Comprehensive Medical Coverage & Visa Compliance
Securing the right health insurance in Colombia is essential not only for your peace of mind but as a mandatory requirement for a legal stay. Whether you need premium Prepaid Medicine, or an international policy, we design a coverage strategy that safeguards your well-being while ensuring absolute compliance with Colombian immigration laws. Protect your health and your residency status with a policy perfectly tailored to your expat lifestyle.
Do I need health insurance for a Colombian visa?
Most Colombian visa applications require proof of a health insurance policy with full coverage inside Colombia for the length of your stay. Policies must typically cover hospitalization, emergencies, and repatriation. USP helps you find and compare compliant plans that meet Cancillería's requirements, so your application isn't delayed by the wrong policy.
Official requirements & sources — 2026
- When it's required: most Visitor (V) and Migrant (M) visas require a health policy valid for the visa's duration
- Coverage: full coverage within Colombian territory for accidents and illness, including hospitalization and repatriation
- Existing plans: an international policy can qualify if it meets the coverage and territory rules
- Local plans: an EPS or prepaid plan (prepagada) may not, on its own, satisfy the visa coverage requirement
- Why it matters: an incomplete or non-compliant policy is a common cause of delay or rejection
Sources: Resolución 5477 of 2022, Colombia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Cancillería) — visa requirements: cancilleria.gov.co (visa ABC). Last reviewed: June 2026.
Why You Need Specialized Health Insurance
Securing health insurance is essential because it is mandatory to meet and exceed the official requirements for your Colombian visa application.
A visa-compliant health policy is necessary to ensure that you have comprehensive protection while in Colombia. Specifically, the coverage is required to handle critical situations such as medical emergencies, hospitalization, and repatriation.
Furthermore, different visa applicants—whether digital nomads, retirees, investors, or residents—have unique profiles that require tailored coverage (such as support for pre-existing conditions for retirees) to ensure they have the necessary support while fulfilling their visa obligations.
Health insurance isn't optional. It's part of your visa file.
Colombia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Cancillería) requires, for most visa categories, a medical policy with coverage in Colombian territory— and it checks the certificate against very specific criteria before your application moves.
This applies across Visitor (V), Migrant (M) and Resident (R) categories — from digital nomads and students to retirees and permanent residents.
General information, not legal or insurance advice. Requirements are set by Cancillería and can change; we confirm what applies to your specific case.
Your policy must cover 🟥
The seven risks Cancillería expects a visa-compliant policy to include. 🟥 We verify all seven on your certificate before you file.
The fine print that matters
Four checks your certificate has to pass.
Before anything reaches Cancillería, we run your policy — new or existing — against the four criteria that decide whether it's accepted.
01
Coverage zone
The policy must explicitly cover Colombia (or be worldwide). "Latin America" in the fine print isn't always enough — the certificate has to say it.
02
Validity period
Coverage should run for the full length of the visa you're requesting — and your visa can be limited to how long your coverage lasts.
03
Scope of risk
All seven required risks — including maternity, disability and repatriation — named on the certificate, not buried in a policy annex.
04
Format
A certificate in Spanish or English, showing the insured's full name — one per applicant, including each family member or beneficiary.
EPS or Health Coverage Enrollment in Colombia.
EPS may be used for certain visa applications; however, it does not include repatriation coverage and may lead to additional requirements. In addition, visa categories such as Business, Pension, and Digital Nomad do not allow enrollment in Colombia’s public healthcare system.
What we arrange
Two plan levels. One job: a certificate that holds.
Both plans are built for the visa requirement — all seven risks, repatriation included. The difference is how far the coverage goes beyond the minimum.
Essential
Welcome Global
Medical coverage up to USD 20,000 — the streamlined, visa-compliant option.
- All seven required risks, repatriation included
- Accidents, sudden illness & hospitalization
- Telemedicine, prescription meds & emergency dental
- Travel benefits: luggage, trip interruption, legal assistance
- Limited assistance for pre-existing conditions
Extended
Welcome Total
Medical coverage up to USD 40,000 — double the ceiling, plus living-here benefits.
- Everything in Welcome Global, with higher limits
- Broader cover for pregnancy complications
- Accidental death insurance
- Routine care: general & specialist appointments, basic labs
- Extras: VIP lounge access, purchase protection, pet assistance
Your visa and your coverage, handled in sync.
Most people buy a policy in one tab and prepare their visa in another — and find out at filing that the certificate doesn't match their category or dates. At USP, the team preparing your visa is the same team confirming your coverage. Nothing reaches Cancillería unchecked.
Beyond visas
Traveling short — or moving a team?
Short Stay plans
For trips that don't need a visa-grade policy: coverage from 3 to 120 days 🟥 with medical assistance, lost-luggage cover and support for unexpected events — matched to exactly the days you travel.
Ask for a Short Stay quoteCorporate plans
For companies with people on the move: coverage up to 180 days per trip, day-bag modality, instant self-issuance and reimbursements paid directly to the company 🟥 — built for businesses, sports teams and events.
Ask for a Corporate quoteBefore you buy
Four details that save you a re-filing.
Buy before you file — not after
Coverage must be in place before you submit your application; allow at least 3 business days. We also help you align the policy's start date with your expected approval, so you don't burn paid months.
One certificate per person
Each applicant — including spouses and dependents as beneficiaries — needs their own certificate with their full name. A family policy that only names the holder won't carry the group.
Coverage length caps your visa
Cancillería can limit your visa to the period your policy covers.If you're aiming for a multi-year visa, a 1-year policy may shorten it — that's why multi-year terms exist.
Don't cancel after approval
Authorities can verify your coverage status after the visa is granted. Keep the policy active at least until your visa expires — cancelling early puts your status at risk.
Advice from the team that files visas every week.
The insurance requirement lives inside the visa process — so your advice should too. At USP, the same bilingual team that handles Colombian visas end to end matches your coverage to your category, your dates and your family group.
We arrange coverage through Continental Assist — an international assistance company with decades in the market, reinsured backing and 24/7 multilingual support, whose certificates are used for visa processes before Cancillería.
Get the right coverage before you file.
Tell us your visa type, your timeline and who's applying with you. We'll confirm exactly what your application needs and send a formal quote — the advice costs you nothing extra.
USP Consultancy · A digital firm operating online worldwide, with our team on the ground in Medellín, Colombia. This page is general information about our services, not insurance, legal or immigration advice. Visa requirements are set by Cancillería and may change; coverage terms, issuance and claims decisions rest with the insurance provider. USP may receive compensation from the provider — this never increases the price you pay. 🟨
Health insurance · FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers to what foreigners ask most before filing — what counts, what doesn't, and how it works.
