Tomás Restrepo
Partner and director of the immigration department
- Specialist in Business Law
- Has led Nexo Legal's immigration practice since 2020
For ministers, missionaries and religious students
Colombia religious visa: requirements, cost and time
The Colombia religious visa is for you if a religious organization recognized by the Colombian state brings you for its ministry, or as its missionary.
The organization behind you has to show bank statements that average about USD 53,030 or more (COP 175,090,500 in 2026).
Handled by Tomás Restrepo, partner and director of the immigration departmentReviewed on November 9, 2026
4.8 on Google · 251 reviews
Do you qualify for the religious visa?
The religious visa lasts up to 2 years (Resolution 5477 of 2022, art. 42).
Time on it does not count toward the resident visa (art. 90).
This is what Cancillería asks of you and of the organization.
- Ministry or missionary work. You serve in the religious ministry, or as a missionary of the organization.
- An organization recognized by the state. Its recognition and legal representation are certified by the Ministry of the Interior, or by the competent diocese or archdiocese.
- You belong to its hierarchy. Its legal representative signs a letter saying so, with your type of contract, your purpose and your activities in Colombia.
- It is responsible for your health. The same letter makes it responsible for your social security and health coverage.
- Its bank statements. Its last 6 months average the minimum or more.
- Work only in that activity. The visa lets you work only in the activity registered in it.
- Religious volunteer or student? A 1-year religious visa covers it.
- Social or development volunteering? The volunteer visa covers it.
What you must prove in 2026
Set by Cancillería · these are not our fees
- Organization's bank statements, averageCOP175,090,500 or moreabout USD 53,030 · 100 minimum wages, last 6 monthsSource: Cancillería, Resolution 5477 of 2022, art. 42, num. 4
Minimum wage in 2026: COP 1,750,905. It changes every January, and the threshold moves with it. Source: Decree 1469 of 2025 (the transitional Decree 159 of 2026 kept the same amount).
Checked on November 12, 2026.
How to get your religious visa in 4 steps
The documents set the pace, so we ask for the slowest one first.
We check your organization
We confirm the organization, its recognition and your activity, before we ask you for any document.
If it does not qualify, we explore other ways for you to live in Colombia.
We gather the documents with you
Most of them come from the organization: its certificate, its letter and its bank statements.
You provide your passport and a photo.
We file your application
We file it online, whether you are in Colombia or abroad.
Cancillería studies it and decides.
We follow your application to a decision
Once it is approved and you pay the issuance fee, your electronic visa arrives by email within 10 business days (Resolution 5477 of 2022, art. 101).
Then we tell you how to register it with Migración Colombia and get your foreigner ID card.
You may also need
Services our religious clients add to the visa.
A case we see often
- The situation
A pastor had come in and out of Colombia as a tourist for years.
He supervised several congregations here.
- His question
He asked what the religious visa would give him, starting with a bank account.
We told him an approved visa leads to a foreigner ID card, which usually makes banking easier.
- The decision
He told us he had the organization's certificate and its letter.
He stepped back when he learned that no one could guarantee the visa.
Having your documents in order does not guarantee the visa.
Cancillería decides it (art. 18).
Does your religious organization in Colombia have what the visa asks for? Write to us and we will review its documents with you. →
Colombia religious visa requirements: the documents
This is what Cancillería asks for the religious visa (Resolution 5477 of 2022, arts. 24, 32 and 42):
- Certificate of recognition. The organization's recognition and legal representation, issued by the Ministry of the Interior or by the competent diocese or archdiocese.
- For other religious organizations. Cancillería checks their recognition in the Ministry's Public Registry of Religious Entities. If it cannot, it asks you for the certificate.
- Letter from its legal representative. It states that you belong to its hierarchy, your type of contract, your purpose and activities, and that it is responsible for your social security and health.
- The organization's request. Signed by its legal representative: the organization, you, your activity, how long, how you are related and who pays for your stay (art. 32).
- Its statement of responsibility. Signed by hand with a fingerprint, covering your costs in Colombia and your return to your country.
- If the organization was incorporated abroad. Its certificate of existence and legal representation (art. 32).
- Its bank statements. Its last 6 months, averaging the minimum or more.
- Passport. Valid, with the page of your last entry stamp.
