Colombia Student Visa for US Citizens
How Americans go from the 90-day tourist entry to a Colombia student visa: entry rules, apostilles, the acceptance letter and a program that fits.
With a US passport the path is simple. Here is how the Colombia student visa works for Americans, from the day you land as a tourist to the day study becomes the official reason you stay.
How US citizens enter Colombia
Bogotá and Medellín connect daily with Miami, New York, Atlanta, Houston and Fort Lauderdale, so from most of the East Coast the trip is shorter than crossing your own country. Airlines often ask for proof of onward travel before boarding, so keep a return or exit ticket at hand.
When the tourist clock runs out
Six months feels generous until you live here: an apartment in Laureles, a routine, and the calendar year ends with your Spanish half done. The type V student visa ties your stay to a study program at a licensed school, so you stop counting tourist days. It also gives your weeks a shape. Classes follow a fixed timetable, in groups of five students at most, with a class hour of 55 minutes, and your attendance is recorded at every session. Each level closes with an evaluation and a certificate, so at the end of your stay you hold proof of the level you reached.
| Question | For US citizens |
|---|---|
| Visa to enter as a tourist? | No: entry permit on arrival, normally 90 days, extendable to 180 per calendar year |
| When the student visa makes sense | Any stay where Spanish is the point, beyond the tourist ceiling or around a steady study routine |
| The key document | An acceptance letter issued directly by a licensed school, which is what we are |
| The program behind it | Our Visa Program: 40 hours of classes per month, about 10 hours a week, from 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 |
Your documents, the American way
The application is filed online with the Colombian authorities. Around the acceptance letter you add a valid passport, recent bank statements, photos and apostilled documents where required, obtained before you travel. Plan an official translation for anything not in Spanish. Reserve the program first, so the letter exists while you gather the rest. Then collect the apostilles at home, because the offices that issue them are in the United States and a request from Colombia means couriers and waiting. Scan every document as a clean PDF, keep the originals with you, and check that your passport stays valid for the whole stay you are requesting.
The acceptance letter comes from the school
Mister Fox Spanish School is a licensed ETDH institution (Resolution 6784 of 2022) and our Spanish program, A1 to C1, is registered by Resolution 005093 of 2024 with the Secretaría de Educación Municipal de Pereira. Reserve your Visa Program with a 15% deposit and we issue your carta de aceptación directly. The letter states your name, the program you reserved, its duration and monthly hours, and the school’s registration details. We guide you through the process and answer your questions about the file, while the decision itself 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.
Start online, land ready
Bogotá keeps the same clock all year: it matches New York in winter and sits one hour behind it in summer. That makes live online classes easy to fit around a job or a semester, with no jet lag between you and the classroom. The Visa Program runs at our Pereira campus, at Laureles and Belén in Medellín, and online, and your level record follows you from one format to the other.
This page is not legal advice: check current rules with official Colombian sources, or hand the application to our optional lawyer service (400 USD).
US citizens ask us
Do US citizens need a visa to enter Colombia?
Not for a short stay: US citizens receive an entry permit at the airport on arrival, normally 90 days, extendable up to 180 days within the same calendar year. The extension is a separate request to Migración Colombia, made before the first permit ends. For a stay built around study beyond that ceiling, the type V student visa applies.
How do I get a Colombian student visa from the USA?
Online, with the Colombian authorities. The core of the file is the acceptance letter: we issue it as soon as your Visa Program is reserved, as a PDF with a verification QR code, ready to upload. Your passport, bank statements, photos and apostilled documents complete the file, and you can keep studying online while you wait for the decision.
Where do I get apostilles for US documents?
State-issued documents get theirs from the Secretary of State of the issuing state; federal documents, like an FBI background summary, go through the US Department of State. Do it before you travel: arranging apostilles from Colombia means couriers, delays and extra cost.
Can I start classes before my visa is approved?
Yes. Our online classes are live, with the same teachers you will meet on campus, in small groups that follow the same levels and evaluations. Many American students start from home while the application moves and continue in person after landing, picking up at the level they reached online.
How much does studying Spanish in Colombia cost for Americans?
Our Visa Program starts from $ 1.760.000 per month for 40 hours of classes, with programs from 1 to 15 months. Government fees are set by the authorities and come on top. Your first package gets −10% off on selected plans, applied automatically.
The step-by-step guide, from choosing a program to a decision.
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.