Accumulated Time Resident Visa Legal Services
Secure Your Future in Colombia: Accumulated Time Resident Visa
If you wish to live in Colombia for the long term, the Accumulated Time Resident Visa is your pathway to permanent residency. This visa allows you to reside in Colombia after accumulating the required time with a Migrant Visa, enabling you to establish a stable life in this vibrant country.
Our expert team will guide you through the application process, ensuring you have all the necessary documentation and support for a seamless transition. Embrace the opportunity to enjoy Colombia’s rich culture and diverse lifestyle as you secure your future.
We have the right strategy for you! Send us a message with your goals and your case
Is the Accumulated Time Resident Visa Right for You?
This visa is ideal for you if you want to establish permanent residency in Colombia and have accumulated 5 years of residence with a Migrant Visa (or only 2 years if you held a Spouse or Parent Visa for a Colombian national).
You should apply for this visa instead of others if you do not have employment ties and your country of nationality is not part of Mercosur or the Andean Community.
Visa Duration
5 years. The holder of the Permanent Resident (R) visa must apply for a transfer of their visa before it expires. This process should be carried out through the digital platform available on the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Allows to Work in Colombia?
Yes, as a permanent resident, the holder is allowed to work in Colombia.
Allows Beneficiaries?
Yes, this visa allows beneficiaries according to the definition of Beneficiary Holder established in Article 3 of this Resolution.
Visa Application Costs
Government fees: $56 USD study + (transfer $56 USD if already R or R issuance $408 USD first-time) + Cedula $294,000 COP.
Fixed legal fees: $650 USD first-time, $450 USD transfer only. Re-filings after inadmissibility with no legal fees until approval (each new $56 study paid to the State). Final rejections not covered.
Visa Restrictions
Visa Bennefits
Reside and exercise any lawful activity in Colombia with the benefit that this visa is granted for 5 years, without the need for renewal. Likewise, it is very beneficial because if willing, the holder can apply for Colombian nationality (there are some countries in Latin America and the Caribbean whose accumulation time to apply for nationality is shorter, but in general most countries must accumulate 5 years).
Can you accumulate residency time?
Yes, for foreigners who have stayed in the national territory as holders of a Permanent Resident (R) visa, the time can be accumulated toward applying for citizenship. For this type of visa, the accumulation of time is 5 years.
Processing Time
Generally, from 2 to 5 weeks, but it may vary depending on the specific circumstances of each application.
Application Location
Can be applied for from within Colombia or from the applicant's country of residence or nationality.
Specific Requirements
Copies of Visas and Safe-conduct Passes: Copies of the visas and safe-conduct passes held during the period of stay in the national territory, which must have remained valid throughout their durations.
Migratory Movement Certificate: Certificate of migratory movements issued by the Special Administrative Unit of Migration Colombia.
Visa Application Letter: A letter requesting the Resident Visa, explaining the source of income for self-support and any dependents, if applicable, and describing how the circumstances or conditions that led to the granting of previous visas subject to time accumulation are maintained.
Copy of Foreigner Identification Card: A copy of the foreigner's ID card, used to check judicial records.
For Spouses or Permanent Partners:
A visa application letter signed by the Colombian spouse or permanent partner who supported the Migrant Visa, stating the continuation of the relationship and effective cohabitation, including their physical address, email address, and phone number.
A simple copy of the Colombian ID card.
A special power of attorney granted before a notary allowing the foreigner to apply for this visa.
Verification of Social Security Obligations: The Visa and Immigration Authority may verify compliance with social security obligations.
Want to learn more about the Accumulated Time Resident Visa details, requirements, and benefits? Read our comprehensive guide below!
Why to choose us
Senior lawyers only
We are fully licensed immigration attorneys, not intermediaries or document runners. Led by Camila Ocampo — Universidad de los Andes 2007, 15+ years of practice, years leading high-volume immigration strategy for hundreds of foreign nationals at one of Colombia's leading business law firms in Colombia, and advanced specialization in Law and Migration at Los Andes 2025.
We only hire attorneys with more than 3 years of exclusive Colombian immigration experience, and the same senior attorney owns your file from first call to foreign ID in hand.
