Colombia to Require COVID-19 Test Or Certificate to Travelers

On Tuesday, Health Minister Fernando Ruiz announced that travelers wishing to enter Colombia must present a negative COVID-19 PCR test or a vaccination certificate starting on Dec. 14.

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"If you have been vaccinated less than 14 days before, you must also submit the PCR test 72 hours in advance. We are not going to prohibit the entry of any Colombian resident; everyone can enter," he explained.

The decision of President Ivan Duque’s administration is based on an increase in infections in recent weeks in this South American country, as well as to allow the mass vaccination process to continue unimpeded.

Ruiz said that all travelers entering Colombia, including citizens, residents, diplomats and tourists, must fill out the Colombia migration pre-registration form online.

In November, Duque announced that the national COVID-19 health emergency will be extended until Feb. 28, 2022, explaining that the measure was adopted "by virtue of the existence of a global pandemic that also allows the country to continue taking all precautionary measures."

Prevention and control measures will also be applied to passengers coming from Africa who transit through Europe, Brazil or the United States and present symptoms of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus first detected in South Africa.

"People who have been in Africa in the last 15 days and present any symptoms must inform Colombian authorities and must quarantine," Duque said.

Colombia has registered 5,082,762 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 128,821 deaths from the disease, according to the government's latest report.