Latin America, Europe and the Caribbean: some of the destinations to which Colombians can travel without a visa

Colombia and Peru reached an agreement with the European Union in the negotiation of the bilateral agreement for the exemption of Schengen visas. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (CNN Spanish) — Dozens of countries and territories have their doors open for Colombians to travel without a visa for short-term stays. Although there are still a large number of countries and territories that require a visa, in recent years that number has decreased. Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced Monday that the United Kingdom has lifted the tourist visa requirement for Colombians. Petro did not provide further details and the UK government has so far not commented on dates and details of the possible removal of this requirement. To date, the UK government requests a visa for Colombians arriving in that country for tourism purposes for up to 180 days, according to its website. I thank the United Kingdom for its decision to remove the tourist visa requirement for Colombian visitors. — Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) October 18, 2022 Currently, more than 90 countries and territories allow Colombians to travel without a visa, according to information from the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs updated to 2020. This is a representative amount if one takes into account He says that almost a decade ago, in 2010, Colombians could only enter 25 countries and non-state territories without a visa. That figure increased in 2018 when the government of then President Juan Manuel Santos said that there were already 51 countries and 13 non-state territories that Colombians could enter without a visa. Undoubtedly, one of the greatest advances in mobility for Colombians was the withdrawal of the visa to enter the 26 countries that make up the Schengen territory (which also applied to Peruvian citizens) in 2015 when the then president of the Spanish government, Mariano Rajoy announced the “suspension of Schengen visas for Colombians and Peruvians in the EU”. Thus, Colombians can enter the Schengen territory without a visa for up to 90 days. (Photo by Guillermo Legaria/Getty Images) However, in the first half of 2018, the European Parliament and Council announced the creation of the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), a system of registration for all visitors from third countries hitherto exempt from a visa. ETIAS is intended to strengthen security at European borders and is expected to come into operation in May 2023. Although ETIAS is not the same as a visa – it is faster, done online and does not require biometric information – its acquisition It still has a procedure and a cost, quite similar to the United States system, ESTA. Even so, Colombians still have a large number of countries that they can visit without the need to obtain special permission to do so, according to the most recent information available from the Colombian Foreign Ministry. Countries and territories that do NOT require a visa for Colombians Europe Albania, Germany, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Leichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine. For the United Kingdom, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a visa is not required if it is only an airport transit. America and the Caribbean Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Cuba (tourist card), Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua*, Panama, Paraguay, Peru , Dominican Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname (tourist card), Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela, Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao (Netherlands), Guadeloupe (France), French Guiana, Martinique (France ), Saba (Netherlands), Saint Pierre and Miqueleon (France), Saint Martin (Netherlands). Colombians who have a tourist or business visa to enter the US or a multiple-entry visa to Canada can travel without the need to process a consular visa for Costa Rica. Asia South Korea, Philippines (up to 30 days), Maldives (up to 30 days), Singapore (up to 30 days), Hong Kong (90 days). Africa Mayotte (France). Middle East Israel, Turkey, Qatar. Oceania Samoa, New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Wallis and Fatuna (France). Countries and territories that DO require a visa for Colombians Africa Angola, Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Bhutan, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya (visa on arrival), Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Mauritius (visa on arrival), Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger , Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Central African Republic, Rwanda (electronic visa), Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania (visa on arrival), Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Asia Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia (Visa on Arrival), People’s Republic of China, North Korea, United Arab Emirates, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos (Visa on Arrival). arrival), Liberia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tajikistan, East Timor, Turkestan, Uzbekistan, Macao, China (Visa on arrival) and Taiwan (e-Visa). Europe Ireland, Macedonia, United Kingdom Great Britain and Northern Ireland (under review). Middle East Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Egypt, South Sudan, Sudan, Libya, Kuwait, Yemen, Oman (tourist visa upon entry to Oman at official entry points to its territory), Bahrain, Cyprus, Syria, Pakistan. Oceania Australia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Palau, Tuvalu, Vanuatu. America and the Caribbean Antigua and Barbuda, Canada, Costa Rica*, United States, Grenada, Haiti, Nicaragua (visa on arrival for US, Canadian, or Schengen visa holders, and for natives of the San Andrés archipelago and Providencia, Colombia), Saint Lucia, São Tomé and Príncipe, San Batolomé (France), San Martín (France). Colombians who have a tourist or business visa (B1-B2, B1 or B2, visa type D, C1/D) to enter the US or a multiple-entry visa to Canada can travel to Costa Rica without having to process consular visa, according to the Costa Rican government. Colombians who have a valid US or Schengen visa for at least 6 months do not need a visa to enter Haiti. — Editor’s note: This story was first published in April 2019 and updated in October 2022.