Colombia and Israel have revoked visa-free entry for each other’s citizens, implementing new visa requirements for short-term visits, including tourism and business travel.
Effective July 2025, Colombian nationals must obtain a B-2 visitor visa issued by a consulate before traveling to Israel for short-term stays (up to 90 days) for tourism, business, medical treatment and non-academic short-term study. This replaces earlier visa-free access under Israel’s Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system, which was rolled out in January 2025 but now excludes Colombian passport holders.
Reciprocally, the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a resolution, effective immediately, updating the list of countries and territories eligible for visa-free entry to Colombia, and within this list removed Israel. As a result, Israeli nationals are no longer exempt from visa requirements when entering Colombia for short-term stays, such as for tourism or business purposes, and must now obtain a Visitor Visa before traveling to Colombia for these reasons. However, certain Israeli nationals may still be visa-exempt if they hold an eligible immigration status from another country. The specific Visitor Visa category will depend on the nature of the activities to be carried out in the country - for instance, a V-Business Visa is required for those engaging in business-related visits. This may delay an individual’s entry due to the application process and the possibility of an interview at a Colombian consulate. These visas generally allow for a stay of up to 180 cumulative days, within a 365-day period counted from the traveler’s first entry into Colombia.
Fragomen worked closely with Kan-Tor & Acco Law Firm to prepare this alert. This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected] or [email protected].
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