How to Respond to a Colombian Visa Requirement (Requerimiento): The 6 Official Steps

What a Colombian visa requirement is

When the Visa Authority considers it necessary, your application may be issued a requirement: its status changes to “Requerimiento de información” (information request) and a message with the details is sent to the email address you provided. That is how the official Cancillería infographic and the SITAC user guide describe it.

A requirement is not a denial. It is the chance the authority gives you to complete your file before deciding. But the rules are strict: if you do not answer in time, or answer incorrectly, the procedure can end without a visa and without a refund of the study fee.

You can check at any moment whether your application is under a requirement with the official status check form; see our Spanish guide on checking your visa application status.

Deadlines and rules you must know

The 6 official steps to respond to a visa requirement

Step 1. Check your email

The requirement arrives at the email address you entered in the application. Read it in full: it states the reason and the documents or data you must provide, and it includes the application number you will need in step 3. Check spam and promotions folders. If you mistyped your email when applying, you will only see the requirement through the status check.

Tip: list every item requested. Many responses fail because they only cover half of the requirement.

Step 2. Access your visa application

The infographic says to go to the official Ministry website (cancilleria.gov.co/tramites_servicios/visa) and enter your previously registered visa application. The direct form link is solicitarVisa.xhtml. Enter your details exactly as you originally registered them: passport, nationality, dates and names.

Step 3. Complete and verify the information

Enter the application number. The infographic stresses that “this field must always be filled out in order to respond to the requirement”. The SITAC guide adds that without this number the application cannot be updated, and that if you received several emails you should use the most recent number. Then check that the registered information is correct and update or complete any missing details in the sections indicated in the email.

Step 4. Upload the required documents

In the Supporting Documents (Soportes) section, click the (+) icon next to the requested document. The infographic gives a key instruction: if the document does not correspond to any of the listed fields, upload it in any available field by combining all files into a single PDF. Its highlighted note insists: “All required documents must be uploaded in a single PDF file.”

Step 5. Confirm the upload of documents

Verify that the files were saved correctly and that the previous supporting documents were not deleted. To confirm, the infographic suggests downloading the complete PDF from the corresponding item and checking that each document is included and in good condition. Also remember the photo requirements set in the form: 3 × 4 cm, color, white background, JPG up to 495 KB.

Step 6. Complete the process

Proceed to the Confirmation section, fill in the required information and click Save. Without this last step your answer is not registered. Afterwards, use the official status check to make sure the application left “Requerimiento” and returned to study.

How to prepare your response PDF

• One single PDF with all requested documents, in the order of the email. Optionally add a cover page listing each document and which point of the requirement it answers.
• Color and legible. Color PDFs scanned with a professional scanner; nothing illegible. Check the file size before uploading: over-compressing ruins quality.
• Recent documents. Supporting documents must not be older than three months (Art. 20).
• Apostille and translation. Foreign documents need an apostille or legalization and an official Spanish translation (Art. 21).
• Names identical to your passport on every document, including your health insurance policy.

Why Cancillería issues requirements

The resolution allows the authority to request additional documents when the information provided is not enough to decide (Art. 19). In practice, the most common reasons we see at CoVisas are:

• A health policy or medical plan that does not cover Colombian territory or the full stay, or does not meet the category's requirement. We can verify your policy for Cancillería.
• Documents without apostille, without official translation, or older than three months.
• Incomplete bank statements or proof of income that does not show the category's requirement.
• Name or data mismatches between the passport, the form and the documents.
• Illegible documents or files uploaded in the wrong field.

Mistakes that turn a requirement into an inadmission

1. Letting the ten days pass: the application is deemed withdrawn and expires.
2. Running out of space: if the original application already used almost all of the 35-page / 5 MB limit, there is no room for the answer, because uploaded documents cannot be deleted. Keep the initial application to 20–25 pages.
3. Forgetting the application number or using an old one: the system will not open the application.
4. Accidentally deleting earlier documents while uploading new ones (that is why step 5 exists).
5. Not clicking Save in Confirmation.
6. Answering only part of the requirement.
7. Uploading a different document than the one requested, or one that does not solve the stated reason.
8. Trying to change the visa category: not possible this way.
9. Inaccurate data in the update: grounds for denial or inadmission (Art. 8).

Remember that no appeal is available against inadmission or denial (Art. 100). Your answer to the requirement is often the last chance to save the application.

Cover letter template for your response

It is not mandatory, but a first page inside the PDF helps the officer find each document and shows you answered everything. Write it in Spanish; you can adapt this model:

Translation: addressed to the Visa and Immigration Authority; subject “Response to requirement — Visa application no. […]”; it identifies you, lists each attached document and the point of the requirement it answers, and declares the information accurate.

If the deadline passed or the application was inadmitted

If you let the deadline pass, the application is deemed withdrawn and ends without a decision (Art. 97, para. 3). If it was inadmitted, the procedure also ends, but you may file a new application (Art. 98). In both cases no appeal is available (Art. 100) and the study fee is not refunded (Art. 11). The practical route is to prepare a new, complete application that fixes exactly what triggered the requirement, and pay the study fee again. If you are in Colombia, check your authorized stay so you do not become irregular while preparing it.

Official video of the visa form

Cancillería published a subtitled step-by-step video on filling out the online visa application form, useful to locate each section before answering. It is embedded in our Spanish guide on applying for the visa online.

Official sources: Infographic “Requerimiento solicitud de visa” (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, December 2025, PDF) · Cancillería – Visa · Official visa form (SITAC) · SITAC user guide (29/08/2024) · Resolution 5477 of 2022. Informational content, not legal advice.