3 countries added to visa-on-arrival program

IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the change? Colombia has added Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar and Serbia to its visa on arrival program.

What does the change mean? Nationals of the three countries may obtain an entry and stay permit (PIP), normally issued as valid for up to 90 days and extendable for a maximum 180 days per calendar year, at the port of entry, or a PIP-7 for technical activities valid for up to 30 days, and convert to the appropriate work visa in-country.

• Implementation time frame: Immediate.
• Visas/permits affected: Entry and stay permits (PIP).
• Who is affected: Nationals of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar and Serbia.
• Impact on processing times: The visa-on-arrival program allows qualifying nationals to avoid having to apply for an entry visa before travel.
• Business impact: Employees who are nationals of any of the three countries will benefit from a more seamless process by entering under a PIP-6 status and converting to a work (migrant) visa upon arrival.

Background: Employees who are visa-waived nationals may travel to Colombia without a visa and may be granted an entry and stay permit according to the activities they intend to perform. They may then convert to a visitor visa (for short-term technical activities or intracompany transfers) or migrant work visas for local hiring or service agreements.

Colombia recently implemented a new immigration law that reorganized visa categories and procedures, including extending the maximum duration of short-term technical visas to two years.

BAL Analysis: Companies sending employees of the three nationalities will benefit from the expansion of the visa-waiver program.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group and our network provider located in Colombia. For additional information, please contact your BAL attorney.

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