Bogotá — Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro has confirmed that the United Kingdom has scrapped the visa requirement for Colombian tourists to the country, and which was ratified Tuesday by the British ambassador to Colombia, George Hodgson.
“Without a doubt, the elimination of visitor visas, a process we have been working on for quite some time, marks a big step in our thriving relationship between the United Kingdom and Colombia,” Hodgson said.
The ambassador said at a press conference in Bogotá that this decision was taken after “an extensive and rigorous process of evaluation by different institutions of the British Government”.
Following the decision, Petro expressed his gratitude to the British government in a tweet:
“With this announcement the United Kingdom becomes more accessible to all Colombians who want to discover and enjoy its rich culture, long history and long landscape. And beyond tourism with this change, the country will open its doors to new business opportunities in various sectors. We look forward to sharing the UK with even more Colombians,” the British ambassador in Bogotá said.
Hodgson said the British government is aware that there is growing interest in the UK as a study destination.
In this regard, the ambassador clarified that the need for visas to work, study and settle in the UK remains unchanged, however.
According to figures from the British embassy, until June of this year around 12,000 Colombians had traveled to the UK, and the projection is that each year there are between 24,000 to 25,000 Colombian visitors.
“With this change we expect the number to rise”, Hodgson said.
The lifting of the visa requirement for tourists takes effect from November 9, from which Colombians visiting the United Kingdom for tourism purposes will be able to stay for a period of up to six months.
Meanwhile, Colombians “who have already applied for a visa and have not yet provided their biometric data, i.e. their fingerprints, can now withdraw their application and apply for a refund of the visa fee through the British government website,” Hodgson said.
In a statement, the Colombian government welcomed this decision, “which puts the country on a par with the UK’s strategic partners, and recognizes it as a sign of confidence in Colombia, its nationals and its institutions”.
“This relaxation in the British visa regime consolidates and further strengthens bilateral relations between the two countries, as it will significantly boost tourism, trade, culture, among many other components of the intense and rich bilateral agenda. Economic and trade relations are based on the Business Continuity Agreement and the Bilateral Agreement for the Promotion and Protection of Investments, which will be boosted by this decision of the British authorities”, the government added.
“The UK is one of Colombia’s main partners, as evidenced by its unrestricted support for the implementation of the 2016 peace agreement and its significant contributions to the protection of the environment, in particular the Amazon,” it said.
