Editor’s Note: For more up-to-date information on obtaining a work visa, please visit this post published June 2013.
Falling in love with Colombia and its people is easy, staying here is a little more difficult.
Unless you want to visit the DAS office every month, the best way to stay in Colombia is to study, or work.
With a student visa, you need to find a university to study Spanish or another subject area, and then pay for your classes first. Most schools require that you pay for half the classes you desire.
So, if you want to study for three months, you have to pay for a month and a half in advance. And, if you want to study for more than 3 months, you have to pay more money for your visa because you also have to pay to receive a celula.
Other then that, the process is fairly easy. The school can usually help you find someone to receive your passport and other documents in Bogota, bring your papers to the Embassy and then ship it back to you within 3 days. Again, at an additional cost.
On the other hand, I have read a few blogs about the difficulties of getting a job in Colombia and the visa associated with it. Maybe I was just lucky, but within a week of coming to Colombia, I was hired at a well-known private school along with 2 other Americans.
The school took care of almost everything required to get me a work visa in Colombia, including paying for all the expenses, like sending me to Panama for 2 nights, the hotel room, extra spending money, and taxis to and from the airports.
They set up an appointment with the consulate for me and provided me with all the paperwork I needed to apply for a work visa in Colombia, except for the apostilized diplomas. This had to be done in New York, and was apparently quite a hassle according to my parents from who I had to request their services for the task.
The only thing left for me to do is go to the DAS office for my celula.
Required Paperwork
- Three 3 x 3 photos on white background
- Passport with at least 2 blank pages
- Copy of passport: information page and last page used
- Diplomas of Universities (needs an apostile – which is a hassle in and of itself)
- Contract from the job, provided by the company
- “Solicitud de visa” form SC-FO-15, provided by the company
- Certification of legal representation, provided by the company
Another incorrect statement I found online: “If you are thinking about working as a teacher and you want a work visa you will need a teaching qualification. This rule is quite new. So, no teaching qualification, no work visa as a teacher.”
This is not true, as I do not have a teacher certification and I was just hired 3 weeks ago. However, I have taught for a year in Peru which helped me during the hiring process.
Fees
- $205 for the visa
- $25 processing
- $50 for the appointment
And, it is important to bring currency in the country you are going to.
My job gave me Colombian Pesos to use in Panama, but they didn’t accept them, and I had to change money at a very poor exchange rate, losing money for my school.
Editor’s Note: For more up-to-date information on obtaining a work visa, please visit this post published June 2013.
69 Responses
That’s actually a benevolent employer if they paid for your trip to Panama to pick up the visa. I’ve heard of some institutes in Bogota that charge teachers to sponsor their visa, and of course they’re on their own for travel. So that’s a good company!
I’d add that, when renewing your work visa, you have to register the new visa with DAS immediately to avoid a fine. Also, employers will cancel your work visa effective immediately if you quit or get fired. My visa was cancelled less than a month after paying out the millions of pesos, and it was the third visa which would’ve been good for two years!
P.S. It’s cedula with a ‘d’ (edit this out afterwards)
Good point. I think you have 5 or 15 days to register with DAS.
When I quit teaching at a place in Medellin, I was already on the conyuge visa but the very nasty person in charge at the institute called the DAS on me anyway. The DAS called me and then apologized when I pointed out that my visa didn’t depend on my job.
How do you renew your work visa? What documents are required, how much time in advance of current visa expiration do you need to apply? Thanks.
I have a colombiana friend who once worked at DAS who tells me that a Panameña can get a work permit as a domestic employee for a private individual. Anyone know if that’s still true?
I had a similar experience. Once I went and applied for a job I was hired quickly and they took care of my paperwork. I had to fly back to the states to actually get the visa tho, which was a pain.
There is a service which will take your document to the relevant office to get the apostille. I used it once and it worked fine. Can’t remember the name tho.
You do actually need to prove idoneidad (suitability for the job at hand), or at least you did back in 2001. A college degree did the trick for me.
I’ve gotten the conyuge visa and the resident visa now as well, but it’s been years. I don’t remember all the details. Within another year or maybe even less I will be eligible to apply for citizenship. Should be interesting!
