Paying for Your Visa for Colombia: 2026 Fees, Official Payment Methods and Mistakes That Block Your Visa

The two payments for a visa for Colombia

Article 10 of Resolution 5477 of 2022 establishes that the visa procedure has two payment stages, one for the review and one for the issuance, and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs "shall establish the fees for the application and issuance of visas" by administrative act.

Paying the review fee also defines when the application exists: "an application shall only be considered effectively filed when the settlement has been made" (Res. 5477). Before payment, the authority's 30-day term to decide has not started.

2026 reference fees

Visa fees are set by Ministry resolution and expressed in U.S. dollars; if you pay in Colombia, they are settled in pesos. For 2026, the published table (Resolution 3969 of 2026) includes the following general values:

If the application is exempt from payment, the official guide says nothing is paid: you select the office, continue and the application goes straight to review.

Official payment methods, one by one

When you save the application, SITAC opens the settlement form and emails you the payment instructions in Spanish and English. SITAC's official user guide (updated August 29, 2024) describes these options:

1. PSE (online)

Requires a Colombian bank account enabled for online payments. Steps: check the amount, indicate whether the payer is the applicant (if not, fill in the payer's details), choose the bank and person type, and click Pagar (Pay). The 2020 guide warns that PSE payments are only processed at the office selected when settling. If PSE is unavailable, the system says so.

2. Credit card (online)

The system shows the accepted cards. The official guide mentions a bank fee of COP 2,700. You fill in the cardholder's details and the Credibanco gateway opens for billing and card details. If the payment succeeds, a receipt is generated and you click Finalizar (Finish); if it fails, an error message appears. To cancel, use Regresar (Back).

3. Banco Sudameris or Servibanca ATMs (in person)

Fill in the payer's details and generate a reference number to pay at a branch or ATM.

4. Banco Agrario (in person, specific cities)

Available in the cities listed in the guide: Valledupar, San Andrés, Quibdó, Mocoa, Arauca and Leticia. It generates a payment receipt.

5. Colombian consulate (abroad)

If you are outside the country, you can pay at the nearest consulate. The system generates the number to present at the consulate and indicates where to pay. Find addresses and contacts in our guide to the official directory of Colombian embassies and consulates.

Paying for the visa from abroad: what Cancillería's official page says

Cancillería's official page "Fees and payment methods abroad" clarifies three points that generate many questions:

• PSE requires an account in Colombia. Literally: to pay by PSE "you must have an active account in Colombia" enabled for electronic payments. If you do not have one, PSE is not your option, for either the review or the issuance fee.
• Money Order at U.S. and Canadian consulates. Accepted at the consulates in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York, Orlando and San Francisco (United States), and Calgary and Toronto (Canada).
• Check with the consulate first. Cancillería recommends checking the available payment methods with the nearest consulate before starting the procedure. Find it in the official directory of Colombia's missions abroad.

Nationalities with a free visa

The same official page says the visa is free for nationals of Ecuador, Japan and the Republic of Korea, although the review fee is paid:

This confirms that the fee depends on nationality: that is why the final amount is always the one SITAC settles for your application.

Step-by-step payment in SITAC

1. Save the application. When you click Guardar (Save) in the Confirmation tab, the system shows a success message and opens the review payment form. At the same time, you receive an email confirmation with the application number and payment instructions in Spanish and English.
2. Check the amount the system settles before choosing the payment method.
3. Indicate who is paying. If the payer is not the applicant, fill in their details.
4. Choose the method: PSE or credit card online; reference number for Banco Sudameris or Servibanca ATMs; receipt for Banco Agrario; or consulate if you are abroad.
5. Complete the payment on the gateway (PSE or Credibanco), at the bank or at the consulate.
6. Keep the receipt and the reference number.
7. Check that the payment was recorded in the status check with your application number: according to the official guide, once the payment is recorded the procedure can be checked in "Consultar Trámite Solicitud".

Payment for family group applications

In groups (family, artistic, cultural, sports or worker groups), all members are registered, you click Terminar (Finish) and then choose the payment method. If you chose to pay in Bogotá (branch or bank), the system shows the settlement; if you chose a consulate, a confirmation message appears. Be careful when editing the group: if a member who already paid the review fee is removed, their application becomes inadmissible; if they had not paid, it is cancelled.

Paying for a visa transfer

Transferring a valid visa to a new passport is requested through the same SITAC form, choosing "Traspaso" (transfer). When it is resolved, Cancillería sends the electronic invoice for the visa or transfer to the registered email. The system settles the amount.

Payment deadlines and what happens if they expire

• Review: 10 calendar days after registering. If it expires, the application is deemed withdrawn and the procedure ends without a decision (Res. 5477). You must register a new application.
• Issuance: up to 10 calendar days after approval (art. 12).
• Electronic visa: issued within ten business days after payment and sent by email (art. 101).

When the visa is approved or published, Cancillería also sends the electronic invoice for the visa or transfer to the registered email. You can follow each step with the official status check form.

The same-payment-method rule

SITAC's official guide is explicit: the payment method used for the review fee must be the same one used to pay for the visa if it is approved. This rule explains many blockages:

• Someone who paid the review fee at a consulate and then tries to pay for the visa by PSE.
• Someone who used a friend's PSE account for the review fee and later has no access to it.
• Someone who paid from abroad and then travels to Colombia before paying the issuance fee.

Before paying the review fee, think about where you will be and which method you will have available when your visa is approved, a few weeks later.

Most common payment mistakes

1. Letting the 10 days for the review fee expire: the application is lost.
2. Changing payment method between review and issuance.
3. Paying without reviewing the application: the review fee is not refunded even if the visa is refused or denied, and no appeals are available against those decisions (art. 100).
4. Using PSE without a Colombian account enabled for online payments.
5. Group payments: if a member who already paid the review fee is removed from the group, their application becomes inadmissible.
6. Paying on unofficial pages. The official payment is generated from SITAC (tramitesmre.cancilleria.gov.co) and the gateways or banks it indicates.
7. Losing the reference or application number: keep them; without them you cannot pay at a bank or consulate or check the status.

Other visa procedure costs

In addition to Cancillería's fees, budget for:

• Medical plan or health policy with coverage in Colombia, required in most categories. At CoVisas we offer plans compliant with Resolution 5477 of 2022 with a consular letter. You can pay for your plan on our CoVisas payments page.
• Apostille or legalization and official translation of foreign documents (art. 21). See apostille of documents for the visa.
• Foreigner ID card at Migración Colombia if your visa authorizes more than three months of stay, within 15 calendar days after entry (art. 118).
• Bank fees for the chosen payment method.

Official sources: Cancillería – Visa fees · Cancillería – Fees and payment methods abroad · User guide "Solicitar Visa en línea" (08/29/2024) · User guide (01/13/2020) · Resolution 5477 of 2022, arts. 10–12 and 101. Informational content.