What a Student Visa for Colombia Really Costs

The four line items

Your total comes from four places: the Spanish program, the government’s visa fees, optional legal help, and your monthly life in Colombia. Only the first one is ours — so we’ll be precise where we set the price, and honest where we don’t.

1. Your Spanish program — the heart of the file

The visa is built around real study, so the program is the core cost. Our Visa Program runs 40 hours of classes per month (about 10 hours a week), for 1 to 15 months, from $1,700,000 COP per month — longer plans are priced as packages: 3 months (120 hours) at $4,662,000, 6 months (240 hours) at $9,324,000, 9 months (360 hours) at $13,986,000, 12 months (480 hours) at $18,548,000, and 15 months (600 hours) at $23,310,000. That buys you a licensed school (not an agency), an acceptance letter issued directly by us, a structured CEFR curriculum from A1 to C1, and an official certificate for every level you complete. On your first package, the code PRIMERA15 takes 15% off.

You don’t pay everything upfront. A 15% deposit reserves your program and triggers your acceptance letter — it’s a down payment on your program, not an extra fee.

What are you really buying with that? Not just hours on a calendar. You’re buying an institution the authorities recognize — which is what makes your acceptance letter carry weight — plus teachers who work the CEFR curriculum every day, tracked attendance that documents your study load, and an official certificate for each level you finish. The program is the visa’s foundation and the reason you came. Cheap out on it and you’ve compromised both at once.

2. Government visa fees — set by the authorities

The Colombian authorities charge for studying and issuing your visa application. We won’t quote you a number, because those fees are set and updated by the authorities and can change — check the official fee schedule at the moment you apply. Anyone promising you an exact all-in figure months in advance is guessing with your budget.

Two practical notes. First, budget the fee as a category, not a figure — look it up the same week you file, from the official source, and you’ll never be surprised. Second, never route this payment through a “facilitator” who marks it up: the application is filed online, and the only party that should charge you government fees is the government.

3. Optional: a lawyer on your side

A lawyer is not required. Many students file on their own with a complete checklist and patience. If you’d rather have a professional prepare and file with you — because your history is complicated, your time is short, or your nerves are worth the money — our partner immigration lawyers offer the full service for 400 USD. Optional means optional: we’ll never pretend it’s mandatory. And since we’re a school, not a law firm, nothing on this page is legal advice.

4. Living in Colombia — the budget that actually matters

Here’s the honest secret: the biggest number in your plan isn’t the visa at all. It’s rent, food, transport and weekends — and in Colombia, that’s the good news. Your money goes noticeably further than in the US or Europe, which is a big part of why studying here full-time is possible for normal people. We keep a real, current breakdown of monthly budgets so you can plan with numbers instead of vibes.

The honest recap

Ways to keep the total down — honestly

• Use PRIMERA15 — 15% off your first package. It’s the one discount we publish, and it applies to real programs, not a bait tier.
• Start online while you wait — same teachers, live classes, and zero Colombian rent until your visa is actually approved.
• Never pay a third party for your acceptance letter — it comes from your school. Ours comes with your program, issued directly by us.
• Skip the lawyer if your case is simple — the service exists (400 USD), but it’s optional, and we’ll say so to your face.
• Plan living costs with data, not forum folklore — real budgets beat both panic and wishful thinking.

That’s the full picture: one price we publish, one deposit that starts your letter, fees the authorities control, and a life that costs less than the one you’re living now. When the numbers work for you, enrollment takes minutes — and if a refusal ever happens, our refund-or-credit policy has you covered in writing.