Colombian citizenship

Colombian citizenship and its general conditions

The citizenship of Colombia can be important to the applicants who are interested in living in South America. Colombia is one of the most beautiful countries in South America and has an area of ​​1,141,748 square kilometers and a population of more than 49,819,638, the official language is Spanish and capital of this country is Bogota. It is located in the northwest of South America and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Colombia’s neighboring countries include Brazil, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. The geography of Colombia is very diverse with flat areas and long Andean mountains. This country’s system of government is republic in which the executive branch dominates the structure of the government. Colombia has a pro-market economic system in which the prices of goods and services are set in a free price system. Colombia is also a member of the Andean Association (ANCOM).

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Topics reviewed in this article:

• Colombian passport and its ranking
• Colombian citizenship and the ways of obtaining the citizenship of Colombia
• Colombian citizenship through work
• Colombian citizenship through education
• Colombian citizenship through investment
• Colombian citizenship through birth
• Colombian citizenship through marriage
• Colombian citizenship for asylum seeker
• Colombian citizenship and the important points about the Colombian Passport

Colombian passport and its ranking

Colombian Passport ranks 33rd in the world according to the passport index and is the only country ranked 33rd in the world. Since May 2018, the holders of Colombian passport are able to travel to 124 countries without out a visa, they can travel to 81 of these countries without the need for a visa (visa-free) and can travel to 43 of them by obtaining visas upon arrival (visas on arrival) and for 74 countries they need to apply for a travel visa beforehand. Citizens of Colombia can travel to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela without a passport/visa. They only need a Colombian ID card which is known as Cedula de Ciudadanía card.

Colombian citizenship and the ways of obtaining the citizenship of Colombia

Colombian citizenship, like many other countries, can be obtained through six methods. The most common methods are working, studying or investing in Colombia. Each of these different methods of immigration has specific conditions and rules that are specific to that country and are regulated based on their immigration policies. In order to make you familiar with the various methods of migration to Colombia and obtaining the citizenship and passport of this country, we will check each of these methods below.

Colombian citizenship through work

Obtaining the citizenship of Colombia through work will be possible provided that you have first worked legally in this country for 5 years and have paid taxes, in which case you can apply for a permanent residence permit in Colombia and after 5 more years you can apply for the citizenship of Colombia and a passport. Work visas in Colombia are issued to people who have a job offer from this country, otherwise you cannot get a Colombian work visa.

The job offer letter must indicate that the employer has an urgent need for the required workforce and must be written in Spanish. There are four types of work visas in Colombia.

• NE1

Foreign applicants who look for a job in Colombia and intend to enter Colombia for business management and economic exchange and investment.

• NE2

Foreign applicants intending to enter Colombia under a temporary free trade agreement to manage a business and promote a business or represent a commercial company.

• NE3

Applicants representing a government intending to enter Colombia with the aim of promoting economic and trade exchanges.

• NE4

The president of a country or the chief executive of a multinational corporation intending to enter Colombia to invest and start a business.

The Colombian work visa is initially issued for 3 years and has several entries and this visa can be extended for another 2 years. The cost of the issuance of a Colombian work visa varies depending on the nationality of the individual, and it is recommended that you contact the embassy of Colombia in your country (the country of origin) for getting information about the fees.

The documents that are required for the issuance of a Colombian work visa are as follows.

• DP-FO-67 Application form
• Three passport photos
• A copy of the passport
• Job offer letter
• Certificate of no criminal records
• Medical Certificate
• Paying and Depositing visa fees
• A letter from the relevant organization in Colombia confirming the employer.

Colombian citizenship through education

It is not possible to obtain the citizenship of Colombia through education directly, but if you find a job in this country after graduation you can obtain the citizenship of Colombia by working in this country.

About 70 percent of the universities of Colombia are private. There are 20 universities and higher education institutions in the country; which include academic institutions, technology and vocational institutes that provide undergraduate education, and the two Organization of Higher Education in Colombia and National Training Service (Colombia) oversee the university systems in Colombia. University admission to Colombia happens twice a year, with the first semester beginning in February and continuing until June, and the second semester beginning in July and continuing until July.

• Studying for a bachelor’s degree (Undergraduate education)

Undergraduate study in most majors lasts 5 years and costs between $ 6,000 to $ 14,000. Since the official language of Colombia is Spanish, international students who want to get a student visa in Colombia must have a B2 Spanish language certificate, although in some Colombian universities you can study in English with a TOEFL language certificate.

