Colombia's Resident Visa Transfer Deadline Is October 31, 2026

If you hold a Colombian Residente Permanente (R) visa issued under the rules in force before October 2022, you have a deadline: October 31, 2026. That is the last day to file the required visa transfer (traspaso) with Cancillería. It applies even if your visa label says it has indefinite validity.

TL;DR

• The transfer deadline is October 31, 2026, set by Res. 9316 de 2024, art. 3 and repeated by Cancillería on September 15, 2026.
• It applies to valid R visas granted under the rules before Res. 5477 de 2022 took effect in October 2022.
• The process is fully online, and Cancillería asks you to file it yourself, without intermediaries.
• The fee is USD 56 for review plus USD 56 for issuance, USD 112 in total, before stamp tax, per Res. 3969 de 2026.
• Cancillería calls the transfer a requirement for your cédula de extranjería.

Who has to transfer?

The rule covers holders of Residente Permanente (R) visas granted under the regulations that applied before Res. 5477 de 2022. That resolution is dated July 22, 2022 and took effect 90 calendar days after publication, in October 2022. Article 123 says holders of valid R visas “otorgadas bajo regulaciones anteriores” must complete the transfer. The original window was two years; Res. 9316 de 2024 extended it to October 31, 2026.

Your visa	Transfer by October 31, 2026?
R visa granted under the rules before Res. 5477 de 2022 (before October 2022), any label validity	Yes
R visa granted after Res. 5477 took effect	No, already under current rules
Pre-2000 R visa with no copy of the label	Yes, with the sworn-letter route below

If your R visa was approved after Res. 5477 took effect, you are already under the current rules. If you are not sure, check the issue date on your visa label. A label with indefinite validity does not exempt you: Cancillería’s September 15, 2026 notice says the transfer applies to R visas from earlier regimes whose label has expired, is about to expire, or has indefinite validity.

What is the transfer?

The transfer is not a new visa application from scratch. Cancillería’s July 2026 flowchart defines it as a request by the holder to authorize reissue of the visa, as long as you use the same nationality you used to obtain it. The visa gets reissued under the current rules.

What documents do you need?

Article 106 of Res. 5477 de 2022, as amended by Res. 9316 de 2024, lists the requirements:

1. Meet the general visa application requirements.
2. A copy of the visa you are transferring and the matching cédula de extranjería.
3. A certificado de movimientos migratorios (record of entries and exits) from Migración Colombia.
4. A document showing the activity you carry out in Colombia.
5. A letter stating the reason for the transfer.

Res. 9316 de 2024 also removed the old requirement to bring a salvoconducto to a transfer request, since the Resident visa has indefinite validity.

If your visa is from before 2000 and you no longer have a copy, you can attach a sworn letter (bajo gravedad de juramento) explaining why, plus an extended certificado de movimientos migratorios going back to the year the visa was issued, plus the last cédula de extranjería you were issued.

Step by step on the Cancillería site

The process runs entirely online. Cancillería’s official flowchart lays out the steps:

1. Go to cancilleria.gov.co and open the Visa section.
2. Click the button that takes you to the application form.
3. Read the initial recommendations and tick the box.
4. Fill in the required data.
5. Confirm the data-processing authorization and the “No soy un robot” box, then click Continuar.
6. Select “traspaso” in the request box.
7. Indicate the type of transfer and the period in which your current visa was issued.
8. Complete the remaining fields.
9. Upload your supporting documents and pay the review fee to confirm the request.

In its March 24, 2026 notice, Cancillería recommended filing directly and without intermediaries, to protect your personal information.

What does it cost?

Res. 3969 de 2026, dated March 31, 2026, sets the transfer fee at USD 56 for the review stage (estudio) and USD 56 for issuance (expedición), USD 112 in total. That figure does not include the impuesto de timbre (stamp tax).

Inside Colombia you pay in pesos. Cancillería sets the conversion rate for each four-month period (January to April, May to August, September to December) from the average official exchange rate, so the peso amount changes during the year. Payment is through PSE or Banco GNB Sudameris.

After approval: your cédula

Cancillería’s notice calls the transfer a “requisito indispensable” for issuing the cédula de extranjería. Once the reissued visa is approved, register it with Migración Colombia and request your cédula. Our cédula de extranjería guide covers the registration window, appointments and fees.

What happens if you miss October 31?

Neither Res. 5477 de 2022 nor Res. 9316 de 2024 sets out a specific fine for missing the deadline, and Cancillería’s notices do not name one. The consequence they do state is the cédula: without the transfer, it cannot be issued. No loss of status appears in the official text either, and no grace period is published.

File before the date, and leave time for Cancillería to review the request and ask for anything missing.

Frequently asked questions

Is my old R visa still valid today?

Article 123 of Res. 5477 de 2022 says visas issued before it took effect “mantendrán su vigencia”, meaning they keep their validity. The same article then requires R holders under the old rules to transfer. The official text does not say what happens to an untransferred visa after October 31, 2026.

Do I need a lawyer or a visa agency?

No. Cancillería asks applicants to file directly and personally, without intermediaries. The process is online and the requirements are the five items above.

Does my spouse or beneficiary also need to transfer?

The rule applies to each holder of an R visa granted under the earlier rules. Check each person’s own visa and its issue date.

What if my visa is from before 2000?

You can still transfer. Without a copy of the visa, submit the sworn letter, the extended record of entries and exits back to the year of issue, and the last cédula de extranjería you were issued.

For how the R visa works in general, see our resident visa guide.

All sources below were retrieved on October 3, 2026.