How to Check Your Visa Application Status with Cancillería of Colombia (2026 Guide)

What SITAC is and what the check shows

Since Resolution 5477 of 2022 came into force, every visa application for Colombia is filed through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' digital platform. Article 8 says so expressly: "every visa application must be made through the digital platform provided for that purpose". That platform is SITAC, the same system where you fill in the form, upload documents as PDFs, pay the review fee and receive decisions.

The status form is the public window into that system. It is not for uploading documents or correcting data; it tells you where your procedure stands: whether it is still under review, whether the authority asked for additional information, or whether it was refused, denied, approved or the visa has already been published. Cancillería also notifies you of each status change at the email you registered when creating the application. The online check is useful to confirm the status when an email does not arrive, lands in spam or you need to verify it quickly.

An important detail: SITAC's official user guide clarifies that once the review fee payment is recorded, the status can be checked with the application number on the "Consultar Trámite Solicitud" page. Before payment, the application is not considered filed. Resolution 5477 states: "An application shall only be considered effectively filed when the settlement has been made".

What you need before checking

The official form has two blocks: Datos de identificación (identification data) and Datos de la solicitud (application data). Before opening it, have the following at hand:

If you lost the application number, the visa application form itself says to contact Cancillería's citizen service lines: Bogotá +57 (1) 382 6999 and the national toll-free line 01 8000 938 000. Before calling, search your inbox and spam for emails from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the number is usually there.

Step by step to check your visa application status

1. Open the official link. Go to tramitesmre.cancilleria.gov.co/tramites/enlinea/consultarEstadoSolicitud.xhtml. Check that the address starts with tramitesmre.cancilleria.gov.co. No third party needs your data to show you the status.
2. Choose the language. At the top are the links "Traducir a Español / Translate to English". The form works the same in both languages.
3. Select the document type. Use the same one you created the application with, usually "Pasaporte" (passport).
4. Type the document number as it appears on your passport's data page.
5. Select the nationality. Scroll carefully: the list contains countries with historical or duplicate names.
6. Type the application registration number you received by email.
7. Click "Consultar" (check). If you made a mistake, use "Limpiar" (clear) and start again.
8. Read the status and interpret it with the table in the next section. If the status says you must do something, check the associated email, because it explains the reason.

What each visa application status means

SITAC's official user guide (updated August 29, 2024) describes the statuses notified by email. This is their practical meaning:

Refusal, denial and publication emails also include an optional satisfaction survey linked to your application number. When the visa is approved or published, Cancillería also sends the electronic invoice for the visa or transfer.

Legal deadlines of the visa procedure

Knowing the deadlines avoids two common mistakes: worrying too early or letting a term expire and losing the procedure. The deadlines are in Resolution 5477 of 2022:

• Review fee payment: after registering the application, the applicant must pay "within the following ten (10) calendar days" (Res. 5477). If not paid, the application is deemed withdrawn and the procedure ends without a decision.
• Decision: the authority "shall have up to thirty (30) calendar days to issue its decision" (art. 13). Consultations with other entities can extend that time.
• Requests for information: the authority may request additional documents and interviews "up to three times" (art. 19).
• Silence after a request: inactivity during the ten days following a request "shall be interpreted as withdrawal of the application" (art. 97, paragraph 3).
• Payment of the approved visa: the holder has "up to ten (10) calendar days to make the corresponding payment" (art. 12).
• Issuance of the electronic visa: within ten business days after payment of the approved visa, it is issued and sent by email (art. 101). Errors in the visa can be corrected within the following fifteen calendar days.

In practice, the total time depends on the application being complete from the start. Each request for information restarts a wait. That is why the best way to shorten the procedure is to file a file with no gaps. You can read more in our guide on visa processing times in Colombia.

If the status is "Request for information"

A request for information is not a denial: it is the authority's opportunity for you to complete or clarify your file. Cancillería published an official infographic with 6 steps to answer a visa request:

1. Check your email: the request arrives there with details of what is missing.
2. Log in to your visa application from Cancillería's official page (solicitarVisa form), with your data exactly as you registered it.
3. Fill in the application number, which must always be entered to respond, and check and complete the information.
4. Upload the documents in the Soportes (supporting documents) section with the (+) button. If the document does not match any box, upload it in any one, merging all files into a single PDF.
5. Confirm the upload: check that the files were saved and that previous supporting documents were not deleted.
6. Finish: in the Confirmación section complete the information and click Guardar (Save).

