When can you become a permanent resident?

Rules that can reset your clock

• Never let your M visa lapse. Time only counts as continuous if each new visa is granted before the previous one expires. Apply for a renewal or your resident visa while your current visa is still valid.
• Visitor visas don't count. Time on a Digital Nomad or Rentista visa, or as a tourist, adds nothing toward residency. The clock starts with your first M visa.
• Register within 15 days. Every visa longer than 3 months must be registered with Migración Colombia within 15 calendar days of issue or entry. That is when you get your cédula de extranjería. Late registration can bring a fine.
• Leaving for a year resets citizenship. Under Ley 2332 of 2023, being outside Colombia for one year or more interrupts the domicile time you need for citizenship.
• Citizenship counts from the resident visa. The 5-year wait (2 years with a Colombian spouse, partner or child) starts on the date your R visa is issued, not your first M visa.