Colombia Student Visa for Canadians
What Canadians need for the Colombia student visa: visa-free entry, the 2024 apostille change, the acceptance letter and a study plan that escapes winter.
Every January our classrooms gain a few more Canadians: eternal spring in Medellín, coffee country in Pereira and a currency that stretches. If your plan is longer than a holiday, here is how the student visa works for Canadians, including one recent change that simplified the paperwork and the part we take care of.
Getting in is the easy part
Toronto and Montreal reach Bogotá and Medellín on direct or one-stop routes all year. Airlines usually ask for proof of onward travel before boarding, so keep a return or exit ticket at hand. Staying is where the planning starts. A tourist permit fits a winter escape, while most Canadians come for enough continuous months of Spanish to keep it for life. The type V student visa ties your stay to a registered program at a licensed school, your attendance is recorded at every session, and the question stops being how long you may stay and becomes which level you want to reach.
| Question | For Canadians |
|---|---|
| Visa to enter as a tourist? | No: entry permit on arrival, normally 90 days, extendable to 180 per calendar year |
| Apostilles | Yes since 2024: one apostille from Global Affairs Canada or your province, no chain legalization |
| The key document | An acceptance letter issued directly by our licensed school |
| The program behind it | 40 hours of classes per month, about 10 hours a week, 1 to 15 months, in Pereira, Medellín or online |
| What it costs | From $ 1.760.000 per month, plus government fees set by the authorities |
The acceptance letter comes from the school
We are a licensed ETDH institution (Resolution 6784 of 2022), with our A1 to C1 Spanish program registered by Resolution 005093 of 2024 before the Secretaría de Educación Municipal de Pereira and listed in SIET. Reserve a Visa Program with a 15% deposit and we issue your carta de aceptación directly. The letter names you, the program, its duration and its monthly hours, and it carries the school’s registration details. We guide you through the process and answer your questions about the file, while the decision stays with the Colombian authorities. Our refund policy, on the legal pages of this site, explains what happens to your reservation if the visa is refused. Your first package gets −10% off on selected plans, applied automatically.
Study from Canada first
Bogotá sits within an hour of Eastern Canada all year, so a live evening class in Medellín is an evening class in Ottawa, and only a few hours away from Vancouver. Many Canadians start online in the fall, apply during the paperwork weeks and land in January already holding conversations. A free trial class of 30 to 45 minutes lets you meet a teacher before you commit, and the level test on our site places you in the right group. The Visa Program then continues at our Pereira campus, at Laureles or Belén in Medellín.
This page is not legal advice: check current rules with official Colombian sources, or hand the application to our optional lawyer service (400 USD).
Canadians ask us
Do Canadians need a visa to visit Colombia?
Not for short stays: Canadians receive an entry permit on arrival, normally 90 days, extendable to 180 within the calendar year. The extension is a separate request to Migración Colombia, made before the first permit ends. Beyond that ceiling, or for any stay whose purpose is study, the type V student visa is the right tool.
Do Canadian documents need an apostille for the Colombia student visa?
Yes, where the file requires authenticated documents. Until 2023 Canadian papers went through a chain of authentications, because Canada was not part of the Apostille Convention. Since January 2024 Canada issues apostilles through Global Affairs Canada or the provincial authority, one stamp instead of several offices. Get them before you travel, since from Colombia it means couriers and waiting.
How do I get the acceptance letter from Canada?
Entirely online: we issue it as soon as your Visa Program is reserved, as a PDF with a verification QR code you attach to your application, with no consulate visit for this step. The letter states your name, the program, its dates and hours and the school’s registration, and it reaches you as soon as it is issued.
Can I start Spanish classes from Canada before moving?
Yes: live online classes with the same teachers you will meet on campus, at the same pace and with the same evaluations. Starting online while your application moves is the best use of the waiting weeks: you arrive with a level already recorded, and campus classes continue from there instead of starting again from zero.
Six quick questions, one clear answer.
A plan for every goal and every schedule
Group classes from $ 420.000 $ 378.000 a week, flexible private packages valid for 6 months and live online at the same price.
Your Spanish starts today (and your first class is free)
Your first package gets −10% off on selected plans, applied automatically. See you in Medellín, Pereira or online.