Every foreign visitor holding a Colombian visa valid for more than 90 days must obtain a cedula de extranjeria, the official foreign ID issued by Migracion Colombia, within 15 calendar days of entering the country, since that document functions as the primary legal identification for all official procedures, bank account openings, employment contracts, property leases, and health care enrollments under Law 1465 of 2011 and current Migracion Colombia regulations.
Missing the 15-day window carries concrete consequences, since Colombia applies financial penalties and can flag the immigration record for extemporaneity, which complicates future visa renewals and creates complications in procedures where a valid foreign ID is mandatory, so starting the process on the day of arrival or within the first 48 hours is the standard recommendation among immigration specialists.
Step one: Create your account and complete the FUT
Before booking anything, you must register a personal user account on Migracion Colombia’s official portal at migracioncolombia.gov.co, because the system requires this account to access the Formulario Unico de Tramites, known as the FUT, where you enter personal data, upload a scanned copy of your passport’s biographical page, a copy of your visa, and a recent biometric-style photograph on white background measuring 3×4 centimeters.
After you complete and save the FUT, the system assigns a reference code that you carry to every subsequent step; completing it accurately the first time prevents corrections during the in-person appointment that can make the session run over or force rescheduling, which is particularly costly because appointment slots in major cities are scarce.
Booking the appointment and attending in person
New appointment slots open every Sunday at 5:00 PM on Migración Colombia’s scheduling system, and in Bogotá and Medellin they are typically gone by 5:15 or 5:30 PM, making it necessary to be logged in and ready the moment the calendar refreshes; smaller cities such as Manizales, Pereira, Bucaramanga, and Barranquilla generally hold availability longer into the week, giving applicants in those areas more flexibility.
On appointment day, bring three documents as originals with photocopies attached: your valid passport including the entry stamp page, your current Colombian visa, and the completed FUT form with its reference code, along with the payment receipt for the official 2026 fee of $280,000 COP, equivalent to approximately US$74, which you can pay by credit or debit card at the Migracion Colombia office itself, since the institution does not accept cash under any circumstances.
During the appointment, Migración Colombia staff collect biometric data, including fingerprints, a live photograph, and a digital signature, so the entire session typically lasts 20 to 30 minutes, and officials will inform you of the delivery timeline before you leave.
Hoy nuestra Cédula de Extranjería es un documento con los más altos estándares de calidad y el 100% de subproducción está a cargo del Estado Colombiano. Así fortalecemos la soberanía de la información y la gobernanza migratoria. #ConDignidadCumplimos pic.twitter.com/zNZcGkuQZk
— Migración Colombia (@MigracionCol) December 21, 2025
After the appointment: Production time and collection
The physical cédula de extranjería takes five to 10 business days to produce after the biometrics session, and you can monitor readiness at migracioncolombia.gov.co by entering your passport number and nationality, with the portal displaying whether the document is available for pickup at the same Migración Colombia office where the appointment took place.
Once you hold that foreign ID, its practical value extends well beyond identity verification: Colombia’s financial system recognizes the cedula de extranjeria as the primary document for opening a savings account, building a credit history through DataCrédito, enrolling in private health plans, signing lease agreements, and registering a business, so the 15-day deadline is less a bureaucratic formality and more the single step that unlocks full economic participation in the country.