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Colombia’s spouse and partner visa: requirements and how to apply

If you are married to a Colombian, or have been their permanent partner (unión marital de hecho) for more than a year, you can apply for a migrant (M) visa that lets you live and work in Colombia with no income threshold. The spouse visa lasts up to three years and leads to permanent residence after three; the partner visa lasts up to one year at a time and needs five. It costs USD 260, the key documents are a Colombian marriage record less than three months old and a notarised power of attorney from your partner, and two years after the resident visa you can apply for citizenship.

The rest of Legaltica is in Spanish.

Legaltica editorial team
12 FIRMS
6 OFFICIAL SOURCES

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Which route fits you

01 You are married to a Colombian and plan to live together in Colombia M spouse visa.
02 You live with a Colombian without marrying, and the union was formalised more than a year ago M permanent partner visa.
03 Your union was formalised less than a year ago you can’t use the partner visa yet; marrying gives access to the spouse visa straight away.
04 You married abroad first register the marriage in the Colombian civil registry, then apply.
05 You and your partner have a Colombian child the visa for the parent of a Colombian by birth leads to residence in two years instead of three.
06 Your Colombian spouse lives abroad and won’t move this visa is for couples who intend to live together in Colombia, so it is a weak fit.

Spouse or permanent partner: two different visas

01 M spouse (M cónyuge)for foreigners married to a Colombian who intend to live together in Colombia. Valid for up to three years.
02 M permanent partner (M compañero/a permanente)for foreigners in a de facto union (unión marital de hecho) with a Colombian. The document formalising the union must be more than one year old when you apply. Valid for up to one year.
03 Both carry an open work permityou can work for any employer or for yourself in any lawful activity, following the rules for regulated professions.
04 Both allow your own financially dependent children under 25 to apply as your beneficiaries.
05 Neither has an income threshold, but the authority can ask for more evidence that the relationship is genuine or interview you both.

Immigration lawyers in Colombia who speak English

Tell a firm about your situation in English: they receive your message and your phone number, and you see theirs straight away. It’s free and you’re not committing to anything. Languages are taken from each firm’s profile. Firms marked “Registered with Legaltica” manage their own profile.

  1. Registered with Legaltica

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    Abogados Sierra & Vasquez - Bufete Judicial Colombia

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    En Sierra & Vásquez Abogados — Bufete Judicial Colombia brindamos soluciones jurídicas especializadas y representación legal estratégica. Ubicados en el Centro Empresarial Sabana Park (Oficina 412, Cajicá), nuestra firma se distingue por su rigor técnico, absoluta confidencialidad y eficacia en la resolución de conflictos. Asesoramos a corporaciones y personas naturales mediante un enfoque multidisciplinario en las siguientes áreas de práctica: …

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    Mi Visa Colombia

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    Mi Visa Colombia es una firma jurídica especializada en derecho migratorio colombiano que ayuda a extranjeros, expatriados, familias, emprendedores, inversionistas, nómadas digitales y empresas internacionales a gestionar sus procesos migratorios en Colombia. Si buscas una visa colombiana, un abogado de inmigración en Colombia, obtener la residencia en el país o servicios profesionales para expatriados, nuestro equipo te brinda asesoría jurídica …

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    CALEC

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    CALEC ABOGADOS (fundada en 2015) ofrece en Bogotá y Ciudad de Panamá asesoría legal empresarial especializada para startups y empresas que escalan en LATAM. Sus servicios incluyen Movilidad Global (visas y permisos de trabajo), Asesoría Legal Empresarial (contratos, derecho laboral y societario, due diligence, gobierno corporativo), registro de marcas y protección de datos. La firma trabaja por paquetes de horas …

Documents for the spouse visa

  • Colombian marriage record: a certified copy of the registro civil de matrimonio, issued within the three months before you apply. If you married abroad, the marriage has to be registered in the Colombian civil registry first, which is usually done at a notary’s office in Colombia or at a Colombian consulate with the apostilled and translated foreign certificate.
  • Letter from your Colombian spouse: asking for the visa for you and stating that you actually live together. It must give their phone number, home address and email address, and come with a simple copy of their cédula de ciudadanía.
  • Power of attorney: a special power from your spouse, with signature and content recognised before a Colombian notary or consul, so that you can apply for this visa.
  • Migration movement certificates: entries and exits for you and for your Colombian spouse, issued by Migración Colombia. Each costs COP 89,000 in 2026.
  • General requirements: online form, digital photo, a passport valid for at least six months and, if you are in Colombia, proof of your legal entry.

Documents for the permanent partner visa

  • Proof of the union: a public deed (escritura pública), a court decision or a conciliation record declaring the de facto union, in a copy issued within the last three months. The underlying document must be more than one year old when you apply. If you apply at a consulate, a valid document proving the union under the law of the place where it was declared is accepted, with apostille and translation.
  • Letter from your Colombian partner: asking for the visa, stating that you share a single, stable and lasting life together, and committing to tell the visa authority about any change. It must include a copy of their cédula and their contact details.
  • Power of attorney: with signature recognised before a notary or Colombian consul.
  • Migration movement certificates for both of you from Migración Colombia.

