Overstay in Colombia: Fine and Process

You overstay when you stay past the date on your Colombian entry stamp. Migración Colombia (the immigration authority) handles an overstay as an administrative case. There is no fixed price list. The amount depends on the facts of the case. The official in charge weighs those facts. The official rules set ranges, not a tariff. They also list ways to fix the situation if the person acts early. Airport and exit charges on a flight ticket are a separate system from immigration fines.

This guide has two parts. The first part gives what the official sources say. The second part, further down, gives what people in expat groups report. It carries a label.

What the official sources say

The stamp is a permit, not a visa

Visitors from countries that do not need a visa for short stays enter on an entry permit (permiso de ingreso y permanencia, or PIP). The port of entry issues it. Migración Colombia says it is valid for up to 90 calendar days. The PIP page lists the types. A visa is a different document with its own dates. Staying beyond the term of either document is irregular stay (permanencia irregular). This is the term in Decreto 1067 de 2015 (Decree 1067 of 2015).

There is also a yearly cap. The extension page of Migración Colombia says a temporary extension (Permiso Temporal de Permanencia, PTP) cannot take the total past 180 calendar days in the same calendar year. The days can be continuous or not.

How to extend before the date passes

Migración Colombia describes the extension for nationalities that do not need a visa. The applicant must hold a valid PIP. The page sets 5 business days before the PIP expires as the latest point to request the extension. For an entry permit for tourism, the extension is for up to 90 calendar days. The page says a request alone does not mean the extension is granted. If the payment is not made in time, the authority treats the request as withdrawn. The page shows a fee of 150,000 Colombian pesos (COP). It lists a 2026 rate, and fees change. Its exceptions table shows no charge for nationals of the European Union and Ecuador. These are the steps on the official extension page:

1. Request the extension online, within the time limit above.
2. Fill in the single procedures form (FUT).
3. Attach a PDF of the passport.
4. Wait for the pre-approval email.
5. Pay as the email instructs.
6. Receive the document by email 3 business days after payment.

How an overstay is treated

The sanctions rules are in Resolution 2357 of 2020 of Migración Colombia. Resolution 3770 of 2021 later converted the amounts to tax units (UVT). In short:

• A fine, in a lower tier. Irregular stay with "special circumstances" is among the lighter infractions. The fine is between 26.31 and 210.50 UVT. The UVT for 2026 is 52,374 COP according to the tax authority (DIAN). That range works out to roughly 1.4 to 11.0 million COP. The formula in the resolution uses the UVT in force on the date the authority imposes the fine. This is arithmetic on the range. It is not a price for any given number of days.
• What counts as a special circumstance. Article 16 gives examples. The authority may consider them at its discretion: proven family unity, a documented medical situation, or a current work, investment or study link. Article 16 states that the examples apply to nationals of countries that do not need a visa for Colombia. The work, investment or study example counts only for a person whose visa expired no more than 30 days earlier. A fine can replace deportation. If the person wants to stay, the article says the person must apply for a visa within 30 calendar days after the fine becomes final.
• Deportation is the legal alternative. Decree 1067 lists irregular stay with no special circumstances among the grounds for deportation. Two more grounds are on that list. One is not paying a fine imposed by Migración Colombia. The other is letting more than two months pass after the fine without any payment. A deportation order carries an entry ban. The resolution sets the ban at not less than six months and not more than ten years. The decree says a deported person may return only with a visa issued by a Colombian consulate.
• The amount is graduated. Article 22 says the officer weighs conduct, how serious the breach is, repeat behavior and how long it lasted. Article 23 lets the authority waive the fine in listed cases, such as force majeure.
• Repeat fines matter. Two or more fines in the same calendar year from the same public body are a ground for deportation.

Fixing the stay early: the signed acknowledgement

Article 26 describes two optional measures. They are for a person who entered regularly on an entry permit and has not been in irregular stay for more than 30 calendar days. Both start with a signed acknowledgement of responsibility (Acta de Reconocimiento de Responsabilidad Administrativa).

• One leads to a late permit to stay until the 180-day total is reached. It requires a 90-day permit and no earlier extension request.
• The other leads to a late permit to leave the country.

The same article says these measures apply only before a sanctions process starts. The authority grants them at its discretion. They create no right. They work only once per type of infraction. Migración Colombia sets their cost each year.