• Studying for a master’s degree

Master’s degree courses in Colombia lasts for 2 years, although in some fields it may be 1 year, and the language of instruction in most disciplines is Spanish but in some disciplines it is English.

• Studying for a PhD degree

After completing a master’s degree in Colombia, if you intend to study and continue your studies in a PhD degree, you must have a supervisor from your desired university, and if you intend to work as a foreign student in Colombia, you can work on international projects such as oil industry.

Here are the documents that are required to obtain a Colombian student visa.

• Application form
• Last academic degree
• University acceptance letter
• Spanish or English language certificate
• A valid passport
• Photos

The embassy of Colombia may ask applicants for additional documents that must be provided to them.

Colombian citizenship through investment

Obtaining the citizenship of Colombia through investment is easier than in other cases. The required amount of money for investing in Colombia starts at US $ 150,000 and can be spent on real estate, participating in Colombian companies or buying a company in Colombia. In the Colombian investment method, the investor is initially granted a 5-year residence permit in Colombia. Until 2002, the very bad conditions in Colombia kept many people from investing in Colombia, but since 2002, the conditions have improved and got better and international companies in this country have started investment projects.

Another investment option in Colombia is getting a residence permit in Colombia trough retirement, which is for people who want to spend their retirement in Colombia. This visa is for one year and will be extended for 4 years and after 4 years the applicant will be given a permanent residence permit. In this method, the applicant must prove that he or she earns three times the minimum monthly salary in Colombia. In 2012, for example, the minimum monthly salary in Colombia was 566,700 pesos, and a person who would earn 1,700,100 pesos could use this visa.

Colombian citizenship through birth

The Colombian citizenship can be obtained by the birth of a child, and since Colombia follows the right of soil (Jus soli), a child who is born inside Colombia will be considered a Colombian citizen provided that if one of his/her parents is a Colombian citizen or has a long-term resident residence permit. If a child is born outside of Colombia and one of his/her parents is Colombian, he or she can apply for Colombian citizenship after returning to Colombia or by going to the embassy of Colombia abroad. A person who has a legal permanent residence permit in Colombia for 5 years can apply for the citizenship and a passport, but there is an exception to this law if a child is born, if a person has a child, he or she can obtain the citizenship of Colombia after 2 years.

Colombian citizenship through marriage

The citizenship of Colombia can be obtained through marriage provided that one of the spouses is a Colombian citizen and has worked in the country. After two years of living together in the country the citizenship of Colombia can be obtained through marriage. The marriage must take place in a notary public office in the presence of a Colombian official, and the person must be able to speak Spanish. The parties must not be married and must be over 18 years old. In addition, they must provide a health certificate.

Colombian citizenship for asylum seeker

Colombia sends more asylum seekers and refugees than receiving and accepting them. Obtaining the citizenship of Colombia as an asylum seeker doesn’t have a lot of applicants (people aren’t interested), because civil war, drug trafficking and insecurity in this country made this country one of the countries that send more refugees, mainly to countries such as Venezuela, the United States and Canada. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in March 2018, 913 people from this country have sought refuge in other countries.

Colombian citizenship and the important points about the Colombian Passport

Once you get the citizenship of Colombia and a Colombian passport, you can travel to countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela without the need for a passport and only by using a Colombian ID card. After obtaining a permanent residence permit in Colombia, normally you can obtain Colombian citizenship after 5 years. Applicants for Colombian citizenship must take an exam on Colombian history, geography, and the Colombian constitution and have to get the score which is required for passing this exam. In addition, people whose first language is not Spanish must have a Spanish language certificate, although people who have a bachelor’s degree in Colombia or are over 65 years old do not need to take these exams.

This is the procedure for applying for Colombian citizenship; the application letter must be sent to the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and these applications will be reviewed there, and the following documents must be submitted along with the application.

• Personal details including current address, contact information, current nationality, last address before visiting Colombia
• A copy of foreign identity card
• 4 passport photos
• A copy of passport
• A copy of the legal residence visa in Colombia
• Proof of employment in the last 6 months
• Reasons for applying for citizenship
• Marriage certificate if you are married to a Colombian citizen or Birth certificate if one of the parents is Colombian.
• Men between the ages of 18 and 50 must determine and specify their military service status in the country of origin.