How long it takes: step by step

  1. Online application on the Cancillería visa platform: through the consulate covering the country where you legally live if you are abroad, or through the Bogotá office if you are in Colombia legally.
  2. Study fee: pay within 10 calendar days. It isn’t refunded if the visa is refused.
  3. Decision: up to 30 calendar days from a complete, paid file. The authority may ask for more evidence, usually with 10 days to reply, or interview you in person, by video or by phone.
  4. Issuance fee: pay within 10 calendar days of approval; the e-visa reaches your email within 10 business days.
  5. Cédula de extranjería: apply at Migración Colombia within 15 calendar days of arriving or of the visa being issued in Colombia.

Plan on six to eight weeks from paying the study fee, plus the time it takes to register a foreign marriage and get the notarised power, which is often the slowest part.

Fees in 2026

USD 260 M visa(USD 56 for study and USD 204 for issuance), or EUR 200 in the eurozone. Spanish nationals don’t pay.
COP 89,000 Migration movement certificateseach, two needed.
COP 294,000 Cédula de extranjería(about USD 93 at the official rate of 24 October 2026).
· Stamp duty, notary fees, apostilles and official translations come on top.

From spouse visa to residence and citizenship

After three continuous years on M spouse visas you can apply for a resident (R) visa; for permanent partners the period is five years. Each new visa must be granted before the previous one expires, and if your first visa was issued abroad the clock starts on the day you entered Colombia with it. For the resident visa, your Colombian spouse or partner signs a new letter confirming that the relationship continues and that you live together, and gives you a new power of attorney before a notary.

Once you hold the resident visa, the domicile required for Colombian citizenship is two years, counted from the date the resident visa was issued, if you are married to or the permanent partner of a Colombian. A worked timeline: spouse visa in March 2021, resident visa in May 2024, citizenship application from May 2026, so about five years from the first visa.

If the relationship ends

A divorce, a legal or de facto separation, or the end of living together terminates the spouse or partner visa early, and the Colombian spouse or partner is obliged to tell the visa authority in writing. The Colombian partner can also ask for the visa to be ended in cases of domestic violence, abandonment or separation. From the moment the visa ends you have 30 calendar days to leave Colombia or apply for a different visa, and you remain legal during that period.

If you want to stay, act inside those 30 days: a new category (work, pensioner, parent of a Colombian child) needs its own documents, and a gap between visas resets the count towards residence. If you have a Colombian child, the parent visa is often the natural route.

Where applications go wrong

  • Filing a foreign marriage certificate without registering the marriage in Colombia first.
  • A Colombian marriage record or union document more than three months old.
  • A power of attorney that wasn’t signed before a notary or consul.
  • Partners whose union was formalised less than a year before the application.
  • Movement certificates that suggest you don’t actually live together, without an explanation.
  • Letting the visa expire before the new one is granted, which breaks the count towards residence.
  • Not reporting the end of the relationship: the visa can then be cancelled from the date of the change.

If your application is refused

There is no appeal against a visa decision. If the application is rejected (inadmitida), you can file a corrected one. If it is refused (negada), you are told by email without reasons, you must leave Colombia within 30 calendar days if you are there, and you can’t apply again for six months; the new application has to be filed from your country of nationality or legal residence. When a refusal separates a family, especially with Colombian children, a lawyer can assess court remedies such as a tutela action based on family unity.

When it is worth talking to a lawyer

Spouse visas look simple, but the authority looks hard at whether the relationship is genuine, and there is no appeal. A lawyer is worth it in these cases:

You married abroad and need to register the marriage in Colombia before applying.

Your Colombian spouse lives outside Colombia, or your movement records show long periods apart.

You have children from a previous relationship who need beneficiary visas and the other parent’s consent.

The relationship is going through a separation and you have 30 days to switch visa.

You have a past overstay, a refusal or a fine from Migración Colombia.

You are counting the years to residence and citizenship and want no gaps. The firms below say they speak English.

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Frequently asked questions

No. The M spouse and M permanent partner visas don’t set a minimum income, although the authority can ask for additional evidence about the relationship.

Not directly. You first get the M spouse visa, after three continuous years the resident (R) visa, and two years after that you can apply for naturalization, with the exams unless you are exempt. In total, about five years.

Yes. Both visas carry an open work permit, so you can work for any employer or for yourself, subject to the rules for regulated professions.

The visa requires the Colombian civil marriage record, so the foreign marriage must first be registered in Colombia, usually at a notary in Colombia or at a Colombian consulate. The foreign certificate will normally need an apostille and an official translation.

Up to three years for spouses and up to one year for permanent partners. You can apply for a new one before it expires.

After three continuous years on spouse visas, or five years on permanent partner visas, you can apply for a resident (R) visa.

It ends early. You then have 30 calendar days to leave Colombia or apply for another visa, and you stay legal during that period.

Official sources

Resolución 5477 de 2022 (tipos de visa), arts. 3, 11-13, 17, 20-21, 24, 67, 68, 70, 81, 90, 93, 99-101, 109 y 111, compilada con sus modificaciones Cancillería de Colombia · checked
Resolución 3969 de 2026, art. 4 (tarifas de visa) Cancillería de Colombia · checked
Ley 2332 de 2023 (nacionalidad colombiana), art. 9 Función Pública, Gestor Normativo · checked
Tarifas vigentes 2026 (Resolución 0599 de 2026) Migración Colombia · checked
Cédula de extranjería Migración Colombia · checked
Tasa de cambio representativa del mercado (TRM), 24-10-2026 Superintendencia Financiera, datos.gov.co · checked

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules and amounts change: check the official sources below or ask a lawyer about your own situation.