Ughhh, the dreaded Check-Mig Colombia Immigration form….

Actually, the Colombia Check-Mig Form, sometimes called the Colombia Mig Form or the Migración Colombia Check In Form, is really not that bad or difficult to Complete.

However, the Check-Mig Colombia App has gained a bit of a reputation for being finicky, with downtimes and some confusion on whether you’ve successfully completed it.

If you peruse any Facebook group on Colombia travel, you’ll very likely see some questions about people finding the Check-Mig Colombia form not working, people not receiving the email they completed it, or just people asking for Check-Mig Colombia help.

Trust me, I’ve been there too!

We traveled frequently in 2020-2022 and had to fill out the Check-Mig Colombia form countless times.

On several of those occasions it gave us trouble. Either one of us couldn’t access it successfully, it would crash and we’d have to redo it, or we wouldn’t get the confirmation email.

This can be especially frustrating if you are in the airport trying to complete it!

But, what I find more frustrating is I’ve noticed more people in those Facebook groups asking about paying to complete the Colombia Check Mig form….

Aye, caramba!

This form is completely free to fill out!

It can be a pain, but you can complete the Check-Mig Colombia in English, and it should take you less than 10 minutes or less as long as the Check-Mig Colombia App is not down.

What has happened is there are a few clever and I’d say unscrupulous folks who have figured out they can create webpages that appear in search results that give the impression you do need to pay for the form, where what you are really doing is paying them to complete it for you.

Look, there are plenty of services that it’s totally worth paying a fee for to save some time. However, you’re going to have to give these people the same information you’ll need to just do the form yourself, so you aren’t really going to save any time, and frankly, those sites are bordering on deceptive.

However, if you’d just like some help with the Colombia Check-Mig form, you’re in luck.

Here, I’m going to try to beat those less scrupulous sites at their own game and go through a step by step guide to completing the Check-Mig form for Colombia.

Yes, I’ll benefit from some ads as you scroll through, and if you check out some of the other content on the site. I also might earn commission if you book a hotel or tour linked from the site, but I won’t be charging you to complete a free form and I hope you find these instructions helpful!

*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I am a member of Amazon Associates, LLC and other affiliate programs and earn from qualifying purchases made after clicking those links. There is never any additional cost to you. To learn more please consult our Disclosure Policy.

Practical Guide to the Check-Mig Colombia Form – Contents

• What is the Colombia Check-Mig Form?
• When Do I Need to Complete the Check-Mig Form?
• Where Should I Complete the Check-Mig Form?
• What Information Do I Need to Complete the Migración Colombia Check in?
• Step by Step Guide to the Check-Mig Colombia Form
• FAQs and Troubleshooting the Check-Mig Form

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What is the Colombia Check-Mig Form?

The Check-Mig form is basically a digital immigration form.

It’s run by Colombia’s immigration authority, known as Migración Colombia, and requires travelers to enter their travel information, such as how they will enter the country, their passport information, and where they will stay.

It first started being used as travel reopened, although it wasn’t necessarily a pandemic response exactly, as the Colombian government had another contact tracing app, but I think it was at least in part a way to create a contactless immigration form.

Something tells me, more and more countries will adopt forms like this in place of the traditional paper forms going forward.

Regardless, the Check-Mig form for Colombia here to stay as most other entry requirements related to the Covid-19 pandemic have been ended.

When Do I Need to Complete the Check-Mig Form?

You need to complete the Check-Mig Form between 1 and 72 hours prior to your flight.

The form becomes available to complete 72 hours before your departure time, and you must have it complete at least 1 hour before your departure time.

Due to occasional down times, confusion, and the mistakes, I strongly suggest doing it at least 24 hours prior to your flight.

Honestly, I would probably just make it an extra step as part of checking in for your flight.

At least with the old site, I always got much better results on my laptop than on my phone too, but the new version of the site may work better. There were a couple occasions where the old site also gave Susana trouble on her phone that’s much better than mine, but it seemed to work ok on mine.

So, my suggestion is to do this from the comfort and calm of your home the day before your flight, not trying to do it in the airport as you are checking in and dropping your bags when you might get flustered and frustrated, especially if the system decides to be finicky.

Where Should I Complete the Check-Mig Form for Colombia?

You can and should complete your Check-Mig form on the website for the official Check-Mig Colombia App.

You can find that website here: https://apps.migracioncolombia.gov.co/pre-registro/en.

That link will take you to the version of Check-Mig Colombia in English, but you can also change it to Spanish or French at the top right if you so desire.

If you want to make sure you are on the official site, look for the things that signify it is Migración Colombia, the official Colombian immigration and migratory agency. On the new version of the site, their logo appears in the upper left corner.

The web address having a .gov.co ending is also a good confirmation you are on an official site.

Unfortunately, if you google “Colombia Mig Form” or “Mig Check Colombia” you’ll likely find at least one other site that presents itself as if it was semi-official and seems to give the impression you need to pay to apply for and process it.