I am from India, presently i am living in INDIA. I have been working as a truck driver for14 years in India I would like to chang my carrier in COLOMBIA how can i apply for truck driver job or work permit or permenent resident in COLOMBIA.
Guy , hello , i’m from Medellin Colombia, here so much work about driver, but you need know Spanish , do you know spanish ?
Thanks for the info on the requirements. Hope the expense for the education is not that high. Colombia is one of my dream destinations. Three months is a short time. It is great because I could stay there and learn Spanish at the same time.
Hi Jessica,
I enjoyed reading your article and I’m planning on traveling to Colombia in about two months to teach English. I have a University degree, a teaching credential, and I’m TESOL/TEFL certified. Do you know of any language institutes or school that are hiring? I just receiving an email from a company that is interested in me, but they did not offer to cover any of the visa expenses.
I would greatly appreciate your advice.
Best Regards,
Devin
Actually, my school just let go of someone and they are looking for an English teacher to start ASAP. Im sure they will help you get here faster. If you are interested send me an email sattvictiger@gmail.com
I have a British friend who got a job in Bogotá as a teacher, the name is Bretaña, he loves his job and the visa process was really easy… he holds a degree as a computer science instructor.
Hey Shawn,
I’m hoping to teach in Colombia too, would I be able to contact your friend for advice?
Thanks
Thanks for this helpful information. I’ve never had to get an apostle diploma before – is this something I can get before I leave for Colombia and just have with me?
Cheers!
Apostille. And yes.
Hello I want to work in Colombia Colombian citizen How do I get a work visa Thank you
As far as I know, first you need to find a company willing to hire you. Ideally, they will also help you obtain the work visa to do so.
Hi Jess,
Thanks for your article. I’m a Canadian and am planning on going to Colombia in a few weeks. I already have a job lined up, and will soon have finalized my TESOL certification. I have a college diploma from a Canadian college, and this is my biggest concern, because I believe Colombia specifically requires a Bachelor’s Degree.
Do you, or does anyone you know, think I would have any problems acquiring a work visa with my college degree?
Hey Ben,
I’m heading down again as well – might I ask how you found the work?
Thanks,
Sarah
Hey thanks a bunch for putting down the costs of everything – just wondering if you wouldn’t mind saying the name of the school so that I can get ideas of where to apply? I have a list but just checking for the top ones 😛 Thanks so much!
I wonder if you can share your schools list? It’s 2017 now and I’m getting my CELTA certificate and have a masters degree plus am fluent in Spanish. I would like to apply to go teach in Medellin as soon as the kids graduate from high school in June!
i have a question regarding getting a work visa, i dont have a college degree, would that get in the way of me getting a work visa. And i only have my TEFL certificate as far as teaching credentials go, is that enough? Thanks!
This is excellent information. I find the visa information for a lot of countries in South America VERY confusing. I live in Brazil, a country which has 10 different consulates in the United States, each with different rules and regulations on how to get the different types of visas. Thanks for sharing!
i have a question regarding getting a work visa while travelling to colombia on tourist visa . Is that possible to get work permitt visa on tourist visa ???
Is that possible if a person is planning to travel in colombia on tourist visa that person is eligible to give an interviews into the companies on tourist visa or not . is that mandatory they ask first for work permitt visa ?
On a tourist visa you can sit down for interviews without any problem. You’ll need a contract from your employer to get your work visa, so it’s basically impossible to get to Colombia on a work visa without a job.
When you get your papers from your employer, you will have to leave the country and visit a consulate or embassy in order to get your work visa. You can renew your work visa in Bogotá before it expires.
Ben . Thank you so much for the post reply .
Great article! really useful de-coding. i didnt realise that i need an apostile/apostle? i also dont know what this means in this context? can anyone enlighten me? thanks
Do you have any info on English teaching jobs in Cali?
Hey, I have a TEFL qualification, and I’m planning to go to Medellin to teach english. I see that part D is ‘diplomas of universities’. Is it ok that I’ve never been to a university? What do I put for that section?
