Dummy ticket (flight reservation) for Colombia visa: two routes for Indians

What the Colombia checklist asks for

• A ticket reservation covering your entry into and exit from Colombia.
• A written description of the activities you plan in Colombia.
• Health insurance for the stay.
• Proof of financial solvency.
• For the exemption instead: a US or Schengen visa valid at least 180 days on arrival, or a valid residence permit there.

The exemption: US or Schengen, with 180 days to spare

Colombia’s Resolución 5488 of 2022, as amended in 2023, places India in a group of eight countries with a conditional exemption for short stays. Nationals of that group may enter without a visa if they hold a valid residence permit of a Schengen state or the United States, or a Schengen or US visa with at least 180 days of validity at the moment they enter Colombia.

Two details catch people out. The 180 days are counted on your arrival date, not the day you book, so a US visa with five months left fails the test. And the list is narrower than Peru’s or Mexico’s: a UK, Canadian or Australian visa does not qualify. Permanent residence in Chile, Mexico or Peru, the other Pacific Alliance members, is a separate route under the same resolution.

Applying online for the Visitor visa

Without a qualifying visa or permit, apply for the Visitor (V) visa for tourism on the Cancillería’s online platform. It can be valid for up to a year, with stays of 90 days extendable by another 90, up to 180 days in a year. The fee comes from the ministry’s fee table, which lists no special rate for India, so check the amount there before you pay. The processing time could not be confirmed, which is one more reason to apply well ahead of your travel dates.

The requirements list asks for a ticket reservation for entering and leaving the country, a written description of your planned activities, health insurance and proof of financial solvency. A hotel booking is not among them in the version checked. If you have one, it helps the activity description make sense, and the desk’s confirmed hotel booking can play that part without paying for the stay.

Bogotá connections and the airport transit visa

India is on Colombia’s list of nationalities that need a visa even for a direct airport transit on the way to a third country, limited to 24 hours without changing airport. That matters if your route uses Bogotá as a hub, as many Avianca itineraries to Central America and the rest of South America do. The resolution does not say whether a US or Schengen visa removes this requirement, so ask the airline and check with the Cancillería before you put a Bogotá connection on any booking.

Matching the reservation to your plan

Order the entry-and-exit reservation for the day you submit the online application, and open it as soon as it arrives to check the names, airports and dates. How long an unpaid seat is held is the airline’s decision, so the reservation will usually lapse while the application is processed. It is there to show the trip you applied with. The same dates should run through your activity description and your health insurance.

On the exemption route the date still matters, for a different reason. The 180-day test is measured against the day you land, so check that your US or Schengen visa runs at least 180 days beyond your arrival date before you book anything. Travel on the passport that carries that visa.

Flying from India to Colombia

Your reservation should follow a route you could realistically fly. These are common options; schedules change, so the desk confirms what is bookable for your dates.

Mistakes to avoid with a Colombia application

• Counting on a UK, Canadian or Australian visa; Colombia’s exemption names US and Schengen only.
• A US or Schengen visa with fewer than 180 days left on the day you land.
• A one-way reservation; the requirement is for entering and leaving the country.
• Routing through Bogotá to a third country without checking the airport transit visa rule.
• An activity description whose dates do not match the reservation or the insurance.

Dummy ticket and hotel bookings, matched to your itinerary

We do not send one loose document. The desk matches the flight reservation and every hotel booking to your itinerary: the same dates, the same cities, and no night left uncovered. These are the real documents of one order for a Switzerland visa file, issued on 5 November 2026: one flight reservation and four hotel bookings that cover all 9 nights between the two flights. Personal details are blacked out; everything else is as issued.

• Flight reservationEtihad, Hyderabad (HYD) to Zurich (ZRH), status Confirmed
• Hotel booking, ZurichMEININGER Hotel Zürich Greencity, 3 nights
• Hotel booking, GenevaB&B HOTEL Geneva Airport, 3 nights
• Hotel booking, LucerneSeminarhotel Romerohaus, 2 nights
• Hotel booking, Zurich AirportLeonardo Hotel Zurich Airport, 1 night

Open the full documents and the day-by-day table: flight and hotels matched date by date

How to get your Colombia flight reservation

Colombia questions, answered