Colombia
Get information, make an appointment, and submit your application
Apply for a visa for France
Visa applicants residing in Colombia must make an appointment with the visa department of the French embassy in Colombia.
- For short-stay visas, plan to apply at least 15 days before your scheduled departure.
- For long stay visas, plan to apply at least 1 month before your scheduled departure.
Whom should I contact ?
Visa applicants residing in Colombia must make an appointment with the visa department of the French embassy in Colombia in order to submit a visa application.
- Colombian citizens residing in Colombia and foreign citizens residing in Colombia (holding a Colombian residence visa or a cédula de extranjería) may apply for a visa at this embassy.
- Colombian citizens who reside in a third country and foreign citizens visiting Colombia (who do not hold a Colombian residence visa or a cédula de extranjería) can not apply for a visa at this embassy.
What are the application fees?
Fees (pdf) are due to the French administration for visa processing. Rates are fixed in euros (€) however they are paid in COP. To obtain the local currency rate (COP), please convert the amount indicated in € multiplying it by the chancellery rate. (Currently 1 € = 3.623,18 COP)
Payment is due in Colombian pesos (COP):
- either in cash with the exact amount,
- or by debit or credit card (VISA only).
A receipt is given to the visa applicant.
No refund is operated in case of visa denial.
Working Holiday Program
An agreement relating to the Working Holiday program signed between France and Colombia provides for the free long working holiday visa for Colombian nationals.
Book an appointment
When you have gathered all the documents requested for your application, you can make an appointment with the visa department of the French Embassy in Bogota. Appointments are only booked online, at no cost, without any other intervention.
Once the appointment is booked, you will be emitted a receipt that you will have to show at the entrance of the visa department. In case you lose the receipt or are unable to print it, it is possible to request a new copy, under "Revoir son rendez-vous".
If you are unable to print your appointment receipt, you can still come on the day of your appointment. Appointments to apply for a visa are exclusively managed through the website.
No appointment will be made by phone or e-mail. If you cannot attend your appointment, please cancel it at least one day in advance.
During peak season, it is advisable to make your appointment in advance, up to a maximum of three months before your trip.
- Only applicants are admitted to the visa department, unless they are accompanied for reasons relating to age, health or impossibility to speak Spanish, English or French.
- Minor applicants must be accompanied by one of their parent (father or mother) or their legal guardian to submit the application.
To make an appointment, the following configuration is required:
- Firefox 1.0 and more
- Mozilla 1.7.8 and above
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 and above
- Adobe Acrobat Reader
- Allow pop-ups
A visa application may be submitted no earlier than 6 months before the departure date. Since appointments are limited, it is advisable to make an appointment as early as possible.
The visa department is open all year round. Peak seasons are from May to end of September and from November to mid-January.
Visa processing times vary from a few days to a few weeks according to the time of the year.
- Aside from certain nationalities, visa processing time for short stays is approximately one week.
- Long stay visa applications are monitored by the French central authority. As a result, processing time can extend to 21 days.
The visa department of the French embassy is aware of the inconvenience caused by possible delays: we are fully committed to reduce processing times. Thank you for understanding.
These processing times do not apply to special visas subject to prior authorization from French authorities or third countries.
Visa department of the french embassy in Colombia
(appointment only)
| Monday | 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. |
| Tuesday | 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. |
| Wednesday | 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. |
| Thursday | 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. |
| Friday | 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
NA
Pratical information
The embassy is closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
Holidays 2024:
- Monday, January 1st
- Monday, January 8th
- Monday, March 25th
- Thursday, March 28th
- Friday, March 29th
- Wednesday, May 1st
- Wednesday, May 8th
- Monday, May 13th
- Monday, June 3rd
- Monday, June 10th
- Monday, July 1st
- Saturday, July 20th
- Wednesday, August 7th
- Monday, August 19th
- Monday, October 14th
- Monday, November 4th
- Monday, November 11th
- Sunday, December 8th
- Wednesday, December 25th
Practical information for the appointment
Prepare your visit
The following documents must be submitted at the time of your application:
- Application form, duly filled and signed
- Two recent identity photographs: one must be pasted on the form, one loose. Please read the photographic standards.