Hey guys, I would really appreciate it if someone could answer a quick question for me:
I am currently studying towards the 120 hour TEFL certification. Will this be sufficient on it’s own to get a Colombian work visa as I don’t have a degree?
I have an offer of paid employment (dependant on getting TEFL certified) from a college where I am currently working as a volunteer.
Basically, the college are happy only with TEFL certification but will the Colombian government be?
Hi there Stewert, I’m currently in the same boat as you. I leave for Ecuador this Sunday. I don’t have my CELTA apostilled though as I’m having some difficulties with that.
I’m curious as to whether or not you ended up getting your visa. I’m pretty nervous about this whole process!
Hi Sara,
I gave up on the work visa route because I was informed my lack of a degree would be a big obstacle. By the way I ended up going to Ecuador for a day before re-entering Colombia to get another 90 day stamp in my passport. I wasn’t able to extend at the DSA office because I overstayed (and got a fine).
Here is the good news:
Bearing in mind you can stay for 6 months of the year on a tourist visa you only need a student visa for the other 6 months of the year. Therefore if you enrol at UPB you will need to pay for 3 months upfront to get the 6 month visa you need .
You can keep flipping between a tourist visa and a student visa every 6 months to stay as long as you want. You need to study for 10 hours a week minimum.
As far as I know UPB and EAFIT (which is more expensive than UPB and you need to pay for the whole 6 months upfront) are the only Spanish course providers in Medellin that have the correct status with the Colombian government to be acceptable for a student visa.
Hope this helps.
Stewart
I like the idea of flipping the tourist/student visas every 6 months. I didn’t even think about that as a strategy.
And this also explains why UPB and EAFIT are the schools where all the foreigners seem to take their Spanish classes.
Update:
After doing quite a bit of research I too decided not to attempt to get my work visa. I ended up trying to renew my student visa, which was denied. Since it was the expiration date of my current student visa, I chose to go back to the US for awhile. When I got back, I immediately called the Colombian consulate in San Francisco (I tried calling the ones that are in Ecuador and Venezuela as well, but they never answered). The woman told me that not only do I not need a degree, but that it also wasn’t necessary to have my CELTA apostilled. She told me that the most important for them was the business license, contract, and the letter of financial responsibility. I also didn’t know that I needed an application from the company’s end, which they scanned over to me. I mailed all of these documents to CA and they were mailed back within a week. Long story short, I am back in Colombia on a work visa.
Congrats on getting your visa Sara!
Hi Sara,
Thinking onmoving to Colombia on a student visa or work visa.
Could u tell me which company that is, that you got your work-visa.
greetings,
Please Help!
Me (matthew) and my partner (mauricio) are civil partners. He is colombian and I am from UK. We had the ceremony (Civil Partnership) in UK. We are currently preparing to hit the criteria to apply for a spouse visa for Mauricio (partner) to come to the UK. We should be applying in the next few weeks. We have been apart over 9 months although i visited for 3 weeks in december. This process is very hard and the requirements in UK are completely un-just, but we are hopefully nearly there and close for application. Once we have applied there may possibly be await for 5 – 12 months until we get an answer. We are both not prepared to be apart any longer, the distance and process has been heartbreaking and extremely difficult.
While we wait for the outcome of the spouse visa for UK. Can I Matthew (in UK) go to colombia (bogota) to be with Mauricio and apply for resident visa? ? ?
Does the civil partnership stand in colombia?
Can I apply as soon as I have arrived?
What is a Notaria?
I need to work for money as Mauricio has a basic job. We will arrange to rent a small flat before i come, and I have been told I need a works permit.
Is this process completed in a day? Does this enable me to work and study spanish?
Will this effect the spouse visa application for UK? Or is it done separately?
The key thing is I need to be able to work and i want to know if I can apply for different visas when one is pending?
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can I obtain a second passport as mine and Mauricio’s will be with application for uk spouse visa (applying out side uk) ?
Will Mauricio need to show his passport for resident visa in colombia?
Thank you,
Matthew
Hi! is not that hard to get a job as a foreign in Colombia you can just do private english lessons as far as I’m concerned. A Notaria is the place you get your papers done from your birth certificate to a civil wedding, I don’t really know what would be the equivalent in the UK. Everything here gets done by paying and queuing so it is going to take time and money, you can always pay for a Spanish course in an University, I recommend you to get one in a Public University they’re good and quite cheap, like that you get your visa and time enough to look for a job.
