If you are about to travel abroad for tourism, study or work, you must take into account a series of documents that you will need to be able to leave the country and enter your destination without any difficulty.
The main document to take into account will be the passport, because if you do not have this document, issued by the Colombian authorities, you will not be able to leave the country.
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This is everything you need to know about the Colombian passport.
What is a passport?
A passport, according to the Colombian Foreign Ministry, It is a travel document that serves to identify Colombians during their stay abroad.
This document can be requested by all Colombian citizens, both children and adults, who need to leave the country for reasons of tourism, work, study, among others.
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What types of passports exist in Colombia?
In Colombia there are five types of passports: ordinary, executive, emergency, border and exempt.
An ordinary passport is the conventional document issued to any Colombian citizen. It consists of 32 pages and is valid for 10 years. The executive passport, on the other hand, has a greater number of pages (48) although it has the same validity as the ordinary one, that is, 10 years.
The emergency passport is the one issued by the Colombian authorities for cases of extreme necessity, force majeure or fortuitous event, and seeks to allow travel to safeguard fundamental rights such as life, health or integrity. This passport is only valid for seven months and a total of eight pages.
For its part, the border passport is the one issued through diplomatic missions for those Colombians who are in Brazil, Ecuador, Panama, Peru or Venezuela. It is a 28-page document valid for 10 years.
Finally, the exempt passport is intended for those who have been deported, expelled, repatriated or those whose current passport has been canceled due to any of these situations. It will be valid only for the return to Colombia.
Remember that the passport with pink leaves is no longer valid since November 2015, therefore, only machine readable passports or electronic passports are valid.
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Where can I apply for the passport?
The Foreign Ministry has enabled three points in Bogotá so that people can process their passport: 53rd Street, North Headquarters or Center Headquarters. These sites provide care on a continuous basis Monday through Friday between the hours of 7 am and 3 pm
-Calle 53 No 10-60/46, floor 2.
-North Office: Avenida 19 No. 98-03, Building Tower 100 floor 1 and 2.
-Central Headquarters: Calle 24 No. 37 – 98 Corferias sector.
If you are outside of Bogotá, you can do the paperwork at the government offices authorized to issue passports, whose list can be found on the Foreign Ministry page.
If you live abroad, you should go to the Colombian consulates.
Remember that, due to the covid-19 pandemic, You must request an appointment to process your passport at the authorized offices in Bogotá.
Appointments for processing and delivery of passports are enabled every day at 5 pm in the following link: https://tramitesmre.cancilleria.gov.co/tramites/enlinea/agendamiento.xhtml
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What value should I pay for my passport?
If you carry out the procedure in the offices of Bogotá, the passport will have the following cost:
-Ordinary passport: 172,000 pesos.
-Executive passport: 262,000 pesos.
-Emergency passport: 161,000 pesos.
Outside Bogotá you will have to pay the aforementioned values, and additionally, the corresponding departmental taxes.
If you process your passport abroad, the costs will be as follows:
-Ordinary passport: 64 euros in Europe and Cuba and 89 dollars in the rest of the world.
-Executive passport: 113 euros in Europe and Cuba and 158 dollars in the rest of the world.
-Emergency passport: 81 euros in Europe and Cuba and 116 in the rest of the world
In Bogotá, you must pay these values in the service modules and only once the officer tells you that you must make the payment. You can pay in cash, visa and mastercard, PSE or Banco GNB Sudameris.
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Can I authorize others to process my passport?
No. According to the website of the Foreign Ministry, it is a process that must be done in person and in person.
In the case of minors, one of the parents must be present.
What documents should I bring for the procedure?
You must bring your citizenship card or password and your previous passport if you have one. In the office they will take your photograph, your fingerprints and signature, so you should not bring photos to the appointment.
In the case of minors, parents must bring their citizenship card. You must also bring a copy of the civil registry of the minor and the identity card or password that shows that it is in process.
To speed up the process in the office you can register your data at the following link: https://tramitesmre.cancilleria.gov.co/tramites/enlinea/registrarCiudadano.xhtml
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How long does it take to process my passport?
If you process your passport in the city of Bogotá, you can claim the document 24 hours after making the payment. On the contrary, if you carry out the procedure in the governorates, you can claim your document in 48 hours.
In the case of residents abroad, you can approach the consulate again to claim your document eight business days after making the request.
Keep in mind that the time will depend on the covid measures arranged in said country and on the possibility of mobility and international cargo transport, according to the Foreign Ministry.
What happens if I don’t claim my passport 24 hours later?
The Foreign Ministry recalls that Colombians have up to six months to claim the document at the office where it was requested. Once the six calendar months have elapsed, said passport will be canceled and the citizen will be obliged to request and pay for a new document.
Remember that to claim your passport you will only need to present your citizenship card.
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How do I identify my passport number?
You will be able to find the number of your passport on the page where the data and photo of the holder of the document are found.
Right next to the country code you will find a code made up of numbers and letters that corresponds to your passport number.
And how do I identify if my passport is valid?
Every passport has an expiration date. The passport will expire once that date is fulfilled, but also when all the pages are full or when there are signs that the document was adulterated or amended.
If my child turns 7 and has a valid passport, should I change it?
Yes. By the time your child is seven years old, they must have a passport showing their identity card.
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If I turn 18 and my passport is still valid, do I have to renew it?
Yes. The Foreign Ministry indicates that all Colombians who reach the age of majority, that is, 18 years of age, must change their passport so that their identity card appears as a new identity document.
What happens if my passport has data errors?
The Foreign Ministry recommends that you verify all the information in your passport as soon as you receive the document. This in order to raise the change request immediately.
According to the rules, If your passport has errors in the data, you have a period of 30 days, counted from the moment you receive it, to request a replacement. passport in which the errors in your data are corrected.
If you identify an error or make a replacement request after 30 days have elapsed since the document was delivered, you will have to request a new passport and, therefore, cancel the price for issuing it again.
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If I change my passport, will the visas I have be affected?
No. According to the Foreign Ministry, visas and immigration stamps are not affected when a passport is cancelled. These remain in force until the dates established by the authorities.
What precautions should I take with my passport?
The authorities recommend that you do not put staples or hooks on the document, as it can damage the chip in your passport. Also prevent the passport from bending.
Don’t write on it and don’t clean it with chemicals that can damage the cover or pages of your passport.
INTERNATIONAL WRITING*With information from the Colombian Foreign Ministry
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