Watch the space: the system accepts a maximum of 35 pages across all documents and 5 MB in total, and uploads cannot be deleted. If your original application used almost the whole limit, you will have no room to respond. If you do not respond within 10 days, the application is deemed withdrawn and lapses.

We explain each step, with the official infographic, in the guide how to answer a Cancillería visa request.

In our experience, the most frequent requests relate to documents without an apostille or official translation (art. 21), documents more than three months old (art. 20) and policies or medical plans that do not meet the required coverage. If your request is about the health policy, see our page on policy verification for Cancillería.

Refused or denied: the difference and what to do in each case

These two statuses are often confused, but their consequences are different:

To be clear: article 100 of Resolution 5477 of 2022 states that "no administrative appeals are available against the inadmissibility, request for information, denial, termination and cancellation of visas". Be wary of anyone offering to "appeal" a visa denial. What does work is understanding why the file failed and filing a new, solid application when the rules allow it. We cover these cases in causes of refusal and causes of visa denial.

SITAC also tracks impediments. According to the official guide, if you have an active impediment from a previously denied visa, the system shows a message and does not let you create the new application.

Approved and published: the next steps

When the status changes to Aprobada (approved), one step remains to have the visa: paying the issuance fee. The SITAC guide stresses a rule that causes many problems: the payment method for the review fee must be the same one used to pay for the visa if it is approved. If you paid the review fee by PSE, pay the visa by PSE; if you paid at a consulate, do it at the consulate. All the details are in our guide on visa fees and payment.

When the status changes to Publicada (published), the electronic visa has been issued and arrives by email. Make three immediate checks:

1. Personal data: the visa must show issue and expiry dates, and your identification data "must match those on the main page of the passport" (art. 102). If there is an error, remember that the correction must be requested within fifteen calendar days after issuance (art. 101).
2. Validity: confirm the validity and category. The electronic visa allows you to enter, stay in and leave the national territory (art. 103).
3. Foreigner ID card: if your visa authorizes a stay of more than three months, you must apply for the foreigner ID card at Migración Colombia "within fifteen (15) calendar days following entry into the country" (art. 118). Holders of visitor (V) visas do not have this obligation. See our complete foreigner ID card guide.

If you change passports during the visa's validity, the correct procedure is a transfer, requested through the same SITAC form by choosing "Traspaso" instead of "Visa".

Common problems when checking the status and how to fix them

1. "No se encontraron resultados" (no results found)

The most common cause is that one of the four pieces of data does not match what was registered. Check the document type (passport versus "foreign document"), the selected nationality and the application number. If there was a request for information, try the most recent number shown in the latest email.

2. The application does not appear because the review fee was never paid

If you did not pay the review fee within 10 calendar days, the application is deemed withdrawn (Res. 5477). In that case there is no procedure to check and you must register a new application.

3. The status has not changed for weeks

The 30-calendar-day term (art. 13) can be extended when the authority consults other entities. Check that you have no pending request in your email or spam. If the term has been widely exceeded and there is no request, you can file a petition through Cancillería's service channels.

4. You are not receiving Cancillería's emails

All notifications go to the registered email. Check spam, promotions and filters. If you mistyped the email when creating the application, the online check is the only way to see the status. Use an email you check daily and add Cancillería's domain to your safe senders.

5. You were summoned to the visa office

The official form warns that you should not go to the Bogotá Visa Office unless the authority requires it by email. If you are asked to, the authority may request physical documents and summon you to an interview (art. 24).

6. Errors in the form itself

The nationality list contains duplicate entries and old names. If your country appears twice, try both options with the rest of the data correct. If the page stays on "Cargando…" (loading), reload with another browser.

The medical requirement: the easiest cause of requests to avoid

Checking the status is simple. What delays applications most are documents that do not comply, and one of the most frequent is the health policy or plan: it does not cover Colombian territory, does not cover the whole period or does not detail the required coverages. For complex visa procedures, rely on an immigration lawyer; for the medical requirement, CoVisas has specialized in it for more than 20 years.

The CoVisas plan includes in the contract the seven mandatory coverages of Resolution 5477 of 2022 (accidents, illness, hospitalization, disability, maternity, repatriation and death), with a consular letter for Cancillería, contracts of up to three years, no age limit and a personal advisor 24/7.

Official sources: SITAC – Check application status · User guide "Solicitar Visa en línea" (Cancillería, 08/29/2024) · Resolution 5477 of 2022 · Official visa application form. This content is informational and does not replace personalized advice.