Colombia Entry and Travel Requirements: What to Have Ready (2026)

Migración Colombia accepts a valid passport or a few other travel documents, such as a CAN–MERCOSUR national ID. They "deben estar acompañados de Visa, si la nacionalidad o actividad a desarrollar lo requiere, tiquete de viaje de salida y demostrar solvencia económica, según corresponda": a visa if needed, an exit ticket and proof of funds, as applicable. Any paid activity needs a visa. The officer records your biographical, visa, route and lodging details.¹

The checklist for the night before:

• Passport valid for your whole stay, with 1 blank page for the entry stamp. The State Department recommends 6 months' validity.²
• Onward or return ticket (next section).
• The address where you're staying.
• Visa, if your nationality or purpose needs one.
• Check-MIG confirmation email, if you filled it in. It's optional.
• Form 530, if you carry more than USD 10,000 in cash or bring a pet.
• Yellow fever certificate, if your route or plans call for it.

Migración lists an exit ticket ("tiquete de viaje de salida") among the entry documents, qualified by "según corresponda". The US, UK and Canadian governments put it more firmly:

• US: "You may be denied entry to Colombia if you do not have a return ticket."²
• UK: "You must be able to show an onward or return ticket valid within the 90-day period." (GOV.UK, guide updated Oct 15, 2026)
• Canada: "customs officials may ask you to show them a return or onward ticket and proof of sufficient funds to cover your stay." (travel.gc.ca, updated Oct 14, 2026)

None of these pages says what counts as proof, and Migración's page gives no minimum for proof of funds. If you're flying one-way, have proof of how and when you'll leave, within your permitted stay, ready before you check in.

No. Migración calls Check-MIG "de uso no obligatorio" and says it's free. You can fill it in from 72 hours up to 1 hour before you travel, and a separate one when you leave.³

Canada's travel page says you "must complete" it, while GOV.UK says it's not mandatory but tells you to show the confirmation email if you have one. Migración runs Colombia's border controls, and its page says optional. Walkthrough: the Check-MIG guide.

To enter Colombia, only if you arrive from Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Uganda, which is when Colombia asks for an International Certificate of Vaccination against yellow fever (MinSalud Circular 012 of 2025; full text: SISJUR, Alcaldía de Bogotá). Arrivals from Brazil are exempt, though Canada's travel page still lists Brazil and some airlines in Brazil have asked for the certificate, so carry it if you have it.

Colombia's Ministry of Health (MinSalud) says that under the International Health Regulations (2005), Colombia applies a "recomendación no restrictiva" (a non-restrictive recommendation) for yellow fever vaccination for people entering the country. Foreign travelers going to municipalities classed as high or very high risk must be vaccinated 10 days before they go. The international certificate must be shown at health checkpoints when entering or leaving very-high-risk municipalities. The vaccine is free at vaccination points across Colombia, whatever your nationality or immigration status.⁴ The same page links MinSalud's map of risk zones and vaccination points by municipality.

You also need it at health checkpoints in very-high-risk municipalities, and the State Department says it's required for travelers "coming from certain countries or visiting certain national parks".²

There's no cap we could find on how much cash you can carry, but if you, or your family travelling together, carry more than USD 10,000 in cash or cheques and similar instruments, you must declare it to DIAN on Form 530 (DIAN Res. 54 of 2019, citing Banco de la República Res. Externa 1 of 2018, art. 87, and Decreto 1165 of 2019, art. 267). Undeclared amounts over the limit can be held, and fines are 30% of the undeclared amount on entry and 40% on exit⁵. The State Department adds that you must prove the money's legal source.

The form's full name is the "Declaración de Equipaje, de Dinero en Efectivo y de Títulos Representativos de Dinero – Viajeros", and the threshold covers cash carried in or out, in dollars or the equivalent in other currencies; DIAN's English FAQ applies it to "the traveler or his/her family unit". International airlines must give you the form (DIAN: "Las empresas áreas de transporte de viajeros internacionales, están en la obligación de suministrar a los viajeros el Formulario 530"); at land and sea crossings it's at the customs posts.⁶ The source-of-funds line is from travel.state.gov.