How recent each document must be, the apostille and the translation depend on your case.
At Nexo Legal, in Medellín, Tomás Restrepo, partner and director of the immigration department, gives you the exact list for your case, reviews each document and files your application. Our fee for the religious visa is COP 2,091,000.
Religious volunteers and students: a 1-year visa
If you come as a volunteer or student in religious training, or for theological studies, the visa lasts up to 1 year (Resolution 5477 of 2022, art. 43).
It is for an institute or organization of a church or religious confession recognized by the Colombian state.
- Certificate of recognition. The same one, issued by the Ministry of the Interior or by the competent diocese or archdiocese.
- Letter from the religious organization. It states your purpose and activities in Colombia.
- Its letter of support. If it supports your stay, it shows bank statements for its last 6 months, with the same average.
- Health coverage. Coverage in Colombia, or a health policy valid in Colombia for your whole stay, covering accident, illness, maternity, disability, hospitalization, death and repatriation.
It lets you do only the activity registered in the visa.
When your volunteering ends, you return to your country of origin or residence.
This visa does not let you apply for an M or R visa from Colombia.
What happens after the visa
Living in Colombia
You can enter and leave Colombia as many times as you want while the visa is valid (Resolution 5477 of 2022, art. 27).
If the organization asks to end your visa, or the reasons it was granted change, your visa can end early (art. 109).
If you spend more than 183 days in Colombia within 365, you become a tax resident, whatever your visa. Taxes for foreigners →
Toward residency
To live in Colombia long term, you need an M visa.
If your nationality needs a visa, you cannot switch to an M or R visa from inside Colombia (art. 29).
Your family
On the religious visa, your spouse or permanent partner and your children can join you on a beneficiary visa if they depend on you financially (art. 42).
Your children qualify up to 25, or at any age with a disability.
The visa for religious volunteers and students does not allow beneficiaries (art. 43).
Questions ministers and missionaries ask us
How long does the religious visa take?
Cancillería has up to 30 calendar days to decide once the application is complete and the study fee is paid (Resolution 5477 of 2022, art. 13).
It can take longer if Cancillería consults other entities.
Is there a missionary visa?
Yes. If you are a missionary of a religious organization recognized by the Colombian state, you need the religious visa (Resolution 5477 of 2022, art. 42).
See the documents →
I have been coming in and out of Colombia for years to serve churches. Do I need the religious visa?
Yes. If you serve churches in Colombia, you need the religious visa: it covers the ministry and lets you work in that activity (Resolution 5477 of 2022, art. 42).
Another option is a permit from Migración Colombia for other activities.
As a tourist, you cannot work in Colombia.
Can I work on the religious visa?
Yes, but only in the activity registered in your visa (Resolution 5477 of 2022, art. 42).
Keep in mind that you and the organization follow Colombian labor rules (art. 16).
On the visa for religious volunteers and students, you can do only the activity registered in it (art. 43).
Who covers my health on the religious visa?
For ministry or missionary work, the organization's letter makes it responsible for your social security and health coverage (Resolution 5477 of 2022, art. 42).
As a religious volunteer or student, you show health coverage in Colombia or a health policy valid here for your whole stay (art. 43).
Can I come in as a tourist and apply from Colombia?
Yes. If you apply from Colombia, you add the page of your passport with your last entry stamp (Resolution 5477 of 2022, art. 24).
My application was declared inadmissible. Can I apply again?
Yes. After an inadmissible decision, you can file a new application (Resolution 5477 of 2022, art. 98).
A refusal is different: you leave Colombia within 30 days and wait 6 months before applying again (art. 99).
If we handle your visa, the second application carries no professional fees: we review what led to the decision and fix it before we file again.
Can I stay in Colombia while it is processed?
You need to stay in the country where you applied until Cancillería decides: in Colombia if you applied from here, or abroad if you applied from there.
In Colombia, your status has to stay regular the whole time, with a valid visa, a stay permit or a safe-conduct (Resolution 5477 of 2022, art. 13).
We check your dates before filing, so your permit does not run out midway.
What happens when my religious visa expires?
To stay longer, we apply again before it expires, for the same fee.
Once it ends, you have 30 calendar days to leave Colombia or apply for a new visa (Resolution 5477 of 2022, art. 111).
