COLOMBIA: Travel and Immigration Restrictions in the Time of Covid-19

Apr 7, 2020 | Global

Colombia is restricting entry of all passengers who are not Colombian residents or citizens. Colombian citizens and foreign residents who arrive must perform an obligatory 14-day period of self-isolation after arriving in Colombia.

Additional developments include:

  • Maritime, land, and river borders are closed until May 30, 2020.
  • Visa applications will not be processed at Colombian consulates.
  • President Duque has declared a National Emergency. Anyone age 70 or older must self-isolate until May 30, 2020. The order allows senior citizens to leave their homes for essential errands in supermarkets, banks, and pharmacies.
  • Airports are closed to international traffic. Flights are still leaving Colombia, but disruptions and cancellations are highly likely.
  • The Colombian government published a further decree putting the entire country on lockdown. The nationwide quarantine aims to “flatten the curve” of the expansion of COVID-19 among the population, especially the most vulnerable.
  • The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will accept visa applications for processing and electronic approval but will not make visa stamps in the passport.
  • Migración Colombia will suspend the deadlines for canceling special stay permits (PEP), and the expiry of the authorized stay for holders of entry and stay permits for “other activities” (POA), other than for Shore Pass and maritime or river crew. Likewise, the immigration authority may abstain from initiating administrative action or grant an opportunity for amendment under preventive isolation measures for those cases in which visa registration and the issuance of a foreigner’s ID card (cédula de extranjería) is required.

There have been 608 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Colombia as of March 28, 2020.

Subscribe to the WR Immigration Newsletters

Request an Attorney Consultation

Start the RFP Process

Join the Corporate Benchmarking Roundtable

Related Posts:

Self-Employment Visas in Italy: An Overview

The type and number of self-employment (Lavoro Autonomo) authorizations available to non-European Union (EU) nationals are set by means of the quota decree (decreto-flussi). Not all self-employment categories are available each year. In general, to be eligible for self-employment, an applicant must: Have suitable accommodation in Italy; Have financial resources...

CANADA: Fast-track immigration for fracophones?

The Québec immigration department is closing a month-long consultation period with stakeholders on four questions intended to revamp a fast-track immigration stream leading to permanent residence in Canada for francophone foreigners living in Québec. The topics the Québec government is consulting on are: Which eligibility criteria should the immigration department...