that need a transit visa even to change planes airside in Colombia, unless a qualifying US or Schengen visa or permit exempts you.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia (Cancillería), legal compilation.

Stay and visa validity Conditions to check

The tourist visa can be valid up to 1 year. Each stay is 90 days, extendable by 90, with at most 180 days in each 365 counted from the date of issue.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia (Cancillería), legal compilation.

Who needs a visa

Colombia requires a visa from every foreign national it does not exempt. Indian citizens are on the conditional list: they need a visa unless they hold a valid residence permit from the United States or a Schengen state, or a US or Schengen visa that is still valid for at least 180 days on the day they enter Colombia. With one of those, Migración Colombia can admit you on an entry permit for a short stay, up to 90 days, without a Colombian visa.

Permanent residents of a Pacific Alliance state (Chile, Mexico or Peru) or of an Andean Community state can also be admitted without a visa for short, unpaid stays. Migración Colombia says residents of Mexico enter with their Mexican visa or permanent resident card and a valid passport.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia (Cancillería), legal compilation; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, Visas and Immigration Group; Migración Colombia (migracioncolombia.gov.co); Migración Colombia (migracioncolombia.gov.co).

Applying for the tourist visa

The tourist visa is the Visa V Turismo. Nationals who are not exempt apply online on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs platform, choosing the consular office for the country where they live. You fill in the form and upload a recent digital photo with a white background and a passport valid at least six months, with free pages.

For a personal application the resolution asks for a letter explaining your trip, with dates and places, and a letter from your host if you are invited. It also asks for bank statements for the six months before you apply showing monthly income of at least 10 Colombian legal minimum monthly wages. For tourism you also need health insurance covering Colombia for your whole stay, and reservations for flights into and out of the country.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia (Cancillería), legal compilation.

Fees, processing and interviews

You pay twice: a study fee once your application is complete, and an issue fee only if the visa is approved. Each must be paid within 10 calendar days, or the application is treated as withdrawn, and the study fee is not refunded. The ministry has up to 30 calendar days to decide a complete application, longer if it consults other agencies.

The visa authority can ask for more documents, up to three times, ask to see originals, and call you for an interview. This guide does not state fee amounts, which are set by a separate resolution; check them on the ministry platform before you apply.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia (Cancillería), legal compilation.

Length of stay

A tourist visa can be valid for up to a year and allows several entries. Each stay may last 90 days, extendable by another 90, and you may not stay more than 180 days, in one or several visits, in each 365 days counted from the date the visa was issued.

If you enter visa-free with a US or Schengen visa, Migración Colombia grants a tourism permit of up to 90 days at the border. An extension is possible, but the total may not pass 180 days in the same calendar year.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia (Cancillería), legal compilation; Migración Colombia (migracioncolombia.gov.co); Migración Colombia (migracioncolombia.gov.co).

Transit and arrival

India is one of 27 nationalities that need a transit visa to change planes in a Colombian airport, even without leaving the transit area. That visa allows up to 24 hours airside and no change of airport.

At the border, carry your passport, your visa or qualifying US or Schengen document, an onward or return ticket and proof of funds. You leave with the same passport you entered on and within the stay you were granted. The free Check-Mig form, 72 hours to 1 hour before travel, is optional but speeds up the immigration interview.

Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia (Cancillería), legal compilation; Migración Colombia (migracioncolombia.gov.co); Migración Colombia (migracioncolombia.gov.co).