What documents do I need to enter Colombia?
Most visitors enter Colombia visa-free for up to 90 days with a valid passport, an onward ticket and a completed Check-Mig form. Here is the full document list.
Updated
Entering Colombia - what you need
Colombia is one of the more straightforward South American countries to enter. Most tourists need nothing beyond a passport, a ticket out of the country and an address to give the officer, which your trip1 booking confirmation provides.
- A passport that is valid on the day you arrive, with at least one blank page for the entry stamp. Colombian immigration suggests six months of validity beyond your planned departure.
- A completed Check-Mig registration for your flight.
- An onward or return ticket dated inside your permitted stay.
- The name and address of the place you are staying. Your trip1 booking confirmation has both.
- A yellow fever vaccination certificate if you are arriving from a country with transmission risk, or heading into certain national parks and jungle areas.
Do you need a visa for Colombia?
Most tourist nationalities do not. Colombia grants visa-free entry of up to 90 days at a time, capped at a cumulative 180 days in a calendar year.
The officer decides your exact number of days and writes it on the stamp, so read it before you leave the airport. If you want longer, you can request a 90-day extension from Migracion Colombia before your first period expires.
Nationality lists change, so confirm the rule for your own passport on Migracion Colombia's official site rather than a third-party visa service.
The Check-Mig form, explained
Check-Mig is Colombia's free online pre-registration for people crossing its borders. You fill it in on Migracion Colombia's own website, usually in the window between 72 hours and 1 hour before you travel, and you get a confirmation by email.
Official guidance differs on how strictly it is enforced. Some sources describe it as required for air passengers and others as an optional step that speeds you through the border, so the safe move is to complete it either way. It takes a few minutes and costs nothing.
Use only the official Migracion Colombia site. Look-alike pages charge money for a form that is free.
Important: Staying past the days written on your entry stamp results in a fine you have to settle before Colombia lets you leave the country.
Hotel check-in in Colombia
Bring the same passport you entered on. Colombian hotels register foreign guests with Migracion Colombia, so the front desk needs to see your passport and usually your entry stamp.
Many hotels also apply a VAT exemption on room rates for non-resident foreign visitors, and they can only do that if your passport and entry stamp support it. Keep both to hand at the desk.
Your trip1 booking confirmation is your proof of accommodation. A digital copy on your phone works at the border and at the hotel, but save it offline in case you have no signal when you land.
Entering Colombia - FAQ
Most tourist nationalities do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days. Colombia caps visa-free visits at 180 days in a calendar year, and you can ask Migracion Colombia for a 90-day extension before your first period runs out.
Colombia asks air passengers to complete the free online Check-Mig form before departure. Official guidance differs on how strictly it is enforced, so fill it in between 72 hours and 1 hour before your flight to be safe.
Border officers usually grant up to 90 days per entry. The exact number of days is written on your entry stamp, so check it before you leave the airport.
Yes, you should be able to show an onward or return ticket. Colombia can refuse entry to travellers who cannot show they plan to leave within their permitted stay.
Only if you are arriving from a country with yellow fever transmission risk, or visiting certain national parks and jungle regions. Colombia's health ministry publishes the current list of affected areas.
