Last updated: October 29, 2026 · Nexo Legal Immigration Team
Quick answer: The traspaso de visa is a mandatory transfer that Colombia’s Foreign Ministry (Cancillería) requires from holders of a Colombia resident visa whose visa label has expired, is about to expire, or was issued with no expiration date. The deadline is October 31, 2026. The procedure is done 100% online, and you need it to update your visa and to get your cédula de extranjería from Migración Colombia.
If you have been living in Colombia for years on a permanent resident visa, this is the one deadline of 2026 you can’t let slide. Below is what the traspaso de visa is, how to tell if it applies to you, and what to do with the time that’s left.
Table of Contents
- What Is the Traspaso de Visa?
- Does the Traspaso de Visa Apply to You?
- Why It Matters: Your Visa Label and Your Cédula
- How the Traspaso de Visa Works
- What to Do If You’re Running Out of Time
- After the Transfer: Your Cédula de Extranjería
- Common Mistakes With the Traspaso de Visa
- FAQ
What Is the Traspaso de Visa?
In Colombia, “traspaso” means transfer. A traspaso de visa moves your existing permanent resident visa into a new visa label under Cancillería’s current system. You keep the same immigration status. What changes is the document that proves it.
This matters because a Colombia resident visa is the top of the immigration ladder. Unlike a Migrant (M) visa, it isn’t tied to a job, a marriage or an investment that has to be renewed every few years. That permanence is exactly why many residents forget about paperwork: they assume “permanent” means they will never have to deal with Cancillería again.
The traspaso de visa is the exception. Cancillería has made it mandatory for a specific group of permanent residents, with a hard deadline of October 31, 2026.
If you are still working your way toward residency, our guide on how to make Colombia your permanent home explains the full path from a first visa to the resident visa.
Does the Traspaso de Visa Apply to You?
According to Cancillería’s official announcement of September 15, 2026, the traspaso de visa applies to holders of a Permanent Resident visa whose visa label:
| Your situation | Does the traspaso apply? |
|---|---|
| Your resident visa label has expired | Yes |
| Your resident visa label is about to expire | Yes |
| Your resident visa label was issued with indefinite validity (no expiration date) | Yes |
| You hold a Migrant (M) or Visitor (V) visa | No, this deadline is only for resident visas |
The third case is the one that catches people off guard. If your visa label never had an expiration date, it’s easy to assume nothing will ever be asked of you. That label is precisely one of the cases the traspaso de visa is meant to update.
How to check: open your passport (or the one where your resident visa was stamped) and look at the visa label. Find the expiration date field. If it’s in the past, coming up soon, or says the visa has indefinite validity, the deadline applies to you.
Check your visa label and your documents before you start the transfer.
If you’re not sure which visa you hold, start with our Colombian visa requirements guide for 2026, which explains each visa type.
Why It Matters: Your Visa Label and Your Cédula
Cancillería’s announcement is direct about what the traspaso de visa unlocks:
- It is required to update your visa label. Without the transfer, the resident visa in your passport stays in its old, expired or indefinite form.
- It is required for Migración Colombia to issue your cédula de extranjería. The cédula is the foreign ID card you use every day in Colombia: at the bank, with your landlord, at a notary, with your health insurance and when you sign contracts.
In practice, this is where problems show up. Your resident status itself was legitimately granted. But if your visa label and your cédula can’t be updated, every procedure that asks for a valid ID becomes harder. Our foreign ID card guide explains everything the cédula de extranjería is used for.
How the Traspaso de Visa Works
Cancillería has confirmed three things about the process:
- It is 100% online. You submit the request through Cancillería’s visa platform at cancilleria.gov.co, without going to an office in person.
- You don’t need an intermediary. Cancillería says you can do it directly yourself. If someone tells you that you are legally required to hire a third party, that’s not true.
- The deadline is October 31, 2026. As of October 29, 2026, we have not seen any announcement of another extension, so plan as if there won’t be one.
The traspaso de visa is submitted 100% online on Cancillería’s visa platform.
