Passport for Colombia: Check-Mig, 90 days and dual nationality
Colombia sets no minimum months on your U.S. passport, but it asks for a form before the flight and has strict rules for people who are also Colombian.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Colombia · passport validity
Your passport is valid enough
Must be valid until December 16, 2026
| Rule for Colombia | valid on the day you enter |
|---|---|
| Must be valid at least until | December 16, 2026 |
| Margin | 152 days to spare |
How this was calculated
- Rule read in the State Department’s country information for Colombia (Consular Affairs data, checked 2026-10-15). Airlines may apply a stricter rule at check-in, and transit countries have their own.
- The renewal date assumes the slowest published times: 2 weeks of mail each way plus 6 weeks of routine processing.
Estimate from the State Department’s published fees and processing times. Mailing times vary and the Department decides each case. Independent site, not affiliated with the Department of State; we sell no expediting service. Method and sources
The State Department says you must show a valid U.S. passport to enter and leave Colombia if you are not a Colombian citizen, without naming a minimum validity in months. Before flying, complete Colombia’s free online Check-Mig form 72 hours before your flight to or from the country: for a departure on December 19, 2026, that means from December 16, 2026. U.S. citizens need no visa for tourism or business stays of 90 days or less, and cumulative stays of 180 days or less per calendar year; a 90-day extension can be requested from Migración Colombia before the first period ends. Travelers may be denied entry without a return ticket. Dual U.S.-Colombian citizens must carry both passports, entering and leaving Colombia on the Colombian one and reentering the United States on the U.S. one.
A passport without a countdown
Colombia’s page asks for a valid U.S. passport at entry and at exit, nothing more on validity. In practice that means the expiration date must fall after the day you leave Bogotá, Medellín or Cartagena. A passport expiring a few weeks after the trip is legal, though a delayed return flight would leave you holding an expired document, which the checker above shows as a margin of days.
The form and the return ticket
Two practical requirements cause more trouble than validity. The Check-Mig declaration is done online 72 hours before the outbound and return flights. And the State Department warns that travelers can be refused entry without a return ticket, so a one-way booking is a real risk.
Families with Colombian roots
A U.S. citizen born in Colombia, or with a Colombian parent, may be treated as Colombian at the border, and Colombian citizens must enter and leave on a Colombian passport. Plan the U.S. side too: the U.S. passport has to be valid and unexpired for the flight home. If it is close to expiry, check the renewal options before booking.
What the State Department says about Colombia
“You must show a valid U.S. passport to enter and leave Colombia if you are not a Colombian citizen.”
Country information page last updated August 11, 2025, read through the Consular Affairs data service on October 15, 2026.