Colombia keeps 4 immigration offices closed, blocking visa biometrics

Foreign residents and visa applicants in western Colombia face disrupted paperwork after Migración Colombia kept four regional immigration offices closed following earthquake damage. The offices in Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdó remain shut indefinitely, blocking any procedure that requires showing up in person.

What changed

Migración Colombia suspended seven service centers after the Aug. 10 earthquake to run structural safety checks. Inspections cleared three of them — Armenia, Medellín and Popayán — to reopen by Aug. 14, but the four remaining hubs stayed closed until further notice, the authority confirmed.

With those offices down, several in-person steps are unavailable locally:

• Registration for newly approved visa holders
• Biometric processing and physical collection of the cédula de extranjería
• Salvoconductos (exit and stay permits) for overstays or status disputes
• In-person regularizations for temporary protection and humanitarian permit holders

Routine tourist extensions handled entirely online still work through the agency's web portal, and online pre-registration forms remain operational.

What it means for nomads

The biggest catch is timing. Foreigners granted a Colombian visa normally have a strict 15-day window to complete registration and request an identity card. That deadline still applies even if the nearest office is closed. Online pre-registration can be done remotely, but the mandatory biometrics must be completed at an open center — meaning a trip to a neighboring city such as Armenia or Medellín.

If you are planning a long-term stay in Colombia, budget extra domestic travel time to finish paperwork in person before your registration deadline lapses. Missing the window can complicate your status.

Applicants who already had appointments at the closed branches must wait for Migración Colombia to issue new dates or request an appointment transfer through the agency's virtual customer service portal. Anyone who urgently needs an emergency exit permit or a status regularization should go directly to the nearest open office rather than waiting for local desks to reopen.

Until full service resumes, the practical approach is simple: handle whatever you can online, and plan an in-person visit to an operational office elsewhere in the country to cover biometrics, card collection and other steps that require your physical presence.

Originally reported by Stamped Nomad.