Colombia Business Visa
If you’re not a qualified professional going cheap essays to buy to work for a Colombian corporation, you won’t be able to get a Colombia Work Visa. If you think your work visa application could be denied (we can help you determine whether or not you’re a likely candidate), it’s worth looking at your other visa options. For example, you might want to consider a Colombia business visa or Business Owner’s Visa.
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Four Types of Colombian Business Visas
1) Colombia Business Visa is divided up in to the Migrant (temporary residency visa) and the Visitor visa (for non residents). The Visitor visa was previously referred to as the NE visa category with four subcategories: NE-1, NE-2, NE-3, and NE-4. Now the NE Visas are simply referred to as Business Visitor Visas. These visas are for people who reside outside of Colombia, but have a relationship, contract, or work for a parent company of a Colombian corporation. In some cases you need a visa to allow you to travel to Colombia for business meetings and consulting.
Legally, if you are only handling meetings and following up on investments you are not really working in Colombia. This is ideal for A Business Visitor Visa is ideal for persons starting up businesses in some cases. However, you can be required to show you have some money to invest, have a business plan or work for an existing Colombian or foreign company to get this type of visa approved. Common activities allowed by business visitor visas are business activities like promotion, set-up of a company, bank account setup or investments in Colombian companies.
2) Colombia Business Associate / Business Owner Visa: This visa is designed to help foreigners who are starting new businesses in Colombia, or who may be purchasing a business in Colombia. To meet the requirements for the business owner’s visa you must purchase shares in a corporation (or own a company outright) that shows your investment to be equal to or greater than 100 minimum salaries so you can set up a Colombian company. In 2022 that is 100 million pesos or more per person who will apply for a visa. This option has a lower condition than an investor visa, but it is another form of investing in Colombia. Additionally, we can help you set up Sole Proprietor, SAS, or SA companies. The duration of this visa is normally one year.
The Colombian business owner visa is a temporary residency visa issued from 1-3 years and is officially referred to as a Migrant visa. With this visa you may work in Colombia and live here year-round. You must make an investment of 100 minimum salaries as a purchase of shares in a company. Currently, in 2022 this value is equal to 100 million pesos, or approximately 25,000 USD. Please verify exchange rate to dollars as this changes on a daily basis.
3) Colombia Investor’s Visa: This is for those investors who are capable of investing at least $650 Million Pesos (exactly 650 times the minimum wage salary for the current year) via a registered foreign investment.
* This investment must be made via the purchase of shares in said corporation under the name of the foreigner making the investment and applying for the visa. (Click here for more on the Colombia Investor Visa).
4) Colombia Work Visa: This is available to people who will live in Colombia and work directly for a Colombian corporation. Persons applying for this visa must proove they have a professional credentials in some cases, and based on the new visa law Immigration must see proof of financial documents showing that the company has good monthly bank balances over a 6 month period. New companies must show a significant account of money in the bank to cover operating expenses.
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Setting Up a Colombian Corporation:
If you are creating a Sole Proprietor business (Persona Natural is a basic business entity parallel to DBA in the United States) you can do this on a tourist visa, and you do not need a cédula (Colombian ID Card). However, if you are setting up a SAS corporation you have to have a legal representative who is Colombian or a foreigner with a CURRENT cédula de extranjería (current Colombian foreigner’s ID card). This which should be someone you know and trust. This person’s name will be on the business license, while the foreigner holds a private notarized document that clearly shows the foreign investor maintains controls of the shares in said corporation.
Once the visa and foreign ID card are obtained, the business owner may put his or her name on the business license as the legal representative. With a SAS or SA corporation the legal representative has access to the Corporate bank account in Colombia, so it is best to be very cautious about who you select if you decide to set up a Colombian corporation in this manner.
As part of setting up a SAS company you must open a Colombian bank account for the company. We can also assist in this process. As a foreigner, this process is very delicate for banks due to international banking problems created by cartels laundering money. Banks in Colombia demand that foreigners prove where the money is coming from, among other things, before they will allow you to Open a Bank Account in Colombia.
Again, this is something we cover in detail with our clients who wish to establish a business presence in Colombia. Our job is to reduce the headaches and make the transition to Colombia a smooth one. Please note that a Sole Proprietor business entity or Persona Natural can be upgraded to a Colombian SAS Corporation later on.
The two most common alternatives to the work visa are the Colombian marriage visa and the business visa in Colombia, and we often suggest our clients take that route if we’re not positive they will qualify for the work visa. Creating your own company in Colombia requires an investment of as little as US$3000 to qualify for a business owner’s visa in Colombia.
There are two visas that allow you to work, but not to receive money in exchange for that work. These are the TP-5 (religious visa) and TP-6 (volunteer visa). You can, however, receive room and board in exchange for your services.
The religious visa, of course, must be sponsored by a church. Interestingly, it must be a Catholic church. If any other type of church is sponsoring your visa, you will have to get a volunteer visa instead. Working for a non-profit organization also qualifies you for the volunteer visa but again, you must not receive money in exchange for your help. And if you don’t now how to write a textual analysis essay, we will help you too!
How We Can Help:
Contact Colombia Legal & Associates and let us help you determine which visa is best for you and get you started on the road to your new life in Colombia. We pride ourselves on leading efficient and transparent processes for our clients.
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