How to Obtain a Cedula Extranjeria in Colombia

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• For us belonging to Mercosur, the process is a bit straightforward. A TP-15 Cedula allows one to live and work in Colombia with no hard requirements. At least for us Brazilians, it requires a translation from Portuguese.

• Hey thank you so much for this comment! I was not aware of the TP-15, this is perfect for my wife who is Brazilian! This will be much easier than I thought!

• Also, be wary that most banks require you to wait 6 months from Date of Issue to open a bank account. I've heard some allow three months though.

• Hey, not sure what this is all about. My cedula arrived and I opened an account at Bancolombia the very same day!

• A couple of observations on Jeff's fine article....if you register your visa with Migración Colombia in Bogotá and prefer to pick up your cedula in Medellín, no letter is required - simply a note in the comments/observations part of the application form will suffice ("Por favor envíe a Medellín").
  Also, a photo copy of the new visa is required - a copy of the data page of your passport is not.
  On 9th Feb 2016, the fee for a cedula in Bogota was indeed $173.000 ($51.00 US), so the Cali reader was correct.
  To check if yours is ready for collection, the website Jeff refers to can be found here http://www.migracioncolombia.gov.co/index.php/es/cedulas-para-reclamar
  You can pick it up any time up to six months from date of issue.

• Interesting, demonstrates that the process changes and isn't even updated on their website - see: https://www.sivirtual.gov.co/memoficha-tramite/-/tramite/T703, which still has the 162,000 peso price. When I went for my third cedula late last year they required a copy of the data page from my passport but not a copy of the visa, which is also what it says on their website. To be safe I guess it is best to have both in case they change again.

  Yes the letter to request the cedula be sent to Medellín wasn't technically "required" but recommended and the agent I talked to said it would make it absolutely sure it goes to Medellín. She said in the past the letter was required and she was happy to see I had it.

• @Jeff
  I obtained a RE Visa two years ago when I apply for renewal in three years are the requirements the same , especially concerning proof of marriage I am currently separated from my Colombian wife which I married Stateside nine years ago .

  Any input appreciated
  Terry
  by the way I am considering moving to Medellin

• Hi Jeff - the Migracion Colombia website asks for 2 photocopies of the visa page in your passport, 2 copies of the data page and 3 photos - as well as the proof of blood type if it is your first visa - I was asked for all of these applying in Medellín - best to be safe than sorry!

• Demonstrates inconsistency - in Bogotá in my experience for 3 cedulas they only asked me for a copy of the data page and no need for photos in Bogoá as they take digital photos. The proof of the blood type was only needed for the first cedula. But better to have a couple copies of the data page and visa to be safe.

• Hey! Don't expect the process to be quick and/or easy, at least in the Medellin office. When I went to pick up my cedula, 3 weeks after having applied, four people and multiple phonecalls were required to find the code to open the safe where all of the cards are held... so that...

• Hi what happens if you don't have your blood type? My son is due to arrive tomorrow and hasn't got it!

• You will need to take him to a clinic to have a blood test. It only takes about an hour.

• Hi - is there somewhere local to the bogota office? My son has a flight to catch in the evening so needs to get done quickly! He's on the plane to bogota now and only found out about the blood while reading your blog when waiting for the plane!

• Being in Bogota might be easier a lot of people there speak English so he might be able to call around. Major hospitals have the clinic. Tipo de sangre is what you need.

• He speaks Spanish luckily - he's had his blood test and waiting for results - is it worth him going to the office to get his visa done before the blood test results

• Hi Lucinda, as far as I know you need the blood test for the cédula (Colombian ID card), not the visa. So he should be able to get the visa without it. From there, he'll have 15 days to register with the immigration office and get his cédula, which is when he'll need to show the results of the blood test (just proof of blood type).

• I have just obtained a TP7 retiree visa (using Social Security Disability Insurance as the source of income) at the Colombia consulate in Los Angeles, California. If anyone is interested, I would be glad to elaborate on the process and steps needed to be taken for you to do the same.

• Hello, I would appreciate knowing how the processes went and how long it took to get it, thank you

• It takes two trips to the consulate, one to drop off all the required documents and another to pick up your visa. In Los Angeles, the drop off is done on Tuesdays. You have to pay $263 dollars at the consulate for the visa (money order or cashiers check) I picked up my visa about 5 days after dropping off the required documents.

  1. You need to get a social security benefits letter and then have it apostilled, translated and legalized.

  2. You can easily print out the benefits letter from the Social Security website:
  https://www.ssa.gov/

  3. You need to send the benefits letter to have it apostiled. This is done by the Office of Authentications. Here is their website:
  https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal-considerations/judicial/authentication-of-documents/office-of-authentications.html

  4. I can give you the name of an official translator in New York city who will translate the benefits letter and the apostille of the benefits letter and will also legalize both documents and send them to you by priority mail for around $42 dollars. His name is David Olsen and here is his email address:
  gringoviejo45@gmail.com. You can mention my name if you like so he knows to do for you exactly what he did for me.