- Passport with a residual validity of at least 6 months and a minimum of two blank visa pages
- Photocopy of the passport identity page
- Cédula de ciudadanía, tarjeta de identidad or contraseña (original and photocopy) for Colombian applicants
- Cédula de extranjería or Colombian residency visa (original and copy) for non-Colombian applicants
- For minors: birth certificate and authenticated authorization to leave the country signed by both parents
- Supporting documents according to the type of visa
- Visa fee in Colombian pesos.
Documents in Spanish, French and English are accepted for applications in Bogota.
We remind you that only visa officers are entitled to request additional documents and that no external intermediary is approved.
Visa applicants must appear in person to submit their visa application to the visa department.
Access to the embassy for people with disabilities:
It is recommended that people in wheelchairs inform the embassy before their appointment.
Biometric data
All visas issued by France are biometric visas.
The following biometric data are collected: a scanned photograph and 10 digitalized fingerprints.
Past twelve years old, personal appearance is mandatory.
If you are between 12 and 18 years old, you will have to be accompanied by your two parents, or by one parent with the authenticated authorization to leave the country signed by the other parent. If parental authority is held by a third party, proof of parental authority must be submitted. Minors cannot be accompanied by other family members (uncles, aunts, grandparents, brothers and sisters ...).
Safety instructions
During your visit to the visa department, you must not hold any weapon or dangerous products. Security checks are carried out prior to admission to the premises.
Track your application
You can follow the progress of your request from your France-Visas account, under "My requests".
Passport delivery
Passports are returned by Domesa de Colombia S.A., a company authorized by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This shipment offers maximum security and confidentiality.
Thus visa applicants are only required to travel to the embassy once since the passport is mailed to its holder.
Mailing can take approximately one week.
A Domesa office is available at the visa department to buy a return envelope. The Domesa envelope can contain from one to five passports, if the application is processed as a group.
The shipment costs 57,800 Colombian pesos to mail to Bogota and 97,900 Colombian pesos to mail to other cities. Payment is due at the Domesa office located at the visa department.
You hold a colombian passport :
Colombian citizens are exempted from short-stay visas (90 days per 180 days) for the Schengen area, Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Reunion, Mayotte, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna, French Polynesia and New Caledonia. However, they still need to apply for a short-stay visa for Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy.
If you have stayed in the Schengen area or the French overseas territories for the past six months and are uncertain about the number of days you are allowed to return to the Schengen area or the French overseas territories, you can use the Schengen calculator.
For information on valid Colombian passport types, please refer to the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs instructions.
Border police may require supporting documents at your entry in the Schengen area. Failure to provide the requested documents may lead to entry denial into European territory. You must hold a valid passport with expiring no sooner than 3 months after your return to Colombia.
For tourism, family or private visits :
- Hotel reservations, accommodation booking or proof of accommodation. It is not require to have the proof accommodation stamped by the consulate.
- Documents relating to the trip: organized trip booking or any other document attesting the planned trip.
- Return ticket: a plane ticket for your return to Colombia.
- Proof of financial means for your stay (cash, credit cards, travelers checks).
Border police may require additional documents for certain categories of travelers.
For business trips :
- An invitation from a company to participate in commercial or industrial meetings, conferences or events
- Any document attesting the existence of commercial or professional relations
- Entrance ticket to a fair.
For educational trips or training courses :
- An enrolment at a training center
- Student card or certificate of enrolment.
Long-stay visa for students :
1st step: interview at the Campus France office
Students wishing to apply for a student visa must complete a process with Campus France before applying for their visa at the visa department of the embassy. Please refer to Campus France for more information.
2nd step: visa application at the visa department of the embassy
Once you have been interviewed by Campus France, you can apply for a visa:
- Make an appointment with the visa department. Applicants must come to the visa department with their passport and the requested documents in order.
- Fee for student visa is half price the long stay visa.
You hold a diplomatic or official passport :
Holders of a Colombian official or diplomatic passport are exempted to hold a visa for stays in France of a maximum duration of 90 days.
Visas issued to official or diplomatic passport holders to perform their duties are free of charge.
Sports, political, scientific, cultural or religious purposes :
In case of any problem related to your visa application, the visa department is available to answer your questions:
- By phone: Monday to Friday from 8h to 13h and from 14h to 17h: +57 (1) 638 14 00
Only questions whose answer is not available on France-Visas will be answered.