As they only point out in the small print at the bottom of their site, you don’t.

They are just going to do it for you. To be honest, you’re going to have to give them pretty much all the same information you’ll need to just complete it yourself. So, you aren’t really saving much time at all.

Plus, the translation of the newer site is a bit better than the old one and clears up a few points of confusion under the old system.

So, paying just isn’t necessary. Plus, you are supporting a borderline dishonest and unscrupulous practice.

What Information Do I Need for the Check-Mig Form?

You’ll pretty much need all your travel information to fill out the Migration Colombia Check-Mig Form. It basically replaces the traditional forms you would fill out passing through immigration. Colombia’s Check-Mig is essentially a digital version of it.

You’ll need the following information to complete the Check-Mig Form:

• Your City/Port of Entry into Colombia
• Your Travel Date
• Your Flight Number, Airline, and Departure City
• Your Passport Number
• The Address and Phone Number of Where You’ll Be Staying

Step By Step Guide to Completing the Check-Mig Form

Here, I’ll walk you through step by step completing Colombia’s Check-Mig form, complete with screenshots from the Check-Mig App.

I’ve relocated semi-permanently to the states and with a baby on the way, won’t be traveling anytime soon, but I’m hoping the Check-Mig Colombia app lets me get through most if not all the steps on an imaginary trip in the new platform.

That recently updated platform is a much smoother experience than the old one.

It does look a good bit different, so if it looks different from what you’ve completed before, don’t worry! Just makes sure you are in fact on the official site and not one of those rip off sites.

I should also give the full disclaimer that I am not a legal expert, lawyer, agent of the Colombian government, or immigration/visa expert.

There are a few ambiguous parts of the form, and I’m representing how I interpret it and would fill it out but cannot guarantee that is correct for your information, so please don’t construe this as legal advice or any sort of official instruction from the Colombian immigration authorities.

Step 1: Enter the Form

If you clicked the link above, you should see a page that looks like the image below.

You’ll see the option to complete your Check-Mig Form, to say you are a frequent traveler, or to double check if you have completed your Check-Mig form and download it for your records.

Note, if you need to change the language, you can do so in the drop down menu at the top right of the screen. Spanish, French, and English are available at the time of this writing.

To complete your Colombia Mig Check, you’re going to want to click where it says “Do Checkmig” under Do your Checkmig.

Step 2: Entry or Exit?

You should get a screen that looks similar to below that asks about your journey after clicking there.

You’ll need to select if you are entering Colombia or exiting Colombia (yes, you do need to complete the Check-Mig before your flight back home too!)

Then you’ll select your form of entry, which for the vast majority of you I assume will be Air.

Then, hit continue.

Pretty simple so far!

Step 3: Entering Your Travel Information

Next, you should get a screen that looks like the one below on your Check-Mig Colombia form titled Travel Information.

First, you’ll need to select if you’re coming on a commercial or private flight.

Then, you’ll select the city from a drop down list where you’ll be entering the country (For example, Cartagena!).

Next, you’ll choose the date of your flight. You’ll notice it will only let you select dates within that 72 hour time frame. Then next to that, you’ll fill in your flight number. Put only the number, not any letters or initials of the airline.

Once you put in your flight number, the spaces under the question “From which city the flight comes?,” the name of the airline, and the city box next to it should fill in automatically, at least for commercial flights.

If it doesn’t autofill, you might want to double check you’ve got your flight number correct.

Finally, at the bottom of this screen, there’s a space for fill out your origin/destination country and city. I have always interpreted that to mean your original start point or final end point of travel.

So, in the example above, assuming I am flying out of Miami, I would put United States and Columbia, for my home town of Columbia, SC (yup, that’s right, I grew up in Columbia with a U and spent a decade living in Colombia with an O!).

Now, here’s where you might have your first bit of trouble.

For the longest time on the old form, when selecting the country of origin, even on the Check-Mig in English, United States didn’t appear and you’d have to select Estados Unidos (United States in Spanish). This was frequently a point of confusion for people.

The new iteration of the form fixes that and does list United States in the drop down list on the English form.

However, the cities still have their states names in Spanish. So, in my case, Columbia, Carolina del Sur. There are a few little mistakes in translation such as St. Luis for St. Louis too.

Also, not all cities appear.

If your home city doesn’t appear, I would just choose the next closest major city, your home state alone if it appears (some do, some don’t), or just the option that says Estados Unidos, Estados Unidos, and don’t stress about it.

You should end up with something that looks like the following photo.

If all looks good, hit continue, and we are well on our way to completing this Check-Mig form!

Step 4: Personal Information

Next, you’ll get a page asking for your personal information.

It should look like the on in the image below.

Most of this is pretty self-explanatory and straight forward.

