From October 4, South Africans travelling to Colombia are now required to carry a visa.
All applications for visas must be completed and submitted online. Processing time for a visa application is between five and 10 working days upon receipt of a completed visa application and its corresponding processing fee deposit. It is therefore advisable for travellers to start the application process well in advance of the date of departure.
Requirements for the application are as follows:
• A scanned copy of the information page of the applicant's passport.
• A scanned copy of a valid proof or valid booking for accommodation.
• A valid proof or valid electronic information of air tickets, including details of the return flight to the country of origin.
• A clear, neat recent colour photo of the face of the applicant, with white background. Photo must be taken facing straight to the camera. Top of head and shoulders must be visible. No accessories such as earrings, piercings, eye glasses, scarfs, etc.
• Other documents may be requested, depending on the type of visa the traveller is applying for.
• Vaccination certificate against yellow fever is required by airlines due to regulations from other countries where the passenger may transit to and from Colombia.
• Invitation letter from Colombia.
Once the application has been made, the applicant must forward the confirmation received from ‘Tramites Cancilleria’ to the Consular Section at the Embassy of Colombia in Pretoria via email. The Consular Section will then respond to the email, with further information on how to go about paying the corresponding processing fees.
The Consulate section at the Embassy of Colombia in Pretoria reserves the right to call upon applicants for a personal interview. If such is the case, the applicant must bring along his/her valid passport.
