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- How to Handle the 6 Month Colombian Visa Issue
So you have decided to spend time in Colombia on a tourist visa — and like a lot of people, there will be a certain Colombian visa issue that you will encounter while living here.
In which you have learned that the tourist visa only works for 6 months out of each calendar year.
What does that mean?
Well, once 6 months are up, pack your bags and get out of Colombia!
And that is the Colombian visa issue a lot of expats experience here
Unless you are living on something more long term, like some type of residency, you will most likely have to leave Colombia after 6 months of living here
Now you may be saying….
But I like Colombia!
Well…..so do most of us
But don’t worry!
You can come back again after 6 more months
Or you can choose to enter Colombia on another type of visa or residency to stay here longer than 6 months — both of which will help solve the Colombian visa issue
However, for those who prefer to be on the tourist visa for now, you may be wondering…
What are your options?
Well, you got a few
First Option
Keep in mind that it is “180 days per calendar year.”
I have not tried this option myself personally since I have residency here but I have done some research online and talked with some expats on this issue
From everything I have learned, you can technically live in Colombia for 180 days before January 1 (the new year). Then spend the next 180 days once the next year comes up.
How does this work in practice?
Well, let’s say you initially entered Colombia on January 1. This would mean you would have to leave Colombia on June 30 and cannot come back until the next January 1.
However, if you enter Colombia on July 5 (or 180 days before January 1), you can technically leave Colombia during the last few days of December
Then when the new year comes by and it’s January 1, you can have another 180 days with just a few days in between.
This would give you about a full year in Colombia straight with no interruptions
For those thinking of living in Colombia for a little longer than 6 months but you are not sure if you want to be here forseveral years or more, this option is perfect for you
However, if you would like to continue living in Colombia beyond that one year, you have other options
Option2: Other Type of Visa or Residency
I won’t go into too much detail on this option since I am planning on saving it for another article to better discuss residency.It’s a big topic in of itself and deserves a greater explanation in its own article.
However, it does deserve a quick mention. If you are thinking of living in Colombia long term for many years without interruptions, you are going to need to get off the tourist visa.
Because in the first option mentioned above, you would be entering Colombia again for another 6 months after January 1. This means that you have to be out of Colombia for a full 6 months anyway, which puts a break into your time in Colombia.
Even though it gives you a full year in Colombia, it only delays when you have to deal with the 6 month interruption.
To avoid that interruption for a much longer stay, consider residency or another type of visa.
For myself, I remember that I first entered Colombia many years ago on a student visa when I traveled to Barranquilla.
Then, I was able to stay in Colombia for a full 7 months with no interruption.
And I could have stayed possibly longer than that
In large part because I left Colombia once my student visa was done and came back in one a tourist visa.
If planned right, that could possibly mean a year and a half in Colombia with no serious interruption.
Or perhaps I could have continued studying in Colombia just to have the student visa for a longer time.
Either way, you get it.
In order to stay here longer term, you need to look at other visas or ideally residency of some kind.
Option 3: Six month Vacation Somewhere Else!
This is not something I have done but I do take frequent trips elsewhere in Latin America
Mostly to Mexico and Peru because those are 2 other countries that I love to spend a lot of time in
And out of all the Latin American countries…
Colombia, Peru and Mexico are my favorite.
Additionally, I have seen plenty of other foreigners come to Colombia and basically just leave Colombia for those 6 months to go live somewhere else.
Once their tourist visa is up and they can’t renew it just yet, they go to usually some nearby country in Latin America
Such as Panama or Peru
In fact, one guy I know right now is in Venezuela of all places
Perhaps not the best country to visit these days but we all like to have the occasional adventure I suppose
If I had to leave Colombia every 6 months, as you already know, Mexico or Peru are probably where I would go
Out of the two, perhaps Mexico because I enjoy Mexican food more than Peruvian
And also it’s closer to the US, so trips back home to see family there would be a little less expensive
However, change it up constantly! Don’t just pick one country to go back to every time
If you have the money, you could check out a new Latin American country every time those 6 months come up
Or a new city that you have never been to before
For example, some of the places I would like to visit in Latin America that I haven’t are Cuba, Rio de Janeiro and Manaus inBrazil, a few cities in Venezuela and more
But that’s just me personally.
Anyway, this is a pretty good option to choose if you don’t have a lot of stuff
Which would be ideal if you have to relocate somewhere else every 6 months or so
The only other issue with this approach is that it would likely get tiring after a while
While in Colombia, I have traveled around quite a bit to numerous cities
Especially during my earlier years here
And even though it was great, it’s no longer as fun to be constantly on the move
After a while, you want to settle down somewhere and stop traveling all the time
So for me, this third option is more ideal for the younger person who has some money than someone looking to settle down somewhere
Can be fun though while it lasts
If you decide to take this option, make sure to do so with Avianca Airlines as they have flights all over Latin America
And make sure to get a nice travel bag as you will be moving around a bit
Final Thoughts
Overall, I hope you found this article about the Colombian visa issue useful. Check out the other articles on this site — such as this one about the 20 benefits of living in Colombia
And don’t forget to throw me any questions below if you got any. Thanks.
Hasta luego parceros,
Seth
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