This isn’t technically a “visa extension,” and the terminology mix-up trips up a lot of people. Most nationalities (US, Canada, UK, EU, Australia, and most of Latin America) don’t get a visa on arrival at all; they get a PIP (Permiso de Ingreso y Permanencia), a tourism stay permit stamped into your passport, normally for 90 days. What you’re extending is that permit, via a PTP (Permiso Temporal de Permanencia), sometimes still called by its older name, the Prórroga de Permanencia.
The number that actually matters: 180 days per year #
You can extend once, for up to 90 additional days, but the real limit to plan around is the 180-day annual cap: your PIP plus your PTP cannot together exceed 180 days in a single calendar year (January 1 to December 31), no matter how you split them across multiple entries. Leaving and re-entering does not reset this. If you use 100 days on your first visit, you have 80 left for the rest of that calendar year, full stop.
This is the single most common mistake foreigners make: treating Colombia like a country where a border run resets your clock. It doesn’t. The 180 days are cumulative and annual, not per-visit.
How to apply for the extension #
Apply online, before your current PIP expires, through Migración Colombia’s official portal (apps.migracioncolombia.gov.co), selecting “Permiso Temporal para Prorrogar Permanencia.” You’ll need your passport, your current PIP stamp, and the local contact details (name, phone, address) of someone in Colombia, such as a landlord or hotel. Processing typically takes a few business days; apply at least a week before expiry rather than at the last minute.
What it costs #
The government fee has been reported at different figures across 2026 sources, generally in the COP 120,000 to 150,000 range (roughly USD 30 to 40), though at least one source citing Resolution 0599 of 2026 describes the PTP as fee-exempt. Given the inconsistency, confirm the current fee directly on the Migración Colombia portal when you apply rather than relying on any published number, including this one.
If you overstay #
Overstay fines in Colombia are calculated per day and can run from roughly COP 350,000 up to several million pesos depending on how long you overstayed, payable before you’re allowed to leave the country. Beyond the fine, an overstay can also affect future visa applications and entry.
If you need more than 180 days #
The tourist permit route has a hard ceiling. If you want to stay longer or work remotely from Colombia beyond the tourist allowance, you need an actual visa: the Digital Nomad Visa for remote workers, or one of the other Migrant (M) visa categories covered in our residency guide.
A note on “visa help” services #
Search results for Colombia visa extensions turn up a number of paid third-party services offering to handle the paperwork for a fee. The extension process itself is straightforward enough to do yourself directly through the official Migración Colombia portal, and we’d rather point you there than to a service we can’t independently vouch for.
Related: Visa and Residency for Expats | How to Get Residency in Colombia | Colombia Digital Nomad Visa
