The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is advising Nationals against all non-essential international travel at this time.

Existing advice for Colombia remains in place:

The FCO advise against all but essential travel to:

  • the departments of Arauca and Guaviare (except their capital cities)
  • the department of Chocó (except its capital Quibdó, the whale-watching towns of Nuquí and Bahía Solano, and the tourist site of Capurganá)
  • the Ariari region of southern Meta (except the tourist site of Caño Cristales – if travelling to Caño Cristales, travel by air to and from the town of La Macarena with a reputable tour company)
  • the South Pacific, Sanquianga and Telembi regions of Nariño
  • the Western region of Cauca
  • Buenaventura in the department of Valle del Cauca
  • the Urabá and Bajo Cauca regions of Antioquia
  • the region of Southern-Bolívar
  • the region of Southern-Córdoba
  • the Catatumbo region of Norte de Santander
  • Orito, San Migue, Valle del Guamuez, Puerto Caicedo, Puerto Guzmán, Puerto Asis and Puerto Leguizamo in Putumayo
  • Cartagena del Chairá, San Vicente del Caguan, Puerto Rico, El Doncello, Paujil and La Montañita in Caquetá
  • the municipality of Puerto Carreño in Vichada, except the departmental capital
  • within 5km of the Venezuelan border and within 5km of the Ecuadorian border, except for the border crossing on the Pan-American highway, at Ipiales.

On 1 and 4 May, the FCO chartered two special flights from Colombia to help tourists, short-term visitors and their direct dependants return.

Colombia’s land and sea borders are closed until 1 July. Airports are closed to international traffic until 1 September provisionally, and foreign nationals will not be permitted to enter during this period.

Nationwide isolation measures came into effect at 11.59pm on 24 March and will be in place until 11:59pm on 30 June.

Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Colombia. The security situation can change very quickly in many areas of the country. You should pay close attention to warnings issued by the Colombian authorities

Despite high levels of crime, most visits to Colombia are trouble-free.

Consular support is limited in parts of Colombia where we advise against all but essential travel and areas where there is a limited state presence. When consular support is unavailable, the Embassy will liaise with local authorities to request assistance.

UK health authorities have classified Colombia as having a risk of Zika virus transmission.