Good luck with everything!
Pd, You get to stay for 90 days from your arrival to the country without needing anything but your passport (after that time you’ll have to pay a £25 fee that gives you 30 to 60 days to stay here) so if three months are not enough for you to sort it out, I don’t know how much time would you need man.
Interesting article, but not totally accurate, as DAS was disbanded in 2011 and now all immigration issues are dealt with by Migración Colombia.
Whether you call them DAS or Migracion Colombia, it’s the same entity (and probably many of the same employees) handling immigration and visas. For people just looking to get a visa, the name of the organization has little bearing.
If there’s anything about the actual procedure you find inaccurate, please let me know and I’ll go back to the author. Otherwise, I’ve updated “DAS” in the last sentence to read “Migracion Colombia” so as not to confuse anyone going forward.
Hello !
if someone can give me advice, then please!
Im a citizen of the Netherlands and soon will be moving to Colombia. I have a college degree (diploma) and the consulado told me that it is necessary to translate my diploma to spanish and apostille it..
Now you wrote
”4. Diplomas of Universities (needs an apostile – which is a hassle in and of itself)”
What are exactly the requirements? Translate my diploma here in the Netherlands into spanish, apostillize it and then go to Colombia? Do I need to legalize it or what more??
Im planning to look for employment when Ill be in Bogota.
What you need to do is get it apostillized in the Netherlands FIRST, then get it translated to Spanish, and get the translation notarized. It will probably be cheaper for you to do the translation here in Colombia.
Dear all,
I am in the process of arranging all my documents needed to apply for a temporary work visa. I have a question about the “Acreditar idoneidad” part. I have a MSc in Quantitative Finance legalized and apostilled in the Netherlands. I am not going to perform a profession that is regulated. The question I have is about the “convalidación del título profesional ante el Ministerio de Educación”. Do I need to do this? I looked it up and the process takes 2-4 months…
In addition I am adding a letter from the company saying that they think I am the perfect person for the position.
Do you guys think that the MSc diploma (apostilled) and the letter will suffice? Do I need this convalidación at the ministry?
Kind regards,
Jordy
i am an indian who is currently studying my masters in colombia. Now i am looking to find a job here in medellin as i was studying only part time.
So how can i apply for work visa if i already have student visa valid for 2 years. Can someone please give suggest me how to lead in my case ?
As soon as you find a job that will sponsor a visa, you will need to apply for a work visa before you start working. You’ll just have to meet all of the requirements and when you go to the visa office just explain that you want to be able to work and that’s why you’re applying to change your student visa. I’m not entirely how they cancel a visa, but I know that it is possible and you go about doing it the same way you would in any other situation! Good luck!
Hi,
I have an indian passport working in UK, I want to shift to Colombia because my boyfriend is in Columbia. Could you please tell me how difficult it is to get a work permit in Colombia and is it really difficult to get a job without Spanish language?
Thanks
Hi I am a indian passport holder. I got employmnet offer from medellin. needs to apply visa this month.
1. Can any one tell me what visa i need to apply to work there?
2. Does apostile required for my certificutes ?. if yes. on what certificutes it is required.
Apartment related question :-
Any advance/security deposit needs to be given if i want to hire a apartment to stay there ?.
Generelly how it works ?.
1. You’d have to apply for a work visa, of course. I don’t have any further knowledge of these visas, but oftentimes, the hiring Colombian company can help people obtain the work visa. I would start there.
2. See #1.
Yes, if you plan to rent a furnished or unfurnished apartment you are normally required to provide a deposit, but this varies. It’s not always requested when simply renting a room. The Colombian from whom I’ve rented a room since 2010 does not require me or other renters to give a security deposit.
Good luck!
Really informative article on Columbia’s work visa and the comments very helpful for those looking a Language Teacher job. thanks!
Hi Dave, Quick Question. I have a TEFL certification yet no college degree. What did you see in your experience for things such as this? I have no formal teaching experience outside of years of teaching activities at camp and dance.
