TRAVEL & STUDY
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
About the Schengen visa, among others
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
Check conditions before traveling
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
Who participates and in what capacity?
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+ opportunities in Europe
Erasmus+ offers people of all ages the possibility to develop and share knowledge and experience in institutions and organizations in different countries. Erasmus+ also offers opportunities to a wide range of organizations, such as universities, education and training centres, think tanks, research centres and private companies. Find all the information about the program here. The program has a wide variety of options and is open to Colombian individuals, organizations and institutions of higher education, as well as vocational education and training. 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 its Colombian program, support for the modernization and reform of higher education and education institutions and systems and vocational training, and teaching and research in European Union studies around the world.
The International Credit Mobility (ICM) program allows Colombian students and teaching and non-teaching staff to undertake a period of study or an internship at a higher education institution within the European Union as part of their degree. On the other hand, there are the Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (EMJM), which offer high quality integrated Masters programs with full scholarships funded by the European Union.
To design and implement an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master, there is the Erasmus Mundus Design Measures Program (EMDM), which contributes to the costs of these collaborative activities. Under both programs, any Colombian higher education institution can apply for a grant and/or receive students with the consortium of universities that would be part of it, and organizations such as companies, public agencies, NGOs and research institutes can participate in the consortium.
Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) projects support the modernization and reform of higher education institutions and systems around the world. Any higher education institution and any public or private organization active in the labor market or in the fields of education, training and youth can participate in the project.
Capacity Building in Vocational Education and Training (VET) programs aim to strengthen the links between vocational training and the labor market in order to better adapt the educational offer to the local labor market; improve the technical, managerial and pedagogical knowledge and skills of teachers and trainers; as well as competencies, skills and employability of VET students through the development of new and innovative VET education programs, especially those offering key competencies, basic language skills and ICT skills. Any public and private organization active in the field of VET in Latin America and the Caribbean is eligible to apply.
Finally, the Jean Monnet Actions (JMA) support higher education institutions inside and outside Europe, to promote teaching and research on topics related to Europe and relations between Colombia and the EU, fostering policy debate and knowledge exchanges. Colombian higher education institutions are eligible to apply for Jean Monnet Actions.
EurOportunidades 2022: Event on scholarship, funding and academic cooperation opportunities of the European Union and its Member States open to Colombia and other Latin American countries. See the link here.
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CopyrightEU ALUMNI
EU ALUMNI: European Union Alumni Online Community
The European Union has decided to launch the EU ALUMNI initiative in Colombia. This community connects former participants of programs and initiatives funded by the European Union ("EU Alumni"), fostering dialogue and knowledge sharing through cooperation and mutual understanding. Through the platform, alumni will have the opportunity to expand their network of contacts and receive the latest news on the activities and events of the European Union in Colombia, Latin America and the world.
To become part of this global community of #TeamEurope, register on the platform by clicking here.
Horizon 2020
Opportunities for the career development of researchers through 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 Documentation Centre of the Delegation of the European Union to Colombia
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.