An In-Depth Guide to the Colombia Investor Visa

TLDR? The investor visa is one of the most popular visas among digital nomads.

Colombia is more than a country: it’s an opportunity to fall in love and find a second home. 

If you’re looking to obtain a Colombia visa through investments, you have two different options to consider: the Type R Resident Visa and the Type M Migrant Visa. 

As with any visa, you’ll need to be aware of each kinds’ respective purposes and requirements. In this article, I’ll explain the Resident and Migrant Visa, as well as how to obtain them. 

Let’s get started! 

Why Invest in the Wonderful Country of Colombia?

Colombia is the kind of place that speaks for itself. Businesses across the country’s different cities may seem similar to each other, but diversity of cultures and customs set them apart from each other. 

Medellin is a great example of this. Investing in the city of Medellin provides a range of economic benefits, due to its high flow of travellers and tourists. Colombians from across the country and foreigners from all corners of the world flock to the city to visit and conduct business. 

Colombia’s population grows every day, and the potential of the country’s cities grow along with it. The many international awards won recently by Medellin is all the proof you need. In the last year alone, the city was regonized as the third best city in the world by Time Out magazine.

The country grows every day, and cities are becoming more and more potential. Medellín, for example, has received different international awards. In the last year, it has been recognized as the third best city in the world by Time Out magazine.

Types of Investor Visa in Colombia

An Investor Visa allows foreigners to stay in the country provided they’ve invested a certain amount of money in Colombian business or real estate. Colombia currently provides two types of Investor Visas: the  Migrant Visa (M) and Resident Visa (R). 

I’ll explain what each one consists of and their requirements, so you can decide which visa is right for you. 

Resident Visa Type R

The Type R Resident Visa is known for its high status. 

The Resident Visa is recogized for its high status. Benefits of the visa include the ability to leave and enter the country as many times as the foreign visa-holder requires, as well as the ability to obtain employment benefits with ease. 

To obtain a Type R Resident Visa, you must prove you’ve made an investment in a business or real estate based off the Colombian minimum wage, which is subject to change year to year. Your investment should be equal to the cost of 650 minimum wages, an average of around $130,000 USD. 

You must request the Type R visa for Foreign Direct Investment, which, in addition to other documentation, must be verified along with your investment by the Bank of the Republic. 

The Type R Resident visa lasts five years, though delivery time may vary depending on the requirements of the process. 

Type M Migrant Visa 

If you do not fit the requirements needed for the Type R visa, you may be able to apply for a Type M Migrant Visa. 

To obtain this kind of visa, you must either invest in a company established in a Colombian territory, or create a new company. 

If you are investing in a preexisting company, make sure to check the stock market to guarantee you put your money in the right place. If your best option is to create a company from scratch, there are a variety of different business options to research and explore. 

In either case, you should be careful and well-informed of the legal issues applying to each situation. 

To obtain an M Type visa, keep the following in mind: 

• Property owner visa: In addition to other requirements, you must provide an investment certificate and the public deed, proving the purchase of the property in the name of the applicant.

• Member/Owner Visa: For applicant who’ve made a partnership or bought shares in a company established in Colombia. 

All types of Type M Migrant Visas last three years, though delivery time may vary depending on the requirements of the process. 

All types of visas have a period of 3 years and their delivery may vary according to the response to the request.

Other Types of Visa in Colombia

There are a variety of types of M and R visas you should be informed of in case you have to wait to apply for your Investor Visa. 

Other Types of Visa Type (M)

This type of visa contains more categories than type R. Among them are:

• Spouse with Marital Union: To apply for this Visa, applicants must prove they’ve married a person of Colombian nationality.
• Spouse without Marital union: Applicants must generate a document before a notary proving they are in a free union relationship (living with a partner without being married) with a Colombian person. 
• Student Visa: Granted to foreigners studying at a Colombian university. 
• Work visa: For a work visa, you must meet different requirements depending on whether your employer is a legal or natural person. 

Among other types of vias are those included within the bounds of the Mercosur treaty, religious visas, Rentista visas which are applied to foreigners who receive a fixed source from something like an annuity or rent from a rental property, those who receive a Foregin Pensioner, and finally visas issued to those pursuing independent activities. 

Other Types of Visa Type ( R ) 

Colobia has fewer options to access this visa: 

• Accumulated time: You must certify the migratory movements you’ve made in and out of Colombia with this visa. 

• Father of a Colombian child: You can apply if you are the father or mother of a Colombian child or if both parents are foreigners, but the birth occurred in the national territory.

• Spouse/Partner: In this case, you must prove a union with a Colombian person. 

Frequent Questions

Even after learning what the requirements are to make your request for a visa, you may still be left with certain questions about the process you need answered. Here are some of the most common: 

Request Response Time

Generally speaking, the government must provide with you a response to your request within the next five business days after you’ve made the application payment. 

However, if its necessary to interview the person requesting the document or to request additional documentation, the process may take up to thirty calender days from the date on which you first registered online. 

General Requirements

Additionally, there is general documentation you need to apply and fill out for any type of visa. Make sure to check what the requirements are and if you currently have them.

Visa Delivery Approved

An image will be sent to your registered email once it’s approved. To print your passport, you’ll need to go to the consulate in Colombia where you made your visa application. 

They will send an image to your registered email once it is approved. To print your passport, you must go to the consulate in Colombia where you made the visa application.

You can check the status of your application here. 

In Case of Refused Visa

In the unfortunate case that your visa is rejected, you can submit a new application after six months. 

The Risk of an Investor Visa is that You’ll Want to Stay Forever 

If you’re reading this post, you’re already aware of the numerous benefits of investing in Colombia, and the list goes on and on. 

Now that you know that applying for an investor visa in Cololmbia is easy, choose the city for you and go ahead and get started! 

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