COLOMBIA PRACTICAL GUIDE

• No, all you need to enter Colombia is a passport valid for more than 6 months from the date of entry. Most French-speaking countries (France, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada) do not require a visa for a stay not exceeding 90 days.
• If you need information on visas and other administrative formalities with the Colombian authorities, we advise you to contact SAS Horizon Colombie, https://horizoncolombie.com/, based in Colombia. They are specialists in this field and speak French, English and Spanish.
• Don’t forget to do your check-mig before you leave (entry form to be completed within 72 hours of entering Colombia) at: https://apps.migracioncolombia.gov.co/pre-registro/fr

• If you wish to visit tourist sites such as Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Park, Tayrona National Park or the various Amazonian reserves, the authorities may require you to be vaccinated against yellow fever.
• For more information before you leave, visit the Institut Pasteur website: https://www.pasteur.fr/fr/centre-medical/preparer-son-voyage/colombie

Even if tap water is drinkable in Bogotá, it’s best to avoid drinking it in other cities. There are manufacturers of filtration systems such as Soif de Gourdes, Life Straw

• You can stay for up to 90 days, renewable once, subject to a maximum stay of 180 continuous days and 180 days per calendar year.
• For further information before you leave, visit the French Embassy website: https://co.ambafrance.org/Court-sejour-en-Colombie

Colombia is a safe and welcoming country, and has been open to tourists for ten years now. There are, however, certain dangers in Colombia, which is why there are some common-sense rules to be observed, such as avoiding going out alone after dark, staying in safe neighborhoods, not putting your phone in the back pocket of your jeans, avoiding displaying valuables in the street, not drinking a drink offered to you,…. These are basic tips that could be applied to many countries around the world.

Even if the health risks are relatively low, it’s important to take out a good travel insurance policy that guarantees treatment or repatriation if necessary. In most cases, the insurance associated with your bank card when you buy your plane tickets provides a good level of cover. If not, we have a partner insurance company whose contact details you’ll find a little further down in the useful links section.

You need to allow between 6 and 7 hours less depending on summer or winter time.

The local currency is the Colombian peso, and most major retailers accept credit cards. You can withdraw money from cash dispensers, but we advise you to use the cash dispensers of banks such as Banco de Bogota or Bancolombia, which will allow you to make larger withdrawals.
The exchange rate may vary from bank to bank, so check the CCI France Colombie website: https://www.france-colombia.com/ for a rough idea of the rate.

Altitude sickness is a fact of life in most Andean countries, and if you land in Bogotá, the Colombian capital, at an altitude of 2,640 meters, you may experience strange sensations very quickly associated with what we like to call “mountain sickness”. It doesn’t strike everyone, but it can strike anyone, so don’t overlook it.

The plugs are different: they have two parallel flat pins, a bit like the American system with 110v voltage. You’ll need an adapter to plug in your electronic devices, which are on sale in many stores, or we can supply them on request.