I’m not a teacher, though I did try to be one briefly upon arrival in 2009. The advice teachers gave me back then was to lie about my experience (fake it till you make it). That’s when I realized I was better off sticking to blogging.
I will be going to Colombia in December, could anyone recommend me reputable English teaching schools/ programs in Medellin to apply to? I taught English in Thailand years ago and would love to do it again.
Also, any other useful info about moving to Colombia would be much appreciated.
Thanks!
Hi Nicole,
I’m in the same boat, but arriving a month before you in November. I also taught in Thailand for a bit in 2010-2012 in Chiang Mai. Where were you? I just finished up my MA in California and I’m heading to Medellin as my next teaching destination (hopefully). Since we are both on a similar job search, I thought we might connect and share stories. 🙂 E-mail me at karissa.ringel@gmail.com if you are interested.
Hello,
My name is addy from Ghana, I really show interest in seeing columbia after seeing this article, seeing columbia on a work visa. I will like to know how to get a job in columbia, any reply to labbolistic@yahoo.com
Obtaining my TP-4 visa was very simple and I was very impressed by the service performed by the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores. No longer do you have to leave Colombia to obtain your work visa. Simply visit the Bogota office at Avenida 19 Nº 98 – 03, Torre 100 Building, 3rd Floor. I went to the office without an appointment on a Friday morning at 9:50AM (December 12, 2014) and paid 94,500 in cash for my interview. Waited a short time for my interview, completed the interview in 10 minutes and returned to the lobby as the officer looked over my documents alone. The only question he asked was my level of education and my profession in my home country (United States). There is no application and you don’t need to bring visa photos. The officer will take your photo from his/her office chair. After a few minutes in the lobby, I was called back to the same officer. He said I was approved and that I needed to pay the office cashier. After paying 463,050 in cash, I waited in the lobby again. After a few minutes I was called back to the same officer and my visa was waiting for me in my passport. He instructed me to register my visa within 15 days at one of the Migración Colombia offices. I left the building at 11:00AM. If you have your documents in line, the process is simple. You will also receive an email with an electronic copy of your work visa. If you have questions before you visit the office, I recommend you use the online chat service. With more foreigners coming to this wonderful country, the process is progressing. Overall, changing my extended tourist visa (the one you get for additional 90 days) to a work visa was a pleasant experience. Please dress nicely for your interview, Colombians appreciate it.
For the visa registration and Cédula de Extranjería (Identification card), walk a few minutes down the street to Migración Colombia. You can also choose to do this process in another Colombian city. If you choose to do the process in Bogota and you live elsewhere, simply inform the officer that you want to pick up your Cédula in a different city. The officer will have you sign a paper stating your selected city. Although the officer said my Cédula would be ready in 4 days, I don’t find Bogota a pleasant place to be, so I selected Medellin. Again, read the website for up to date information and have your documents in line. The process took an hour. If you’ve had a Cédula in the past, don’t worry about having another blood test to determine your blood type, they have that information in the computer. But you’ll have to be finger printed no matter what. This was my fourth time being finger printed by Migración Colombia. Do fingerprints change over time?
Hello Andrews! Good to hear that the application for the TP-4 work visa is simple and hassle free. I have some quick questions on what all documents do we need for applying for this type of visa and what all documents are to be apostilled/Legalized if any? I’m here in Colombia on TP-6 visa since 6 months doing a AIESEC Internship and my internship was completed in December,2014.Later, I found a job here in a IT company and hence I need to transfer my visa from TP-6 to TP-4 to legally work in Colombia, so is it possible that I can apply here in Colombia for transfer of visa or should I go out of colombia and apply in a colombian consulate abroad?
But just few days back, I had applied for a TP-4 visa online with all documents mentioned in the website and after doing the initial 94,500 payment within few hours I got a mail that my visa is denied. I dont understand the exact reason behind this, all the documents were uploaded in the order they asked but none of the documents are apostilled/legalized as it was not mentioned in the website and even the degree/diploma certificates were not mentioned in the website so I didnt upload them.
Should I apply from another country If i need work visa? or any of the documents need to be apostilled/legalized?