What decides whether your request moves forward is consistency. The information you enter and the documents you upload have to match each other: your name exactly as it appears in your passport, your passport details, and the details of the visa you are transferring. Small differences, like a passport renewed since your visa was issued or a name written differently, are the usual reason a request stalls.
Before you start, have these at hand:
- The passport where your resident visa label appears.
- Your current passport, if it’s a different one.
- Your current or last cédula de extranjería, if you have one.
- A clear digital copy of the visa label you are transferring.
Check the exact list of documents and the current fees on Cancillería’s platform when you open the request. They are set by Cancillería and can change.
What to Do If You’re Running Out of Time
With the deadline this close, here is the order we recommend:
- Today: confirm whether it applies to you. Check your visa label against the table above.
- Today: gather your documents and make sure the names and numbers match across your passports, your visa and your cédula.
- Submit before October 31. Don’t wait for the last day. Online platforms tend to slow down near deadlines.
- Keep proof of submission. Save a screenshot or PDF of the confirmation and your request number.
With the deadline this close, get every document ready today.
If your visa is very old, your passports changed, or something in your records doesn’t line up, that’s when it pays to have someone review the case before you submit. A rejected request this close to the deadline leaves almost no room to fix it.
Need help with your traspaso de visa? Nexo Legal’s immigration team can review your case and handle the transfer for you. Message us on WhatsApp and tell us what your visa label says.
After the Transfer: Your Cédula de Extranjería
Once your traspaso de visa is approved, the next step is your cédula de extranjería. Cancillería’s announcement links the two directly: the transfer is what allows Migración Colombia to issue your cédula.
Your resident status stays the same; the transfer updates the document that proves it.
Don’t stop at the visa. If your cédula is expired or shows old visa information, request the new one with Migración Colombia as soon as your updated visa is issued. Keep a copy of your migratory movements certificate handy as well. It’s the document that shows your entries and exits, and it’s often requested in immigration procedures.
If your long-term plan is to become a Colombian citizen, your resident visa and your cédula are part of that record. Our Colombian citizenship roadmap explains how residency time counts toward naturalization.
Common Mistakes With the Traspaso de Visa
- Assuming “permanent” means no paperwork. A permanent resident visa doesn’t expire like an M visa, but its label can still need a traspaso de visa.
- Ignoring a visa label with no expiration date. Indefinite validity is one of the cases the transfer covers.
- Uploading documents that don’t match. A renewed passport, a different spelling of your name or an old cédula number are the most common mismatches.
- Waiting for the last day. If something fails on October 31, there’s no time left to correct it.
- Paying someone who “guarantees” the result. The procedure is official and online. No one can guarantee an approval that depends on Cancillería.
- Forgetting the cédula afterwards. The transfer is the first step. Your updated cédula de extranjería is what you’ll use day to day.
FAQ
What is the traspaso de visa in Colombia?
It’s a mandatory transfer that Cancillería requires from certain holders of a Colombia resident visa. It moves your permanent resident visa into a new label under the current system. Your status stays the same; the document is updated.
Who has to do the traspaso de visa?
Holders of a Permanent Resident visa whose visa label has expired, is about to expire, or was issued with indefinite validity, according to Cancillería’s announcement of September 15, 2026.
What is the deadline for the traspaso de visa?
October 31, 2026. As of October 29, 2026, no further extension has been announced.
Is the traspaso de visa done online?
Yes. The procedure is 100% online through Cancillería’s visa platform, without going to an office in person.
Do I need a lawyer or an agency for the traspaso de visa?
No. Cancillería says you can do it directly. Getting help is optional, and it’s most useful when your visa is old, your passports changed or your records don’t match.
Why do I need the traspaso de visa if my residency is permanent?
Because without it you can’t update your visa label, and Migración Colombia can’t issue your cédula de extranjería. Your status was granted legitimately, but the documents that prove it need to be current.
Does the traspaso de visa apply to M or V visas?
No. This deadline is only for Permanent Resident visas.