Colombian pension visas

A popular option for retired expats

The Colombian Pensionado visa is aimed at those who wish to retire in Colombia. It is only valid for 1 year at a time and every year you have to renew it by presenting your original documents. After 4 years the visa can be converted into a resident visa, thus granting permanent residency.

The visa costs US$175 and you will need to receive 3 times the minimum monthly wage in order to qualify for the visa. So for example, in 2012 $566,700 pesos was the minimum salary in Colombia, thus you must earn more than $1,700,100 pesos monthly.

How to apply for a pension visa:

• The 2 page application form for this visa can be acquired at your local Colombian consulate.
• 3x3cms recent, clear, colour photographs
• Original passport with at least 3 months remaining.
• 2 photocopies of all pages in your passport.
• A criminal record report from the police from your last country of residence, unless you are 65 years of age or older. You can obtain this from your local police station, and it must be translated into Spanish by a certified translator.
• An apostilled proof of pension letter. The apostille can be obtained from the Authentications Office or Bureau, depending on your country of residence. The apostilled form has to be translated into Spanish by a certified translator.

The visa takes around 1-3 days to be granted. Once you have obtained your visa and entered Colombia, you have 3 weeks to get your cedula (national identity card) from the Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad , which are present in all major cities. You will need to present a further 4 passport photos there as part of the processing system.