  5. You need your passport and photo copies the page with your photo and the page with the visa stamps.

  6. And finally you need a photo of yourself. In Los Angeles, there is a place in the consulate building that will take the necessary photo for around $5 dollars.

  I think that sums it up. I don't think I forgot anything. I am in Bogota right now and I don't have access to my file with all the required documents but, I believe I have listed all the necessary steps.

  Good luck!

• Hello Steve,

  I also thank you for your explanation in details. So you got your visa and after arrival to Bogota you had to go to apply for the cedula, right? The TP 7 visa is good for one year. Did they tell you how many days ( or weeks ) before expiration date you have to come to the immigration office again and what the procedure is about? The renew procedure is the same or they just need all the documents one time? Did you get a chance to open an account yet? Is there any problem with SSA to have them send you your Social Security money ( I mean how long does it take for them to change the account for the payments?

  Thank you for your answer. Marie

• Hello Marie,
  Yes, you have to register your visa and apply for your cedula within 15 days of your arrival in Colombia (Jeff writes about this in the above article).
  This was my first TP-7 visa so I cannot speak about the renew process. I plan on renewing my visa in March 2017 when I return to Los Angeles and I expect I will have to follow the same steps or procedures.
  As far as the SSA question, I am not sure I understand your question but, I have been collecting SS monies for several years and I have the money direct deposited into a Bank of America account in California and in Colombia I just use a bank ATM to access the money. I pay a $5 dollar ATM use fee and about a 3% foreign transaction fee for each withdrawal, which is a bit costly (for example a withdrawal of 700.000 pesos ($240 dollars) cost about 12 dollars or 5% total)
  Citibank is in Colombia so if you have an account with them you might save the $5 dollar ATM fee.
  I would also recommend having a credit card that does not charge foreign transaction fees. This will save you about 3% on your purchases.

• 3 cedulas! You are a serious masochist.

• Does it take different amount of time for issuing the card? We, 5 of us applied same day with same set of documents. 4 of got it after 2 weeks, but 5th one is not ready even after 3 weeks.

• Yes it can sometimes take different amounts of time. For my third cedula they had technical problems and I had to follow up. You can follow up after about a month.

• I've arrived to Medellin on a TP-3 and need to get my Cedula. Does anyone know if I can make the payment at any Banco Occidente or does it need to be a certain one near the Migracion office?

• It's easier to just pay with a credit card or debit card in the Migración Colombia office. Since they started accepting credit/debit cards few pay cash anymore so I doubt someone can answer your question. If paying with cash you can ask where to pay at the Migración Colombia office.

• From what I've read you need to use a Colombian Debit or Credit Card? Is that still the case or do international cards work?

• I used my Colombian debit card last year in Bogotá to pay for a new cedula. I met one expat there that used an international credit card. The credit card machine they use looked to be the same you'll see at stores/restaurants. But keep in mind the foreign cards must be set up to work in Colombia (contact the bank before arriving). Many foreign debit or credit cards won't work in Colombia unless you notify your bank.

• Visa from BofA has a travel rewards credit card that charges no foreign transaction fee. Has anyone else tried Express Send from Wells Fargo? I sent myself money to BanColombia from my Wells Fargo account and it only cost me $4.The first transfer has to be done from inside a branch in the US. I don't know if there is a limit on the amount, but theoretically you could send your entire pension/SSA/disability check once a month for a $4 transfer fee charged by WF.
  I don't have an account here, so i just pick up cash; but I think it would be pretty seamless if I did have an account here. When I come here to stay more permanently I will do just that. In the meantime, if you fill out a form with BanColombia {once i.e. the first time } they tell me receiving the subsequent transfers will be very simple. I've done it twice. The first time was a pain, the second time was a breeze. The exchange rate was quite favorable, (the official rate that day) You only have 15 days to pick up the money or else it is returned to your bank {so they tell me}. WF also partners with 5-6 other banks in Colombia besides Bancolombia. I asked about getting an account here and they said i need a cedula, and that we would talk about it when i return for a longer stay.

• As an update, they do accept international debit and credit cards and the current fee (August 2016) is 173,000.

• Thanks Jeff for this great article and for helping and inspiring me to make my own post on this. My posts relates directly to my experience with the Bogotá office. I've liked to your article here and mine can be found here: http://stuartoswald.com/2016/09/obtaining-a-cedula-extranjeria-foreigner-id-in-colombia.html. It might be of great use to anyone applying there. Best regards and love the site.