The safe-conduct (salvoconducto)

A safe-conduct is a temporary document that Migración Colombia issues. Under the decree, there are two types. The exit safe-conduct (SC-1) is for a person in irregular stay. The authority issues it after any monetary sanction is paid, for up to 30 calendar days. The stay safe-conduct (SC-2) is for a person who can apply for a visa from inside Colombia. The authority also issues it after the sanction is paid, for up to 30 days. The official safe-conduct page gives the general fee for 2026: 88,000 COP. The office does not accept cash. The steps on that page:

1. Fill in the online form.
2. Book an appointment.
3. Attend in person with the originals.
4. Collect the safe-conduct one business day after payment.

Leaving without settling it

The decree lists grounds for refusing entry. Two of them are unpaid monetary sanctions imposed by Colombian authorities, and having used 180 days in a calendar year and trying to enter again that same year. Neither ground comes with a fixed ban for a given number of days. The requirements for leaving are on the exit requirements page of Migración Colombia. The traveler must use the same travel document used at entry. The traveler must be inside the stay period granted at entry.

Airport fees on international departures are a separate system. The notice to airlines from the aviation authority describes an airport fee and an exit stamp tax. Airlines report both. Migración Colombia imposes immigration fines through its own administrative process.

What residents report

Reports from Colombia expat Facebook groups, October 2026; individual experiences, not official figures.

• One member reports that an officer reduced an assessed amount of about 3,500,000 COP. A 25-day overstay then closed at just under 2,000,000 COP, including the safe-conduct.
• One member reports paying about US$1,400 after a year-long overstay.
• One member reports leaving without paying. The member reports being told of no re-entry until 2027, with the fine still owed.
• One member reports that a border crossing could not process the payment. Staff sent the member to a city office to pay and obtain the safe-conduct.
• Members disagree about bans. One person reports being told a one-day overstay brings a two-year ban. Others dispute it. The official rules above do not set a ban by number of days.
• Members report that the roughly 30-dollar charge an airline collected in one case was the exit tax, not an immigration fine.
• Members report that officers now warn frequent visitors about the 180-day calendar-year cap. One member reports being refused entry after using more than 180 days.
• Members report that visa denials begin at a second overstay. In one case, the overstays were 33 days over, then 49 days over.
• Some members report applying for extensions online "about a week" before expiry. The official page gives 5 business days before expiry as the latest point to request it.

Questions to ask

• Is my case a fine, a signed acknowledgement, or a deportation process?
• How does the authority calculate the amount? Can I request a reduction or waiver?
• Do I need a safe-conduct? For how many days?
• Does this record affect a future visa application?
• Which office handles my case: the office where I am, or the office where I entered?

Documents people usually keep

• Passport and all stamps.
• Proof of the sanction payment and any safe-conduct.
• Receipts for every fee, for any future visa file.

Long stays can also affect tax residency. Tax residency runs on different clocks from immigration. Our guide to US tax reporting for Colombian property covers the US side. For the visa side, see Colombian visas in plain English.

Educational information, not legal or tax advice. For your own case, ask a licensed immigration lawyer or a licensed immigration adviser in Colombia.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the overstay fine in Colombia?

There is no fixed tariff. The sanctions resolution sets a range of 26.31 to 210.50 tax units (UVT) for the lighter tier. Migración Colombia sets the amount case by case. The "What residents report" section above collects the amounts residents report. They are individual experiences, not official prices.

Can I just leave and pay later?

The decree lists unpaid monetary sanctions among the grounds for refusing entry. Not paying a Migración Colombia fine is also a ground for deportation. Ask Migración Colombia how it handles a specific case.

Will I be banned for overstaying 1 day?

The official rules do not set a ban by number of days. An entry ban of six months to ten years attaches to a deportation order. The resolution sets the length. Reports from residents conflict.

How do I extend my entry permit?

Request the extension online through Migración Colombia. The entry permit must be valid. Request it no later than 5 business days before the permit expires. An entry permit for tourism gets up to 90 more days. The total never passes 180 days in the calendar year. The page lists a 150,000 COP fee for 2026, with exceptions.

What is a safe-conduct (salvoconducto)?

A safe-conduct is a temporary document from Migración Colombia. In the overstay cases the decree describes, the authority issues it after any fine is paid. It lasts up to 30 days. It is either to leave (SC-1) or to stay while applying for a visa (SC-2). The general fee listed for 2026 is 88,000 COP.

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