Don't let your staff's foreigner ID cards expire unnoticed

The foreigner ID card (cédula de extranjería) is the identity document that the Special Administrative Unit Migración Colombia issues, in physical or digital form, to foreigners who hold or are beneficiaries of a visa valid for more than three (3) months, on the basis of the foreigners' register (Articles 2 and 8 of Resolución 2061 de 2020 of Migración Colombia; Article 2.2.1.11.4.4 of Decreto 1067 de 2015). Holders of visa categories that must be registered identify themselves within Colombia with their foreigner ID card; other foreigners use their valid passport (Article 2.2.1.11.4.7 of Decreto 1067). Both holders and beneficiaries of a visa valid for more than three months must enrol in the foreigners' register within fifteen (15) calendar days of entering the country or of the visa being issued, if it was obtained in Colombia (Article 2.2.1.11.4.1), and the same maximum period applies to applying for the card (Article 9, paragraph 2, of Resolución 2061). The process starts with the electronic single procedures form (e-FUT), continues with an appointment at a foreigners' services point and requires payment of the fee; the card is available for collection up to ten (10) business days after payment (Articles 9 and 11).

The card is issued for a term equal to the validity of the corresponding visa: the issue date is the day the holder attends to apply for it, and the expiry matches the validity of the visa granted; when the visa is indefinite, the card is valid for five (5) years from the date of the procedure (Article 12 and paragraph of Resolución 2061 de 2020). Decreto 1067 de 2015 likewise provides that the card is issued for the term of the visa and that the card issued to holders of a Resident Visa is valid for five years (Article 2.2.1.11.4.5 and paragraph 2). A foreigner who transfers a visa only updates the register if the card's details do not change; otherwise a new card must be obtained (Article 7 of Resolución 2061). To renew a Resident-type card the passport or the previous card is presented (Article 9, paragraph 8), and a minor who turns eighteen must obtain a new card within the following fifteen calendar days (Article 9, paragraph 7).

Every natural or legal person that engages, contracts or employs a foreigner must require the visa that allows the declared activity and, where the foreigner is obliged to obtain one, the foreigner ID card; it must also notify Migración Colombia of any early termination within the following fifteen (15) calendar days and supply any information the migration authority requests (Article 2.2.1.11.5.1 of Decreto 1067 de 2015). Migración Colombia imposes financial penalties, among other cases, on anyone who does not renew the foreigner ID card within fifteen calendar days after it expires (Article 2.2.1.13.1(9)), on anyone who engages or employs a foreigner without meeting the migration requirements or fails to report the engagement or termination (item 26), and on employers who do not facilitate the review of their foreign staff's documentation (item 21).