Don't see your case?
Tell us about it. In a free 15-minute call, we assess it and send you a proposal.
In-depth questions? 1-hour consultation: COP 400,000 (about USD 121).Outside what we do? We refer you to someone who does.
Visa and document costs, besides our fees
They go to Cancillería, Migración Colombia and the document issuers.
Religious visa
Fixed fees
- Visa study feeCancillería · Nov 4, 2026USD 56
- Visa issuance, only if grantedCancillería · Nov 4, 2026USD 183
- Foreigner ID cardMigración Colombia, Resolution 0599 of 2026, art. 1 · Nov 12, 2026COP 294,000about USD 89
Apostilles and translations
For documents issued abroad
- Apostille of a U.S. state document, such as a pension letterUSD 160
- Apostille of a U.S. federal document, such as the FBI checkUSD 180
- Certified translation into Spanish, per pageUSD 15
We do not process apostilles ourselves.For U.S. documents, we can refer you to a company that does, at these prices.Elsewhere, each document is apostilled in its own country, and the price varies.
Your proposal adds them up for your case, together with our fees.
Who handles your case
Your visa is handled by the firm's immigration area, led by Tomás Restrepo.
- 3partners lead the legal, tax and immigration areas
- 22professionals in corporate, private, employment, intellectual property, immigration and tax law
- Medellínour own office
What our clients say
4.8
Based on 251 reviews
Google
Maria Isabel SNovember 12, 2026
Great human quality, the team was always there to solve all my questions. 100% recommend it
Nikola Tarasiuk CorreaOctober 26, 2026
Great service! Tomás who was taking care of my case was very responsive and helpful with every step of the process. Highly recommended :)
Kent MennemSeptember 17, 2026
Nexo Legal provides great services. They are extremely responsive and efficient! Highly recommended.
Joshua HarrisSeptember 14, 2026
They have been super helpful with me through multiple rounds of figuring out my visa and paying taxes. Nexo is who I go to for all my legal needs
Ken KanouseSeptember 6, 2026
I have used Nexo Legal for filing mine and my wife's Colombian income taxes the past 3 years. While I am retired and Colombia doesn't tax my retirement income, the filing still needs to be done. Each year the tax accountant requests the necessary information early so they can be filed accurately on time. They are very easy to work with, and I'd recommend using them for all you accounting and legal needs.
Chris HumphreyAugust 20, 2026
I’ve trusted Tomas and Nexo team on multiple visa applications and would highly recommend them when considering your next legal needs
daniela sanchezAugust 4, 2026
Great experience atty Tomas was very helpful in walking me through every step of the way and keeping me calm and stress free . I would highly recommend this firm with my eyes closed 🙂
Mark HarringtonJuly 31, 2026
Tomas handled my wife's visa application very professionally and was always available to address any questions or issues. Five stars
Arthur WalstonJuly 29, 2026
This was my first time working with The Nexo Firm. I have nothing but high regards for this Firm and specially for Tomas Restrepo. Tomas helped me with my visa process and communicated with me on the progress from start to finish. Plus, his English is very good so there is no language barrier. So, if your traveling aboard and you need help with the visa process, I highly recommend The Nexo Firm and Tomas Restrepo!
Shivaya GuraveJuly 22, 2026
Camila recently helped me obtain my RUT tax registration then did the necessary paperwork and filed my Colombian tax for 2025. Fast, reasonable price, in flawless English. I highly recommend her and Nexo Legal.
nicca louisJuly 7, 2026
All the way from NJ, USA this firm helped me revolve matters in Columbia so fast! I'm appreciative and glad I got the chance to work with them because I would still be fighting this legal battle if I did it on my own!
LilyJuly 6, 2026
Camila was a great accountant to work with and made filing taxes in Colombia as a digital nomad super easy! Thank you
See all 251 reviews on Google →
Client stories on video
What will happen after you fill out this form?
After you send the form, our team reviews your case and a specialist contacts you, usually within the hour during business hours, to clarify details and outline the next steps.
Nexo Legal is a private law and accounting firm, not a government office. Visa decisions are made by Colombia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Cancillería) and tax matters are decided by the DIAN; no lawyer can guarantee the result.