On September 21, the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs extended the deadline for visa transfer procedures applicable to all foreign nationals with Permanent Resident visas in Colombia who obtained such status before October 2022.1
The original deadline had been October 22, 2024.
This extension until October 31, 2026, provides welcome relief, not only for public sector entities such as the Special Administrative Unit of Migration Colombia (Unidad Administrativa Especial Migración Colombia), which has faced high demand for such services by foreign nationals within its regions, but also for the private sector, which has faced difficulties around administrative delays. Now, both the administration processing requests for visa transfers and the applicants will have additional time, which will help with the processing of visa transfers by the authorities and help applicants to meet their compliance obligations.
Article 3 of Resolution 9316 of 2024 would establish an extension “…. until October 31, 2026, the term established in the third paragraph of Article 123 of Resolution 5477 of 2022 so that the holders of Permanent Resident visas in force (...) carry out the respective transfer of the visa before the Visa Authority.”2
Additionally, the same Resolution would allow the following visa holders to be exempted from applying for a Foreign ID card: tourist visa, business visa, crew and event visitor visas, ‘courtesy of visiting diplomats’ visa, and ‘international agreements’ visa. This would imply one less step in their immigration process, since the visa would be enough to prove their immigration status and the Foreign ID card will not be needed, being that this was mandatory before Resolution 9316.
Please note that the information in this newsletter is for information purposes only and does not constitute tax, immigration, or legal advice. For such, it is necessary to review case by case.
If visa holders and/or employers have questions regarding the process and appropriate next steps, they should contact their usual immigration counsel or a member of the GMS team with KPMG in Colombia (see the Contacts section).
For related coverage, see (in Spanish): "Resolución 9316 del 2024: Sobre la extensión de traspaso de visa y otras disposiciones" published in Flash Informativo (4 de octubre de 2024), a publication of the KPMG International member firm in Colombia.
1 Cancilería, Boletín de Prensa, "Hasta el 2026 se amplía el plazo para realizar traspasos de visa de Residente Permanente" (2024-10-03).
Resolución Número 9316 de 27 de Septiembre de 2024.
2 Ibid.
* Please note the KPMG International member firm in the United States does not provide immigration or labour law services. However, KPMG Law LLP in Canada can assist clients with U.S. immigration matters.
The information contained in this newsletter was submitted by the KPMG International member firm in Colombia.
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