Colombian Institute of Family Welfare

The The Colombian Institute of Family Welfareis a Colombian state agency that works on prevention and on the comprehensive protection of early childhood, childhood and adolescence, as well as the well-being of families in Colombia. It provides care, in particular, to those at risk, suffering neglect or whose rights are being violated and reaches over 8 million Colombians with its programmes, strategies and care services, with 33 regional branches and 213 area centres throughout the country.

It is a decentralized public body, a legal entity with administrative independence and its own assets, established by Law Nº 75 of 1968 and reorganized in accordance with the provisions of Law Nº 7 of 1979 and its Regulatory Decree Nº 2388 of 1979. In accordance with Decree Nº 4156 of 2011, it was assigned to the Administrative Department for Social Prosperity.

In addition, it is the governing body of the National Family Welfare System (SNBF), defined as a set of agents, coordination and harmonization bodies to implement the comprehensive protection of children and strengthen family life at national, departmental, district and municipal levels.

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Visas:

Visas and entry requirements: Pursuant to Resolution 10535 of 2018 of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Colombia, “which stipulates visa waiver provisions and repeals resolutions 1128 and 6397 of 2018”, the nationals of the States mentioned below may be authorized to enter without a visa and stay temporarily (90 days) in the country:

Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Uruguay.

The information requested with regard toobtaining visas for Haitian and Nicaraguan nationals attending the 22nd Pan American Child Congress and 3rd Pan American Child Forum, taking place during the 94th Regular Meeting of the Directing Council of the Inter-American Children’s Institute (IIN) of the Organization of American States, to be held in Cartagena from 28, 29 October to 1 November 2019, is included in Appendix 1, as are the Requirements for Courtesy Visa - type V, instructions for courtesy visa applications, and Resolution 10535 on the countries whose nationals do not require visas for this activity in Colombia. In Appendix 2, you will find Contact Information for Embassies in Colombia, of the various countries attending the events.

There are no additional migratory requirements for people under the age of 18 entering the country, other than the general requirements mentioned (a valid passport). Requirements for persons under the age of 18 leaving their countries of origin must be consulted with the relevant authorities in each country. Likewise, there are no additional requirements for people under the age of 18 leaving Colombia, other than the entry requirements (a valid passport).

VACCINATIONS: International travellers arriving from Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Brazil will be required to show an International Certificate of Vaccination showing proof of yellow fever vaccination before they can enter Colombia. All national and international travellers visiting the national natural parks must be vaccinated within the stipulated period (fifteen days before travel).

At the moment, there are no other requirements for entering the country as far as vaccinations are concerned (delegations will be informed in a timely manner of any changes in this regard).

Summary of Visas and other Requirements for Entering the Country

Andean citizens can travel only with the identity document, without the need for a visa or passport, and have preferential channels of entry, as well as common rights against air and land transport companies. In addition, they can live, work, travel, study or do business in another Andean country as if they were in their own.

APPENDIX 1 Requirements for the Courtesy Visa, Type V

• Complete the visa application form online.
• To start the process and complete the visa application form online, please visit this site: tramitesmre.cancilleria.gov.co/tramites/enlinea/solicitarVisa.xhtml
• Make sure your passport is valid, in good condition and with enough free space for visas.
• Attach a copy of your passport’s main page, which contains your biographical data and photograph.
• In the case of Cuban citizens, if your passport was issued more than two years ago, please attach a copy of your passport extension.
• Foreigners who apply for a visa while in a State other than that of their nationality must provide a copy of the document which, in accordance with the immigration laws of the country where they are currently located, certifies that their stay in that country is legal, regular or authorized.
• Attach a recent, 3x4cm, colour, frontal photograph, with a white background, without wearing accessories and with nothing on your face, as a JPG file, 300 KB maximum. Photographs with shadows or photos taken of your passport photograph will not be accepted, causing your application to be rejected.
• Individual documents should be legible, sent as a PDF file and preferably black and white. The maximum size allowed for the total set of documents attached to an application is 5 MB.
• Letter of invitation in which the applicant is invited to attend the event.

The courtesy visa is free. However, for the system to register your application, you must conclude the application process by clicking on the payment button (“liquidar pago”).
Please carry out your application process well in advance. When your visa has been approved, you will receive an electronic visa that will enable you to enter Colombia.

APPENDIX 2 Contact Information for Embassies in Colombia

Individuals from countries without diplomatic representation in Colombia may contact the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs directly, 24/7, through any of the following service channels:
Interactive voice response system - IVR: (+57-1) 3826999
Switchboard: (+57-1) 3814000
Toll-Free Number: 01 8000 938 000

Nota Informativa:

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