If you’ve ever tried to read Colombian visa law in Spanish legalese with Google Translate open in another tab and a mild panic attack brewing… this one’s for you.

This is the final part of my conversation with Juliana Wilches from Expat Group, turned into a practical, plain-English guide to how this stuff actually works—what you really pay, what Expat Group actually does for that fee, and how overstays, residency, and “visa creep” work in real life.

Because here’s the truth:

Let’s break down why.

When I did my visa with Expat Group, my personal process looked like this:

That’s it.

No half-translated government portals, no guessing which document needed an apostille, no worrying if I clicked the wrong thing and accidentally applied for a student visa for a school I’ve never heard of.

I’m not saying you can’t do it yourself. Plenty of people do.

I’m saying: my stress tolerance is not high enough to want to.

And that’s where Expat Group makes their money make sense: they’re not just handling paperwork, they’re removing uncertainty.

Juliana broke it down really clearly, so let me lay it out the way she explained it to me.

When you’re getting a Colombian visa, there are three main cost buckets:

Let’s go one by one.

First, the cédula de extranjería.

If you’re from the U.S., think of it as your state ID or driver’s license, but for foreigners in Colombia. Once you have a visa, you don’t just float around with a PDF—Colombia expects you to get a physical ID card.

Approximate cost: about USD $70
It fluctuates based on the peso and government adjustments, but that’s the ballpark.

This fee is paid directly to the Colombian government, not to Expat Group. They don’t make money off this. What they do is:

So instead of:

You get:

And you go:

On the visa side, there are actually two different government fees:

For most typical visas (not counting super-specialized categories like some investor structures), Juliana gave these rough numbers:

Expat Group’s important detail:
Their fee already includes the study fee.

So when you pay them, you’re not later surprised by:
“Oh by the way, the government wants another $55 just to look at your file.”

They build that in up front and tell you from the start what the government’s extra approval fee will be if your visa is approved.

Bottom line:

For most “standard” visa cases (think retirement, digital nomad, common migrant categories), Juliana said their average fee is around USD $275.

That covers:

Some visas cost more—especially investor visas—for two reasons:

For example, with an investor visa they’ll typically:

So you’re not just paying for “time”—you’re paying for not being blindsided by bureaucratic landmines.

For me, that ~$275ish totally passes the “would I rather keep this money or keep my sanity?” test.

One of the underrated advantages Juliana mentioned:
All of Expat Group’s agents are 100% bilingual.

That matters because:

When the government asks for something, Expat Group will:

They act as your voice—but to do that well, they also need your input, which is where the back-and-forth clarity really matters.

Expat Group isn’t just a visa agency. They spun off specialized departments for the other big stress points expats hit once they decide to actually stay:

Think of it less like a single-service agency and more like a Colombia setup concierge.

Their real estate department helps you:

They offer packages designed especially for U.S. clients, ranging from:

In those cases, you’re not just hiring a lawyer in a vacuum. You’re getting a team:
visa agent + lawyer + specialized advisors + support agent.

Because when you’re wiring six figures into a foreign country, “hope this is right” is not the vibe you want.

On the business side, they focus more on setting up companies and helping you qualify for visas that depend on investment or company ownership.

Key points Juliana mentioned:

But here’s the catch most people don’t know:

The Colombian government is increasingly asking:

So even if you’re great at business in your home country, you still need someone who understands what Colombia wants to see on paper.

That’s where specialized guidance pays for itself.

We also talked about something a lot of people are embarrassed to ask:

Short answer:
No, not necessarily. Colombia is much more forgiving than the U.S.

Here’s how the timing works for many nationalities:

If you stay beyond your allowed time:

If you want to stay and fix it from inside Colombia, things get more complex:

There’s a bit of a loop: you need one thing to get the other, and vice versa.
That’s exactly where having a professional guide pays off—they know the order, the offices, and the timing so you don’t make it worse by guessing.

And one more important piece:

If you’re on a visitor visa (like digital nomad or other V visas), you usually have a lot of flexibility to come and go while the visa is valid.

Things get more serious with:

Key rules Juliana confirmed:

There’s no minimum time you must stay inside the country. That’s why some people do the dance of:

Is it technically allowed? Yes.
Is it necessarily a great long-term integration strategy? That’s another question.

The big thing is: don’t let your visa expire if you’re trying to build time toward residency.

One concept I brought up in the interview that a lot of people don’t realize is what I call visa creep.

Here’s how it works:

Repeat that over several years, and your “five-year plan” for residency might actually be more like a six-year stack of visas in practice.

If you’re trying to hit a specific milestone (like 3 years on a marriage visa, or 5 years on a certain migrant visa to qualify for residency), the exact timing really matters.

This is where having one company follow your case year over year helps. They’re not just filing forms—they’re strategizing your timeline.

Juliana was clear: Expat Group does not specialize in citizenship itself, so she didn’t go deep on that.

But she did mention:

She gave the example of German nationals who have lived in Colombia for 30+ years, still renewing their residency, because historically Germany didn’t widely allow dual nationality (this is evolving, but still has complexities).

So if you’re from a country where:

…you may decide permanent residency is enough and never become a Colombian citizen, even if you qualify.

Juliana laughed at my comparison, but I stand by it:

You tell them what you’re trying to do:

And their whole model is:
“You don’t have to be rich to have someone walk you through it like you’re staying at a five-star hotel.”

You still pay the government what the government is owed.
You still sign your own documents.
You still make your own choices.

But you are not alone in a system you don’t fully understand.

As someone who has gone through “turbulent times” with visas in other countries, I can honestly say:
Next time I have to renew or switch visas, I’m not playing the solo game.