Please help me over this if you have any information, Thank you in advance.
Jayanth,
I didn’t need any documents apostilled/legalized because they were issued by a Colombian organization. Don’t worry about having your diplomas confirmed; you won’t need them for the application. You can apply in Bogota and I strongly recommend it. You’ll get feedback from a real person and maybe a second opportunity to gather any missing documents during that workday. As for documents you will need to complete the DP-FO-68 with your employer. This two page document covers certain responsibilities of the worker and employer. It can be found on the website. Also, you will need to submit bank statements from the past six months that details your company’s financials. The other document I needed was my employer’s tax code. This code proves the legitimacy of the business. With this code my organization gave me a few additional documents providing further proof of the organizations existence. These were notarized in Colombia with a copy of the notary’s cedula (ID card). If you’re unsure about a few things as I was, I recommend you use the chat service on the website.
Jayanth Sai V,
Did you solve your problem? Were you able to change visa? How did you do? Thanks for the update.
esioleh
Hello esioleh,
My initial request for change of Visa was rejected as I told before in my post, this could probably be that I didnt notarize the documents which is necessary as andrew mentioned it in this post. Later, I did not apply for the TP-4 Visa again yet, I will do it soon probably in March but this time from my country(India) as I came back home. However once I get an update about his process I will post all the information here about my Work Visa.
Hello Jayanth,
Thank you very much for your answer, it is just that I am also part of aiesec at the moment but I would like to stay find a better job and apparently aiesec coordinators were saying that people that got a voluntary visa with the organization will see their future demands of change in visa rejected. So i am really concerned. Thans for any update on your situation!
Hi,
I would like to study Spanish in Columbia; while I work in the construction or petroleum industry.
So; I would need names of companies or projects that are currently hiring people…
Would any one have names for me to investigate or suggestions as to how I should start this adventure …?
Thank you very much, for any tips ..!.
Hi my name is vivek i want to work in colombia but i am very confused what job i should can speak spanish english and portuguese and hindi , i am commerce graduate and i can teach english very well but i do not have any certification in english i used to take home tutions , i have diploma in spanish , could you pleaew suggest me what should i do i really want to live in colombia colombia is my dream country could you please help me with some name of the companies where i can apply for a job or anything where i can apply for job in colombia i really love colombia viva colombia,
Hi,
Great article. So this is my second time in Medellin and I have been here 10 months in total. My tourist visa runs out in a few months and I want to stay. Im.hoping I can get a work visa to stay – currently Im teaching private English clases ( I have a degree but no Tefl/Celta/Cambridge).
I know a few friends with Businesses here who say they would give me papers to apply for a work visa. Does anybody have experience in this and know if it would work? Also how is the duration of the visa given decided? Gracias 🙂
Hi Eoin,
I’ve got a business undergrad and have nearly completed my TEFL to teach English. I’ve been to Medellin 3 times and to Cartegena once, and speak enough Spanish to get by comfortably.
Could you recommend any schools looking to hire American native English speakers and any tips that might be associated with obtaining that kind of work?
Thanks!
Brian
Is it legal to teach English privately on a tourist visa? It may be accepted but if someone were to advertise the service, would the government care?
The simple answer is “no”. The bottom line it is illegal to work in any job in Colombia if you only have a tourist visa. This is just like a tourist visa to the U.S., which prohibits working. While you could do it “under the table”, it’s not recommended.
What happens when you are on a tp4 visa and you quit your job or get fired? Will the visa be cancelled from that day or is there a period of time you can still be in the country after the contract ended? Thanks!
Hi there everyone,
I have all my documents ready to get my working visa. I am in Medellin at the moment and I know I need to go to Bogota to have the actual appointment. My biggest problem is trying to make the appointment. I rung the numbers provided on the Imigracion website then they referred me to the international affairs number. I call them and it was only dead ends. Does anyone know how I can make this appointment. Thank you very much.
Daniel.
Good article, thanks! I also aim to teach English in Colombia. This is my current Profession in my country. How many months or weeks would it take for a Colombian company to release a Work/Valid visa? Thank in advance (we’re visa free for 90-180 days)