Visa Requirements for Colombian Citizens (2026)

No. Colombian passport holders have been visa-free for the Schengen Area since 2015 and can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period. ETIAS, a short online pre-authorisation costing €20, is not yet scheduled (the EU has dropped its Q4 2026 target and will announce the start date several months in advance, so it cannot begin before April 2027) — it is not a visa, but you will need to complete it before travel once it is live.

No. Canada runs a conditional eTA route for citizens of a specific list of visa-required countries — Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, the Philippines, Thailand, Morocco, Indonesia and Malaysia among them — and Colombia is not on that list. Colombian passport holders need a full visitor visa with the CAD 100 fee, biometrics and roughly four to eight weeks of processing. Holding a valid US visa does not create an eTA route, which is a common and expensive misunderstanding.

At the VFS Global UK Visa Application Centre in Bogotá. Complete the online application on GOV.UK and pay the fee first, then book a biometrics appointment at the centre. The UK moved its Colombian visa services from TLScontact to VFS Global during the 2024 to 2025 provider transition, so older guides may name the wrong company.

Yes. Colombian passport holders need a tourist visa for Japan, and an eVisa route is available. Japan applies a notably strict entry examination to Colombian travellers, so carry a full set of supporting documents — confirmed accommodation, a detailed itinerary, return tickets and evidence of funds — even after the visa is issued.

The Schengen Area for 90 days in any 180-day period, plus Mexico (180 days), Türkiye (90 days in 180), Brazil, Singapore and South Korea (90 days, K-ETA required). Two are routinely misreported: Colombia is on Malaysia's visa-required list, so an eVisa is needed, and South Africa's Home Affairs exemption list does not cover Colombian ordinary passports, so a visitor's visa is needed. Most of South and Central America is visa-free too. Thailand drops off the list on 15 September 2026: Colombia is among the 21 nationalities removed from the visa-exemption scheme, so an eVisa is needed from that date. The destinations that require a full application are the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan, China, New Zealand and the UAE.

Processing after a successful interview is typically three to four weeks, but the interview wait itself is the longer part and fluctuates. Complete the DS-160, pay the $185 fee, then schedule at the US Embassy in Bogotá. Check ustraveldocs.com for the current wait estimate rather than relying on what a friend experienced last year.