Travel & Study
Useful information about traveling from Colombia to the European Union (EU), such as visas, travel restrictions and embassies, as well as studying there.
Visa
Citizens of Colombia do not require a Schengen visa for short visits (less than 90 days) to EU member countries for tourism, family visits, or education/training. During this time, no paid economic activity may be carried out.
The countries that are part of the Schengen area that can be visited without a visa are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
It is recommended that you check the exact requirements of the country you are visiting.
Remember that for study trips longer than 90 days and/or for paid employment contracts, the requirement to obtain a national visa remains in force according to the current conditions.
To visit non-Schengen countries, you may need a national visa.
Travel requirements
Although no visa is required, travelers must comply with the following requirements to travel and will be required by the immigration authorities of each country:
- Valid electronic or machine-readable passport whose expiration date is more than three months from the end of the stay.
- A round-trip ticket not exceeding 90 days.
- In case of staying in private residences of relatives or friends in the countries you are visiting, it is necessary to have the invitation form or document. It is necessary to take into account that the format and conditions vary according to the country, so it is necessary to consult the web page of the Embassy of the country you are visiting or go to the relevant consulate.
- In case your stay is in a hotel, you must present proof of reservations where you will be staying.
- Sufficient economic resources for your stay during the trip, which are estimated between 50 and 100 euros per day depending on the country you are visiting and whether your stay is in a hotel or in a private residence.
- It is recommended to have medical insurance in case of accident or emergency of 30,000 euros or more of coverage.
About the European Union and the Schengen area
The Schengen countries are Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and, outside the EU, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. Ireland is a member of the EU but not of the Schengen zone. Switzerland, the last country to join, opened its land borders at the end of 2008 and its air borders on March 29, 2009. There are no longer border controls between these 22 EU countries.
Cyprus, Bulgaria and Romania do not yet fully participate in the Schengen area. Therefore, a valid passport or identity card is required to travel to these countries.
It is advisable to carry your passport or identity card with you when traveling in the EU because you may be asked to identify yourself. If public order or national security so requires, internal border controls may be carried out for a limited period of time.
Remember that all children accompanying you must have their own passport or identity card or be registered in your passport.
Study
Erasmus+ offers people of all ages the possibility to develop and share knowledge and experience in institutions and organisations in different countries. It also offers opportunities to universities, education and training centres, think tanks, research centres and private companies.
The programme is open to Colombian individuals, organisations, and higher education institutions, as well as vocational education and training institutions. Among the opportunities offered by Erasmus+ are high-quality master's degrees funded with full European Union scholarships; the possibility to undertake a period of study in Europe as part of a Colombian academic programme; support for the modernisation and reform of higher education institutions, systems, and vocational education and training; and teaching and research on European Union studies around the world.
International Credit Mobility (ICM): allows Colombian students and teaching and non-teaching staff to undertake a period of study or a traineeship at a higher education institution within the European Union, as part of their degree.
Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (EMJM): offer high-quality integrated Master's programmes with full scholarships funded by the European Union.
Erasmus Mundus Design Measures (EMDM): supports the design and set-up of an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master, contributing to the costs of these collaborative activities. Colombian higher education institutions can take part in the consortium of both programmes, along with companies, public agencies, NGOs, and research institutes.
Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE): offers support for the modernisation and reform of higher education institutions and systems around the world.
Capacity Building in Vocational Education and Training (VET): aims to strengthen the links between vocational training and the labour market, improve the technical, managerial, and pedagogical skills of teachers and trainers, and improve the skills and employability of VET students. Colombian organisations active in this field can take part as partners in an international consortium coordinated by an organisation from an European Union Member State or a Programme-associated country.
Jean Monnet Actions (JMA): support higher education institutions inside and outside Europe to promote teaching and research on European topics and on relations between Colombia and the European Union, fostering policy debate and knowledge exchange. Colombian higher education institutions are eligible to apply directly for Jean Monnet Actions.
Find all the information here.
For more information on these opportunities, visit the EurOportunidades page.
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Horizon 2020
The Horizon 2020 Program offers grant opportunities and is the European Union's largest program for Research and Innovation. Colombian researchers can be benefited by the Program through:
- Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), which subsidize all phases of researchers' careers, whether they are doctoral candidates or highly experienced researchers, and promote transnational, intersectoral and interdisciplinary mobility.
- Grants from the European Research Council (ERC) support individual researchers of any age and nationality who wish to pursue cutting-edge research in the 28 EU Member States and associated countries. In particular, the ERC supports interdisciplinary proposals and pioneering ideas.
- "EURAXESS - Researchers in Motion" is a European Commission initiative focusing on researcher mobility and career development, aimed at strengthening scientific collaboration between Europe and the rest of the world. Contact: lac@euraxess.net
EU Info Centre
The CEDOC was donated to the Fundación Universidad de América in March 2020.
The University arranged a special space in the Museum of Costumes to receive and honour it, highlighting the significance of cooperation and cultural exchange between America and Europe.
The University of America Foundation is now in charge of preserving, managing and making available to users the institutional documentation generated by the Delegation of the European Union related to its activities, and will take advantage of it to promote from academia, research, culture, information, but also the legacy of Europe in America and Colombia.
Generally, such documentation is issued by the Office for Official Publications of the European Communities (the body responsible for centralizing the editing and publication of all documents originating from the European Union and its member institutions), however, CEDOC's main goal and objective is to collect and preserve the institutional documents resulting from the activities of the Delegation in the 5 continents.