Most Americans, Canadians, Europeans, and other visa-exempt visitors get 90 days stamped into their passport on arrival in Colombia (the Permiso de Ingreso y Permanencia, or PIP). What many don't realize: you can extend that to a maximum of 180 days per calendar year — without leaving the country, and without a visa.
The extension is called the prórroga de permanencia (formally a Permiso Temporal de Permanencia para Prorrogar Permanencia), and since Migración Colombia moved it online, the whole thing is done through a web form. Here's exactly how it works in 2026.
The 180-Day Rule, Explained
- Your entry stamp (PIP) gives you up to 90 days.
- The prórroga adds up to 90 more days.
- The hard ceiling is 180 days within the same calendar year — continuous or spread across multiple trips. Border runs don't reset it: re-entering in the same calendar year draws from the same 180-day budget.
- On January 1 the counter resets, and a new entry gets you a fresh 90 days.
If you'll need more than 180 days a year, you need an actual visa — a visa we can help you apply for — not another extension. If you just need the extension filed for you, that's our $129 tourist visa extension service.
When to Apply
Timing is the part people get wrong most:
- Apply within the last 5 business days before your current stamp expires — Migración's stated window. File too early and it can be rejected; file after expiry and you're overstaying (fines start accruing).
- The permit is processed in up to 3 business days from payment and arrives by email as a PDF.
- Don't cut it to the literal last day — if something bounces (bad passport scan, payment glitch), you have no margin.
Step-by-Step: Filing the Prórroga Online
- Open the FUT — Migración Colombia's Formulario Único de Trámites.
- Select the trámite: Permiso Temporal para Prorrogar Permanencia.
- Fill in your details exactly as they appear in your passport: names, passport number, date and place of issue, nationality, email. Typos here are the #1 cause of rejections.
- Add an emergency contact who lives in Colombia.
- Upload your documents as a single PDF under 1 MB: passport bio page + your entry stamp. (Some cases are asked for an onward ticket — have one ready.)
- Click Cargar after selecting the file — selecting alone doesn't upload it.
- Submit and watch your email (including spam) for the payment instruction.
- Pay the fee — 150,000 COP (2026 tariff) — online via the link Migración sends, or at a Centro Facilitador de Servicios Migratorios if instructed.
- Receive the permit by email, typically within 3 business days of payment. Save the PDF and keep a copy on your phone — hotels and airlines may ask for it.
Costs (2026)
- Government fee: 150,000 COP (roughly US$35–40 depending on the rate)
- Overstay fines if you miss the window: calculated in UVT and start around the low millions of COP for short overstays — vastly more expensive than the extension
Common Mistakes That Get Extensions Rejected
- Applying too early — outside the 5-business-day window
- PDF over 1 MB or passport scan and stamp uploaded as separate files
- Name/passport mismatches between the form and your documents
- Assuming a border run resets the clock — it doesn't within the same calendar year
- Waiting for a confirmation that went to spam while the payment deadline passes
What If You're Already Past 180 Days — or Overstayed?
Different problem, different tool. If your time is up and a visa application is pending, you may need a salvoconducto (SC-1) instead. If you've already overstayed, you'll be routed through an administrative process and fine before anything else — read our salvoconducto guide for how that plays out in Medellín specifically.