Sofi, your 24/7 immigration companion
Sofi is our private client app beside your attorney. She tells you in plain English what this visa needs and why, with templates and examples. Upload from your phone — she flags expired files, blurry photos, missing signatures or seals before lawyer review. Live status, deadline reminders, and everything in one ordered file, not scattered chats. Your senior attorney decides strategy and signs filings. Sofi removes waiting so senior hours go to winning.
Total price transparency
Immigration is stressful enough. You approve a fixed legal fee in writing before we start. Government fees are listed separately at official cost with receipts. Partner costs are fixed upfront. If extra work is needed, we explain why, quote it fixed, and proceed only with your approval. No surprise charges, ever..
Commitment to Success
Decisions by the Foreign Ministry are discretionary; therefore, if they request additional information or reject your application, we will adjust our strategy, strengthen the evidence, and either respond or resubmit the application—at no extra legal cost (only the $56 USD government processing fee). This is why we receive referrals, and why testimonials on Google and Lawzana highlight cases where initial rejections were successfully turned into approvals.
Reputation you can verify before you pay.
Word-of-mouth is our main source of clients. Find our client reviews on Google and Lawzana. — real cases, including prior denials turned into approvals — and our public guides and newsroom where we publish real costs, shifting Ministry criteria and timelines. We are a private Colombian law firm, members of Colbar, operating 100% online with formal agreements, upfront payment, careful handling of your data, and zero tolerance for false documents or bribery.
Camila Ocampo & Mariangela Colmenares
What services do we offer for this visa?
You don't need a lawyer to get a visa in Colombia. Let's start there.
The entire process is online and no platform requires a legal representative. That is why most foreigners don't hire one: the process itself is already costly, there is free information on the web, YouTube, Facebook, and AI explains the process and requirements quite well.
But for cases that mean reuniting with loved ones, a one-time investment, medical treatment, retiring in the country or the long-awaited life change, the barriers invite hiring an immigration lawyer:
Officers with discretionary power to request documents not required by law or to declare inadmissible even a complete file.
Three different platforms (SITAC, Migration Single Form and the Migration Colombia appointment system) that reflect the country's bureaucracy.
Expiring tourist permits or a visa about to expire.
Or the very complexity of meeting the requirements of some visas.
Our mission is twofold:
For those who don't hire, we publish updated guides with real experiences by consulate, nationality and visa type.
For those who do need to delegate their immigration strategy, we designed a service to break down those barriers without promising the impossible.
One flat fee. Fixed legal fees for your Resident Visa: $650 USD. Government fees always separate.
Everything starts with a $80 USD strategic consultation (100% credited on hire). There we confirm your case, the legal path and the $650 fixed price in writing. If there is no clear legal path, we say so too. No impossibles, no surprises.
What this visa service includes:
Senior-lawyer document review & building
Request letter + support proof
SITAC filing + daily tracking
Migración Colombia registration
Stay extension request included, if you need it
Inadmission re-applications with no legal fees, until approval
Answers to all Cancillería requirements included
Registration & cédula appointments included, as many as needed
Dependent Visa (children under 25): $300 legal fees
Our promise: if Cancilleria inadmits your application, we re-file it with no legal fees, as many times as needed until approval. Each new $56 USD official study is paid to the State. Final rejections not covered.
How it works: book the $80 consultation → Camila confirms your case and the $650 fixed price in writing → hire with the consultation credited → your lawyer executes and keeps you posted at every step.
Official fees and other costs for this visa (paid directly to the entities, independent from our $650): Visa study (official fee, per filing): $56 USD, R visa issuance (official fee): $408 USD, Cédula de extranjería: $294,000 COP, Official Spanish translations (per page): $20 USD (approx.), Criminal records: $150 USD (approx.), Records apostille: $140 USD (approx.), Migratory movements (per certificate): $89,000 COP.
Only need the transfer: if you are already a pre-2022 resident and only need to update your label before October 31, 2026, the transfer-only service is $450 USD in legal fees.
Transfer fee: if already resident, issuance in the transfer is only $56 USD (plus $56 USD study and $294,000 COP cedula).
Fixed legal fees for your Resident Visa: $650 USD. Transfer only: $450 USD. Government fees always separate.
Ready to Get Started?
Contact Us Today for a Consultation and Let Us Ensure Your Success.
Partner with Colombian Passport and experience peace of mind knowing that your visa application is in expert hands. As your trusted our Immigration Lawyers in Colombia, we're dedicated to turning your visa challenges into successful opportunities.