Canadian Visitors to Colombia Face New Entry Fee

Migracion Colombia confirmed that starting from the next 14th of November, they will begin to charge a special fee to travelers of Canadian origin, which must be paid during the immigration control process upon entering the country, regardless of the mode of transportation used.

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The fee is 256,000 Colombian pesos (~ USD 62) and, as the agency explained, its imposition is «in response to the costs caused by the imposition of biometric data on Colombian nationals«.

Nevertheless, there are certain groups that are exempted from paying this fee, such as Canadian citizens whose destination and place of stay is the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina, Canadians under the age of 14 and over the age of 79, Canadian citizens who have a valid Colombian visa, diplomatic, consular or official staff and their beneficiaries, and crew members of international transportation, whose status must be stated in official documents.

«Failure to comply with this measure will be a cause for non-admission to Colombia and will result in a return to the country of embarkation by the immigration authority,» concluded the Migration officials.

The charging of this reciprocity fee to Canadian citizens had been suspended in July of 2019 after five years of application, and the move had been applauded by the tourism industry since it favored the competitiveness of Colombian destinations.

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Flights between Canada and Colombia

Currently, Canada and Colombia are connected by 13 weekly flights in each direction. Air Canada operates three weekly flights to Bogotá from Montreal, and three from Toronto. Avianca, on the other hand, has a daily flight between the Colombian capital and Toronto.

During the peak of the winter season, other Canadian airlines usually schedule charter or seasonal flights to beach destinations in Colombia. For instance, in December, Transat will operate two weekly flights to Cartagena from Montreal, and a weekly flight from Toronto.