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Colombia officially reopened its borders for international tourism on September 21, 2020.
Colombia’s airports reopened on the 21st, initially connecting the nation with the USA, Ecuador, Mexico, Bolivia, Brazil, Dominican Republic and Guatemala, as announced by the Ministry of Transportation.
On September 11, we published an article called “Colombia to resume international flights Sept 21 – what about tourism?” because at that time, the government of Colombia had given no signal if in-bound tourism would resume on the same date the airports were reopening.
Thankfully, we now have our answer. Foreign tourists from all nations are able to visit Colombia as of September 21st, after being locked out of the country for 6 months.
In an interview with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, government official Javier Andrés Escobar told Travel Off Path:
“Colombia will officially reopen its borders on the 21st of September. On the 19th there will be an inaugural Spirit flight coming from Fort Lauderdale. All nations are welcome after September 21st if they have a negative PCR test.”
Here is everything we know about Colombia’s official reopening for tourism, all entry requirements, countries allowed to visit, which flights will resume first, and more key information.
#Comunicado | Gobierno reactiva de manera gradual la operación de vuelos internacionales a partir del
— MinTransporte (@MinTransporteCo) September 16, 2020
próximo 21 de septiembre.
– Estados Unidos, Ecuador, México, Bolivia, Brasil, República Dominicana y Guatemala, serán los primeros países. ¡#VolamosJuntos! pic.twitter.com/LHLcmispmF
Colombia’s Reopening Date For International Tourism:
Monday, September 21, 2020
Countries Allowed to Visit Colombia
All nations.
As of Sept 21, Colombia will remove any covid-related entry restrictions and all nations can once again enter the country.
However, normal visa requirements are still in place. If you are a citizen of a country that normally requires a visa to visit, you will need to obtain one before your trip. Thankfully Colombia has a list of almost 100 countries that can visit visa-free, including: Canada, USA, UK, Australia, and all of the EU.
Credit: Gorden Cheng via Wikipedia Creative Commons
Entry Requirements for Colombia
Here are the entry requirements and bio-security measures for Colombia as we understand them today:
PCR Testing
Not Required
Update: As of November 4th, the PCR requirement has been removed.
Prior to November 4, all passengers into Colombia were required to bring proof of a negative PCR test, taken no longer than 96 hours prior to departure.
Quarantine
Not Required.
No mandatory quarantine is required.
Online Migration Form
Required.
All passengers need to fill out the online migration form called “Check-Mig” between 24 hours and 1 hour before the flight. This form will help pre-screen arrivals and speed up time at customs.
Health Screening
Required.
All arrivals will undergo a health screening, which will include temperature scans.
Masks
Required.
All passengers will need to wear a mask during their in-bound flight, at all times within the airport terminal, and on any transportation to their final destination.
Travel Insurance
Will not mandatory for entry, Travel Off Path always recommends having travel insurance when traveling abroad, especially a policy that covers COVID-19.
Flights to Colombia
Flights will slowly return to Colombia’s four major international airports as airlines start to resume schedules. The Ministry of Transportation site states: “As countries open and lift their restrictions, new destinations will become possible.”
“It should be noted that the international air operation will be carried out with three prioritization criteria, first, the identification of those countries where there are openings of international flights, that is, there are activated routes. Second, that there is airport capacity to serve international flights complying with biosecurity protocols, and third, commercial viability, that is, the interest of the airlines to carry out the flights.”
Here are some of the flights that are scheduled to resume, obviously subject to change:
- Miami – Cartagena on Spirit and American Airlines, resuming Sept 21
- Panama City – Cartagena on Copa, resuming Oct 12
- New York – Cartagena on JetBlue, resuming Oct 10
- Miami – Bogota on Spirit, JetBlue and American, resuming Sept 21
- Atlanta – Bogota on Delta, resuming Oct 1
- Mexico City – Bogota on Aeromexico, resuming Oct 1
- Lima – Bogota on Latam, resuming Oct 1
- Santiago – Bogota on Latam, resuming Oct 1
- Paris – Bogota on Air France, resuming Oct 2
- Houston – Bogota on United, resuming Oct 5
- Dallas – Bogota on American, resuming Oct 10
- New York – Bogota on Avianca, resuming Oct 12
- Panama City – Bogota on Copa, resuming Oct 12
- Madrid – Bogota on Air Europa, resuming Oct 15
- Quito – Bogota on Avianca, resuming Oct 16
- Toronto – Bogota on Air Canada, resuming Oct 25
- Orlando – Bogota on Avianca, resuming Oct 25
- Frankfurt – Bogota on Lufthansa, resuming Oct 25
- Miami – Medellín on Spirit, resuming Sept 21
- Madrid – Medellín on Air Europa, resuming Oct 2
- Mexico City – Medellín on Aeromexico, resuming Oct 2
- New York – Medellín on Avianca, resuming Oct 3
- Panama City – Medellín on Copa, resuming Oct 12
- Lima – Medellín on Viva Air, resuming Oct 18
“Vamos a iniciar con 4 aeropuertos: Bogotá, Rionegro, Palmira y Cartagena, con todos los protocolos implementados, que establecen la toma de pruebas PCR (quienes ingresan al país), evitar aglomeraciones, uso permanente de tapabocas y restricciones de alimentación en los vuelos”
— MinSaludCol (@MinSaludCol) September 16, 2020
El Dorado airport in Bogota is the 3rd busiest airport in Latin America and handled almost 33 million passengers in 2018. When the borders shut down back in March, even transiting through El Dorado was restricted, hindering connectively throughout all of Central and South America. El Dorado is scheduled to once again have the most connectivity for international flights to Colombia throughout the fall.