Bringing a dog or cat? ICA requires an official health certificate issued within 10 days of arrival, current vaccinations (rabies at least 21 days before boarding if it's the first shot) and an inspection at the ICA office where you land. Requisites: ICA (Res. 100164 of 2021).

Form 530 is also required in other cases DIAN lists, among them pets, plants and animal products, unaccompanied baggage and goods subject to the single customs tax (tributo único).⁶

• US citizens: no visa for tourism or business stays of 90 days or less, and cumulative stays of 180 days or less per calendar year.²
• UK citizens: up to 90 days without a visa for business or tourism, at the immigration officer's discretion, with the onward-ticket rule above. GOV.UK's extension and 12-month wording differs from Colombia's own rule; see the 90/180-day rule.
• Canadian citizens: no tourist visa for up to 90 days, but Canada's page says an entry fee is charged on arrival. You can pay online or by credit card at immigration, which Canada warns can mean long delays.⁷ The 2026 amount and who's exempt are on the 90/180-day rule page.
• Dual nationals who are also Colombian must enter and leave Colombia as Colombians (Ley 2332 de 2023, art. 34, cited by Migración Colombia).

If you arrive by land, sea or river, make sure your passport gets stamped. GOV.UK and Canada both warn of a fine if it isn't.

Flying on to San Andrés? You buy a tourist card at the airport before the flight: about COP 153,000 in 2026, per press reports of the Gobernación's Decreto 0010 of 2026, so check the price at the airline counter. GOV.UK says you don't need one for stays under 24 hours.

If your visa is valid for more than 3 months, you have 15 calendar days to apply for a cédula de extranjería. The clock starts on the day you enter Colombia, or on the day the visa was issued if you got it inside the country.⁸ The State Department warns of fines if you miss it. Visa-exempt visitors on an entry permit don't get one. See the cédula guide and the digital nomad and retirement visa guides.

Migración lists three things: the same travel document you entered with, being inside the time you were granted (entry permit or visa), and, as an optional step, a Check-MIG for the exit.¹ If you leave with more than USD 10,000, Form 530 must be filled in once you've cleared immigration.⁶ Overstaying brings a fine, and the State Department says "you may not be able to leave until you pay." To stay longer legally, see extending your stay.

• Migración Colombia, Requisitos de entrada y salida del país: https://www.migracioncolombia.gov.co/tramites-y-servicios/instructivos/requisitos-de-entrada-y-salida-del-pais
• Migración Colombia, CheckMig: https://www.migracioncolombia.gov.co/tramites-y-servicios/aplicativos/checkmig
• Resolución 2061 de 2020 (Migración Colombia), arts. 9, 16 and 17: https://www.cancilleria.gov.co/normograma/compilacion/docs/resolucion_uaemc_2061_2020.htm
• DIAN, Declaración de viajeros, Formulario 530: https://www.dian.gov.co/Viajeros-y-Servicios-aduaneros/Paginas/Declaracion-de-viajeros-Formulario-530.aspx
• MinSalud, Circular Externa 012 de 2025 (full text confirmed on SISJUR, https://www.alcaldiabogota.gov.co/sisjur/normas/Norma1.jsp?i=178630&dt=S): https://www.minsalud.gov.co/Normatividad_Nuevo/Circular%20Externa%20No%20012%20de%202025.pdf
• DIAN, Resolución 54 de 2019: https://normograma.dian.gov.co/dian/compilacion/docs/resolucion_dian_0054_2019.htm
• DIAN, Oficio 20704 de 2019: https://normograma.dian.gov.co/dian/compilacion/docs/oficio_dian_20704_2019.htm
• ICA, Ingreso de perros y gatos a Colombia (Res. 100164 de 2021): https://www.ica.gov.co/importacion-y-exportacion/otros-procedimientos/requisitos-para-importar-mascotas/ingreso-de-perros-y-gatos-a-colombia
• Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social, Fiebre amarilla: https://www.minsalud.gov.co/salud/publica/PET/Paginas/Fiebre-amarilla.aspx
• US Department of State, Colombia (travel advisory issued Mar 31, 2026; entry guidance issued Aug 11, 2025): https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Colombia.html
• GOV.UK, Colombia entry requirements (travel advice guide last updated Oct 15, 2026): https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/colombia/entry-requirements
• Government of Canada, Colombia travel advice (last updated Oct 14, 2026): https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/colombia