VisaBird · Colombian Immigration Counsel
Your move to Colombia, handled personally.
Colombian visa and immigration counsel for companies, executives, entrepreneurs and foreigners: correctly, quietly, and on schedule.
VisaBird is the practice of Nataly Traslaviña, a Colombian attorney who for ten years has guided multinational companies, executives, entrepreneurs, investors, digital nomads and foreign families through their visas to Colombia. An LL.M. candidate at FIU in Miami, she takes a limited number of matters so that each one is handled by her personally, from the first strategy call to the foreign ID card.
Who I advise
A small practice for people whose move matters.
My practice is not a visa agency. I take on a limited number of clients at a time, from multinationals to individual founders, and I handle every case myself.
Companies
Multinationals and their HR and global mobility teams
Work visas for transferred and locally hired foreign staff, sponsor documentation, and the reporting duties that follow each hire.
Executives
Senior executives and their families
A single point of contact for the executive, the spouse and the children, with every visa and foreign ID card on the same timeline.
Entrepreneurs and investors
Founders setting up or investing in Colombia
Investor and business visas, the corporate and real-estate steps they depend on, and a clear route to residence.
Remote professionals
Digital nomads and independent professionals
The digital nomad visa and other visitor and migrant options for people who work remotely from Colombia, prepared right the first time.
Law firms: I also act as Colombian co-counsel for international and U.S. firms whose clients are relocating to Colombia, in English and on your firm's terms.
Practice
Every Colombian visa category, and what comes after approval.
Colombia issues three classes of visa through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Cancillería). Most of the risk for an employer sits in the steps around the visa itself: registration, the foreign ID card, reporting and renewals.
Visitor
Business visits, technical assistance, digital nomads and short assignments.
Migrant
Employment, investment, spouses and partners, and other longer-term stays.
Resident
Permanent residence after the qualifying time in Colombia.
Corporate and executive visas
Feasibility study, filing strategy, document preparation and submission before the Cancillería for transferees, new hires and their dependents.
Immigration compliance for employers
Policies, audits and due diligence so the company meets its obligations to Migración Colombia for every foreign employee, from hire to departure.
Investor and residence planning
Visa routes for foreign investors in companies or real estate, and the path from a migrant visa to permanent residence.
Visa applications from abroad
Visas requested through Colombian consulates when the applicant is outside Colombia, coordinated with the travel and start date.
How an engagement runs
One visa, five stages, one person accountable.
Each application follows the same sequence. Your team knows what is needed from them and when, and receives a status update at every stage.
Feasibility and strategy
Review of the person's profile and the company's position, and the visa route with the best chance of approval.
Documents
A tailored requirements list, review of every document, and drafting of support letters and certificates.
Filing
Completion of the Cancillería application form and submission of the case.
Follow-up
Responses to any request for information from the Ministry until a decision is issued.
After approval
Visa registration and the foreign ID card (cédula de extranjería) application with Migración Colombia.
Fees are agreed per application and invoiced on confirmation. Government fees are paid separately by the client. Visa decisions are discretionary to the Colombian authorities; my commitment is to the quality of the process, and no lawyer can honestly guarantee an outcome.
Questions
Before your first consultation.
Short answers to the questions clients ask most. Every case is different, so treat these as a starting point, not legal advice for your situation.
Which visa does a transferred employee or new hire need?
Most foreign employees who will live and work in Colombia need a Migrant (M) work visa, sponsored by the Colombian employer. Short assignments, technical assistance or business trips may fit a Visitor (V) visa instead. The right route depends on the contract, who pays the salary, and how long the person will stay, so we confirm it in the feasibility review before any document is prepared.
Can the family come too?
Yes. A spouse or permanent partner and children can usually apply as beneficiaries of the principal's visa, on the same timeline. Each beneficiary needs their own documents (for example, apostilled marriage or birth certificates). Whether a beneficiary may also work depends on the visa, and we check it case by case.
Is there a visa for digital nomads and remote workers?
Yes. Colombia offers a digital nomad visa in the Visitor (V) category for people who work remotely for a company or clients outside Colombia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs sets requirements such as minimum income and health insurance, and these change, so we review your profile against the current rules before you apply.
How long does the process take?
Once a complete application is filed, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Cancillería) decides within the period it publishes, usually a few weeks. In practice, most of the time goes into gathering documents: apostilles, official translations and employer certificates. Requests for additional information pause the timeline. A realistic plan for a relocation starts 6 to 10 weeks before the start date.
What happens after the visa is approved?
For visas longer than three months, the holder must register the visa with Migración Colombia and apply for the foreign ID card (cédula de extranjería) within the deadline set by the authority, currently 15 calendar days. Employers must also report the hire of a foreign employee through the SIRE system. VisaBird handles these steps as part of every engagement.
What do the fees include?
Professional fees are agreed per application and cover strategy, documents, filing and follow-up until registration. Government fees (the Cancillería's study and visa fees) are separate, paid directly by the client, and vary by visa type and nationality. You receive a written proposal before any work begins.
Official sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs · Visas · Migración Colombia. Reviewed by Nataly Traslaviña, October 2026.
Your attorney
Nataly Traslaviña González
Say it: tras-la-VEE-nya
Founder of VisaBird. Ten years running immigration practices for multinational clients in Bogotá, and current work on U.S. business immigration in Miami.
I have advised on immigration since 2016, first as director of the employment and immigration practices at two Bogotá law firms and today through VisaBird, my own practice.
My work in Miami on U.S. business and employment immigration has shown me how other countries move talent, and I bring that view to Colombian cases. I am completing an LL.M. at Florida International University. I also hold a degree in corporate and business law, so I can advise on the labor and corporate questions that come with a relocation.
- 2024 – present
Founder and Immigration Counsel
VisaBird · Bogotá
Personal immigration practice for multinational companies and individuals. Colombian visitor, migrant and resident visas, and corporate compliance.
- 2024 – present
U.S. immigration case management
Immigration law firm · Florida
Preparation of business and employment petitions (E-2, L-1, O-1, EB-1, EB-2 NIW, EB-5, PERM) under the supervision of U.S. counsel.
- 2022 – 2024
Director, Employment and Immigration
Naro Legal · Bogotá
Led the practice for multinational clients across sectors, including corporate relocations and immigration compliance.
- 2016 – 2021
Director, Employment and Immigration
Parra Rodríguez Abogados · Bogotá
Built the firm's immigration work for international clients. The practice was recognized in The Legal 500 Latin America.
- 2008 – 2016
In-house and corporate counsel
Envesta · Viajes Galeón
Corporate, employment and travel-related immigration matters for international clients and business travelers.
Recognition and writing
On the record.
Recognition earned in practice, and commentary published in Colombia's leading business daily.
Directory
The Legal 500 Latin America
Recognized for contributions to the labor and immigration practice serving multinational clients at Parra Rodríguez Abogados.
World Bank
Doing Business project
Contributor of legal analysis on Colombian labor regulation.
- Mar 2021Colombia Joins the List of Destinations for Digital NomadsLa República · Asuntos Legales
- Aug 2017How Entrepreneurs Can Overcome an Economic CrisisLa República · Asuntos Legales
- Sep 2018Collaborative Economy and Technological InnovationLa República · Asuntos Legales
- Nov 2017Do You Earn Income from Capital?La República · Asuntos Legales
- Feb 2017Towards Labor FlexibilityLa República · Asuntos Legales
- Mar 2016Manifest Weakness Makes Workers UntouchableLa República · Asuntos Legales
Consultation
Tell me who is moving, and when.
Write with the role, nationality and expected start date. I reply personally within one business day, in English or Spanish.