How Colombia's 90/180-Day Rule Works for Visitors

If your passport is from a visa-exempt country, Migración Colombia gives you an entry permit (Permiso de Ingreso y Permanencia, PIP) at the border. It is valid for up to 90 calendar days. You can extend it with a PTP ("prórroga"), but your total time on these permits cannot exceed 180 calendar days, continuous or not, in the same calendar year.¹³²

• Calendar year, not a rolling window. The 180-day cap is counted "within the same calendar year", meaning January 1 to December 31.² This is different from Europe's rolling Schengen rule.
• Up to 90 days per permit. The Tourism (PT) and Business (PN) permits are each valid for up to 90 days. Some other permit types are shorter, for example 30 days for urgent technical assistance.¹
• The officer decides. The permit is granted at the border by the immigration officer if you meet the requirements. There is no application in advance, and the initial permit is free.¹
• Migración Colombia counts your days. It keeps a record of each foreigner's days on PIPs and PTPs so they don't exceed 180 per calendar year.²
• No paid work in Colombia. Visa-exempt short stays are allowed only if your activities "do not generate payments for services, salary or wages in Colombia."⁴
• Remote work for foreign employers is covered. Cancillería says digital nomads and remote workers from visa-exempt countries can enter without a visa on an entry permit. The conditions are that no Colombian company pays them and that they stay no more than 90 days, extendable to 180 per calendar year.⁵

You arrive on March 1 with a 90-day tourism permit. Days 1–90 take you to about May 29. You request a PTP extension no later than 5 business days before the permit expires and get up to 90 more days, taking you to about late August. Those two blocks total about 180 days, so you cannot return on a visa-exempt permit until January 1 of the next year.

The dates are illustrative. Your exact permit dates are on your entry record. Count every calendar day, and leave a margin.

As of Sept 4, 2026, 100 nationalities are on the short-stay exemption list, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the EU states.⁴ Nationals of Cambodia, India, Nicaragua, Myanmar, China, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam are exempt only if they hold a valid Schengen or US residence permit, or a Schengen or US visa valid for at least 180 more days on arrival.⁴

Canadian citizens pay a reciprocity fee of COP 270,000 for immigration control on entry. Exempt from the fee: travelers whose final destination is San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina; children under 14; people over 79; holders of a valid Colombian visa; diplomats; crew; and transit passengers.⁶

You need a visa: for example the digital nomad visa, or another category from Resolución 5477 de 2022⁷. Staying beyond your authorized time is "permanencia irregular" and can lead to administrative measures.² The US State Department warns that overstaying brings a fine and that "you may not be able to leave until you pay."⁸