Land and Sea Borders
Closed.
Earlier this month Colombia extended their land and sea border closure for another 30 days, until at least October 1.
Special Requirement for San Andrés Island
San Andrés, a gorgeous island in the Caribbean Sea belonging to Colombia, requires one further bio-security measure not yet mandatory on mainland Colombia: A contact tracing app.
All visitors must download and use the government’s contact tracing app, called “Coronapp” to help keep the more vulnerable island safe.
Si deseas comprar un tiquete aéreo para realizar un viaje a San Andrés, es necesario que descargues previamente la aplicación CoronApp, registres allí tu deseo de viaje y tus síntomas. Para hacerlo, ingresa a https://t.co/HjTIkybmTD pic.twitter.com/K1ITtTUIJZ
— MinSaludCol (@MinSaludCol) September 15, 2020
Before the pandemic hit, Colombia saw a record number of tourists in 2019, totaling over 4.5 million visitors. The president was quoted saying his goal for 2020 would be 6 million tourists, however that dream was shattered by halting international flights and sealing up borders in March.
Now with tourism resuming during fall/winter season, Colombia is hoping American and Canadian tourists might choose Colombia over other more expensive Caribbean islands. However, with labs all over the USA and Canada backing up with requests, the 96-hour PCR test requirement might be a major hurdle for rebooting Colombia’s desperate tourism industry.
Read More: See which countries in Latin American have reopened for tourism, what companies are offering travel insurance that covers covid, and what nations are open for American and Canadian tourists.
Sources: Ministry of Transportation / Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism / direct interview with government official from Ministry of Tourism /
Disclaimer: Colombia’s reopening news is ever-changing and being updated constantly. We do our best to keep this article up to date with all the latest information, but the decision to travel is ultimately your responsibility. Contact your consulate and/or local authorities to confirm your nationality’s entry and/or any changes to travel requirements before traveling.
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This article was originally published on September 17, 2020 with updates
Elisabeth
Tuesday 10th of November 2020
Unfortunately my country (the Netherlands) doesn't give any (covid) travel insurance in case the country is on 'orange' (which means: only travel when necessary). At the moment almost all countries in the world are 'orange' according to the dutch government. And without an insurance I cannot enter foreign countries because they all require an insurance with covid cover :-(.
Kashlee Kucheran
Tuesday 10th of November 2020
You can purchase travel insurance from a third-party company, no?
Roy Torres
Thursday 22nd of October 2020
Hi Kashlee, with Colombia's re-opening I am looking at traveling to Cartagena for the Christmas season. Do you know if I would be required to take another PCR/Covid test when I leave Cartagena to return to the U.S.?
Kashlee Kucheran
Thursday 22nd of October 2020
There should be no outbound test requirement (that I know of!) and you only need a test to go back home if you happen to live in hawaii. There are a few other cases of certain US states needing a test, but not many (Click HERE to read)
Madelyn Tequin
Wednesday 21st of October 2020
Hello ,Am i allowed to visit Medelin colombia as a tourist for now? I'm from philippines. Thank you🙂
Kashlee Kucheran
Thursday 22nd of October 2020
The article goes over this for you in detail:
Countries Allowed to Visit Colombia All nations.
As of Sept 21, Colombia will remove any covid-related entry restrictions and all nations can once again enter the country.
However, normal visa requirements are still in place. If you are a citizen of a country that normally requires a visa to visit, you will need to obtain one before your trip. Thankfully Colombia has a list of almost 100 countries that can visit visa-free, including: Canada, USA, UK, Australia, and all of the EU.
Joe
Thursday 8th of October 2020
If you are plan on coming to Colombia anytime soon then don’t waste your time! I have been here during the entire quarantine. The governments handling of the reopening of its country is being handled worse than its closure. Don’t expect to be able to extend your tourist visa for 90 days longer or submit for any other visa to remain longer than the initial 90 day stamp. The processing times are outrageous and at this moment they are not going to be doing 90 day extensions at least for 6 months. This is a way for them to capitalize off the pandemic by having you pay for the Covid test and rebuild the airlines. The majority of buses aren’t even running from city to city and if they are open then expect to pay double the price. The price of taxis have also doubled in price. Trust me you are better off waiting at least 6 more months to travel to Colombia.
Katarzyna
Wednesday 7th of October 2020
Hi Covid test 96h before departure? I have plan do test 96 hours before travel. If my journey takes 32 hours, will test still be valid?
Kashlee Kucheran
Wednesday 7th of October 2020
As long as the test is actually performed 96 hours before you leave, you should be okay. Getting there sooner (like 36 hours) is only better, not worse.