How Long Can You Stay in Colombia?
The Visa Guide Nobody Wrote.

The 90-day tourist entry — what you actually get on arrival

Most nationalities — Americans, Canadians, Australians, British, and Schengen-area Europeans among them — receive a 90-day tourist entry stamp on arrival in Colombia at no cost. No prior application, no appointment, no fee at the border. You show your passport, immigration stamps it, you're good for 90 days.

The stamp is technically a permiso de ingreso (entry permit) rather than a visa in the traditional sense, but the practical effect is the same: 90 days to stay in Colombia without further paperwork.

What most people don't know: those 90 days are not your hard limit.

The online extension — no border run required

This is the detail that separates people who've actually navigated this from people repeating what they read on a travel blog from 2019. You can extend your Colombian tourist stay to a maximum of 180 days in a calendar year entirely online, through the Migración Colombia portal, without leaving the country.

The border run — flying to Bogotá, hopping to Quito or Panama City for a weekend, flying back — is not required. It's a waste of time and money that thousands of people do every year because they didn't know about the online extension.

The process:

1. Go to the Migración Colombia online portal (migracioncolombia.gov.co) and create an account if you don't have one.

2. Submit an extension request (prórroga de permanencia) before your current stamp expires — apply with at least a week to spare.

3. Upload your passport, a photo, and proof of sufficient funds (a bank statement showing you can support yourself).

4. Pay the fee. For Americans: approximately COP $125,000 — roughly $35 USD at current rates. For Schengen-area Europeans: free, under the reciprocity agreement Colombia maintains with the EU.

5. Wait a few business days. The extension arrives digitally — no in-person visit, no appointment, no office.

Apply early. The processing window can stretch if Migración is busy, and being caught with an expired stamp while your extension is pending is a stressful situation that's easily avoided by not waiting until day 89.

The 180-day limit — what actually happens

The maximum is 180 days in a single calendar year on tourist status — your initial 90 days plus one extension. At 180 days you have two options: exit Colombia and wait for the calendar year to reset on January 1, or transition to a long-term visa before you hit the limit. There is no second extension on tourist status.

The calendar year math creates an interesting rhythm for people serious about Medellín: arrive in July, stay through December on tourist status, leave for a trip, return in January for another 180 days. That's effectively year-round presence with one intentional exit. A lot of longer-term Medellín regulars operate exactly this way — particularly those who travel anyway and don't mind a reset.

For people who want to stop managing the visa calendar entirely, the transition to a long-term visa is the move.

The digital nomad visa — for remote workers staying longer

Colombia's digital nomad visa (Visa de Nómada Digital) allows remote workers and freelancers to stay up to 2 years. It's one of the better-structured versions of this visa type in Latin America.

The income requirement for 2026: 3 times the monthly minimum wage (SMMLV). Colombia's 2026 minimum wage is COP $1,750,905/month, making the threshold COP $5,252,715/month — approximately $1,460 USD/month at 3,600 COP/USD. This number moves every January when Colombia adjusts the minimum wage.

Other requirements: proof that your income comes from remote work for a foreign employer or freelance clients outside Colombia, valid health insurance, clean criminal background check, and a valid passport.

What it is and isn't: A V-type visitor visa — not a residency visa. It doesn't count toward the 5-year permanent residency accumulation path. It's renewable. For someone whose goal is to stop managing the 90/180-day tourist calendar and stay in Medellín for 1–2 years, it's the right call. For someone thinking about long-term residency or citizenship, it buys time without building toward it.

The business investment visa — for people building something here

The business investment route requires a foreign direct investment (FDI) in a Colombian company equal to approximately 100 times the monthly minimum wage.

For 2026: 100 × COP $1,750,905 = COP $175,090,500 — roughly $49,000 USD at 3,600 COP/USD.

The investment must be registered as FDI with the Banco de la República — this is a specific legal process, not just transferring money. A Colombian immigration lawyer is worth the cost (typically $500–1,500 USD) to avoid a rejection on a technicality.

What you get: a multi-year investor visa, renewable as long as the investment remains active. After 5 years of continuous legal residence, you can apply for permanent residency and eventually Colombian citizenship.

Important: the COP threshold is fixed to the minimum wage and adjusts every January. The USD equivalent moves with the exchange rate. At the time of your visa application, the peso value is what determines whether you qualify — not what you paid in dollars when you originally invested.

The real estate investment visa — for property buyers

Real estate investment qualifies for a separate investor visa route, at a higher threshold: approximately 350 times the monthly minimum wage.

For 2026: 350 × COP $1,750,905 = COP $612,816,750 — roughly $170,000 USD at 3,600 COP/USD.

Property in El Poblado has appreciated significantly over the past several years. A meaningful number of apartments in the neighborhood now approach or clear this threshold, which is why the real estate visa path is increasingly common among expats who've decided to stay.

The visa calculus: if you're going to buy property in Medellín anyway, the purchase doubles as the qualifying investment for long-term residency. Two problems solved simultaneously. Caveats: property must be in your personal name (not a company or trust), and the qualifying value is in pesos at the time of application — exchange rate moves matter.

The rentista visa — for passive income

The rentista visa covers people with consistent passive income from outside Colombia — rental income, dividends, pension, investment returns. The income threshold is similar to the digital nomad visa structure (a multiple of minimum wage from qualifying sources), but it's for income you don't actively work for.

Less commonly used than the investor options but worth knowing: if you have a pension, significant investment income, or foreign rental income that clears the threshold, this is a clean path to long-term Colombian residency without a local capital investment.

At 180 days, you're making a choice

180 days is roughly six months. Anyone who has spent six months in Medellín has either decided they're done with the city or has started thinking about staying. There is almost no middle ground — the city either gets under your skin or it doesn't.

The people who hit 180 days and are already planning their return are the ones who eventually apply for long-term visas. The progression is consistent: tourist stamp → online extension → return trip → digital nomad or investor visa → residency. The trigger is always the same — at some point Medellín stops being a trip and starts being a base.

If you're at that inflection point, the business investment visa is worth understanding in detail. One of the qualifying structures is direct equity in a Colombian S.A.S. company — including the kind of venue and membership operation that Owners Circle is building in Poblado.

The ownership path through Owners Circle

Owners Circle has three entry points to real ownership:

Founding Owner membership ($899). Profit-sharing included — the financial upside of ownership without equity. Not a visa-qualifying investment on its own, but the entry point to the ownership community.

Real Shares. Direct equity in the Colombian S.A.S. entity, starting at approximately $2,000 USD. This is genuine company equity — not a membership perk, not a token. For investors building toward the business investment visa threshold (~$49,000 USD in 2026), Real Shares are the vehicle.

Business investment visa path (~$49,000 USD at 2026 rates). A qualifying FDI in the Owners Circle S.A.S. entity, registered with the Banco de la República. This is the structure that lets a nightclub investment in Medellín open a long-term residency path. The investment earns returns from the business; the visa comes from the registered FDI. Always structure this with a Colombian immigration attorney — the registration process is specific and the details matter.

If you're already thinking about staying — the visa path and the ownership path can be the same path.