NO FEE applies for travel to Cartagena, San Andres,Providencia and Santa Catalina
TODAY COLOMBIA NEWS – If you are a Canadian and planning to visit Colombia, take note unless you headed to the tourist areas of Cartagena, San Andres,Providencia and Santa Catalina, as of December 1, 2014, have on handy cash for the reciprocity fee.
Canadians visiting Colombia will have to pack an extra CAS$88 (or 160.000 Colombian pesos) per person. The fee can be paid by credit or card. If made in cash, the payment must be in Colombian pesos. .
Colombia says the visa fee is a “reciprocity fee” that must be paid by Canadian citizens at points of entry before proceeding to immigration control. See note by Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in Spanish only).
A dedicated counter is available to Canadian citizens.
The fee does not apply to Canadian citizens who:
- are under the age of 15 or over the age of 78
- hold a valid visa to enter Colombia
- are connecting through a Colombian airport to another country
- are headed to Cartagena or to the archipelago of San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina
- hold a diplomatic passport and are travelling on official duty (this includes delegates)
Passengers who are unable to pay the fee will not be allowed into Colombia
Colombia joins Argentina and Chile to charge Canadians a reciprocity fee. Although Argentina and Chile do not require Canadians to have a visa to enter the country, the fee applies.
Brazil is the only South American country that requires Canadians to obtain a visa prior to travel. The price varies depending on how you apply for your visa, but typically costs around CAD$80 Canadian Dollars. Visas are valid for 5 years and allow multiple entry. Brazil has no reciprocity fee for Canadians
