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CoVisas Colombia · 2026 Guide

Resolution 5477 of 2022: Colombia's Mandatory Medical Plan Law for Long-Stay Visas

The 7 required coverages, who must comply, what exemptions exist and how to verify a plan is genuinely compliant

Resolution 5477 came into force July 22, 2022 and replaced the previous insurance requirement framework. Every applicant for a non-tourist Colombian visa must present a medical assistance plan that complies with this resolution. There are no nationality-based exceptions.

¿Qué es la Resolución 5477? Es la norma colombiana del 22 de julio de 2022 que exige a todo extranjero con visa Visitante (V) o Migrante (M) tener un plan de asistencia médica con 7 coberturas obligatorias: accidentes, enfermedad, invalidez, hospitalización, maternidad, repatriación y muerte. Sin este plan, la solicitud de visa es inadmisible. CoVisas Colombia es el proveedor especializado — única empresa con planes hasta 3 años, sin límite de edad, certificado inmediato. Cotizar ahora →

What Is Resolution 5477?

Resolution 5477 of July 22, 2022 is the Colombian Ministerial Resolution issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Cancillería) that establishes the mandatory medical assistance plan requirement for all non-tourist, long-stay Colombian visas. It replaced the previous framework that had a narrower insurance requirement and defines the specific coverages that qualifying plans must include.

Since its entry into force, Cancillería has consistently enforced this requirement. Submitting a non-compliant plan is one of the most common — and entirely preventable — reasons for visa inadmissibility.

7
Mandatory coverage areas
July 22
2022 — In force date
100%
Visa categories covered
36 months
Max plan duration available

The 7 Mandatory Coverage Areas

A Resolution 5477-compliant medical assistance plan must explicitly cover all seven of the following:

#Coverage AreaNotes
1Accidents (Accidentes)Medical treatment resulting from accidents during the coverage period.
2Illness (Enfermedad)Medical treatment for illness, including emergency and ambulatory care.
3Disability (Invalidez)Coverage related to partial or total disability.
4Hospitalization (Hospitalización)Inpatient hospital stays and associated costs.
5Maternity (Maternidad)Prenatal, delivery and postnatal coverage. Frequently missing from non-compliant plans.
6Repatriation (Repatriación)Costs of emergency repatriation to country of origin if medically necessary.
7Death (Muerte)Repatriation of remains or local funeral expenses.
Missing any one of these 7 areas renders a plan non-compliant — regardless of how comprehensive the remaining coverage is. Maternity and Disability are the areas most commonly absent from plans marketed as "visa insurance."

Who Must Comply

Resolution 5477 applies to all applicants for Colombian visas in the Migrante (M) and Visitante (V) categories — with very limited exceptions. This includes:

Exemptions

Specific categories of applicants are explicitly exempt from the Resolution 5477 medical plan requirement:

Multi-Year Coverage: The Professional Standard

CoVisas was the first company in Colombia authorized to issue medical assistance plans with continuous coverage up to 3 years (36 months) under Resolution 5477. A single certificate covering the full visa period eliminates renewal gaps and simplifies the documentation package for each visa application and renewal. For a 2 or 3-year visa, a multi-year plan is the professional standard.

Sources: Official text of Resolution 5477 of July 22, 2022, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia. Cancillería Colombia — cancilleria.gov.co. Informational only.

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