You may notice the first and second first name and first and second last name boxes. In Colombia and most Latin American countries, people are given two first names (or a first and what we in the states think of as a middle name) and they use both their father’s and mother’s names as last names.

The second first name and second last name boxes are not required, so don’t stress about them. Do make sure you put in your last name first as that first last name box is easy to confuse to be asking for your first name if you’re reading quickly/skimming the form.

Also, be sure to enter your email correctly, so you can get the confirmation just in case you need it.

Then select your reason for travel from the drop down list (for most, probably tourism).

Hit the I’m not a robot, and continue on…

Step 5: Where You’ll Be Staying in Colombia

Next, you’ll get to the page that says “Hosting Information.”

It should look like the image below.

This is where you’ll need the information for where you’ll be staying upon arrival in Colombia. If you’re filling out the form for departing Colombia, this page is skipped.

Here, you’ll enter the city where you will be staying.

At the time of me doing this run through, the box for the address also has a question about the city above it, but you’ll want to list the address of the hotel, airbnb, or wherever else you’ll be staying followed by the phone number in the box next to it.

If you will be staying in different hotels, or traveling through different cities in Colombia, just put the information for where you’ll be staying the night you arrive. I would make sure you have the information on other places you plan to stay handy when you actually arrive as well since you could be asked though.

Step 6: Questionnaire

Next, you will be presented with a question or series of questions.

There used to be questions here about entering with a minor, if you had symptoms of Covid, and a few others if I recall correctly.

For me at least in this dry run, it only asked if I had $10,000 USD in cash or not (I wish!). It’s possible your questions may vary though.

I also did not complete a full form for exiting the country, so it might ask about removing national heritage and archeological artifacts and things of that nature.

Interestingly enough, my answer choices were in Spanish even though for the most part the translation on this version of the Check-Mig is much better than the old version.

If your Spanish is a bit rusty, Si=yes and No=no.

Step 7: Accept Terms and Conditions

Next, you’ll have to accept the terms and conditions.

The actual checked statement was also in Spanish for me.

Once you check it, the yellow box to click to continue should appear.

Step 8: Download Your Check-Mig (Important!)

Next, you’ll get a confirmation that your Check-Mig form has been submitted.

It will also tell you that you’ll get a copy sent to your email.

I did in fact get the copy within just a couple minutes.

However, this is one of the things that the form has become a bit notorious about, that people don’t get the email or it comes only after a long delay. Hopefully, the new system has fixed that, and the emails will be near instantaneous from now on like it was for me in this case.

However, I would still strongly suggest, you click that yellow box that lets you download the pdf copy of your Check-Mig.

Seriously, download it and then email it to yourself and save the pdf and a screenshot of it on your phone!

You don’t want to get left behind for a flight for something you’ve actually done but the system is erroneously saying you haven’t to the airline!

Better safe than sorry is always my mantra.

Optional: Check Your Check-Mig

If you did not download it then and there, you should be able to double check everything is good with your Check-Mig form for Colombia.

If you go back to the main site linked above, you should see a third option where it says to Check and Download where you can click a box that says Review Checkmig.

If you click that, you’ll get a page, where you’ll need to enter the following:

• Your Passport Information
• Birthdate
• Travel Date
• Flight Number

After doing so, you’ll get a confirmation if a record of your Check-Mig exists and be able to enter in an email to send a copy of it.

Filling out the Check-Mig When Leaving Colombia

Yes, you also need to complete a Check-Mig form when departing Colombia.

The steps are the same as above, only you’ll select “I Travel from Colombia” in Step 2.

You’ll fill out your flight information and then your personal information just like before.

Then, you’ll jump to the terms and conditions as you won’t need to provide information on where you’ll be staying outside of Colombia.

FAQs and Further Check-Mig Colombia Help

Here are a handful more questions or issue I thought people may still have that could use clarification.

When does the Check-Mig form become available?

The Check-Mig form can be filled out 72 hours before your departure time.

When does the Check-Mig form close?

You must complete the form at least 1 hour before your departure time, or the application will no longer allow you do so.

Who is responsible for checking the form?

Most likely either the attendant at check-in and baggage drop or a gate agent will confirm that everyone has completed the Check-Mig form.

My experience is they usually do not ask to see it on your phone at immigration itself, but I also imagine they can see if you completed it on the computer.

What happens if I don’t complete the Check-Mig form for Colombia?

You may be denied boarding for your flight.

It’s not worth the airlines’ hassle being forced to take someone back if they are denied entry to the country. So, they will usually be fairly strict in ensuring you have the proper documentation, including the Check-Mig.

What should I do if I get an error filling out the Check-Mig?

If you get an error, try again.

If you still get an error, wait a couple hours and try yet again.

If you still get an error after that, keep trying every now and then up to a few hours before your flight.

If you’re still getting an error then, I’d take a screenshot to document it, and have some evidence to show you made every reasonable effort to complete the form.

What should I do if the system says I already have a record of a Check-Mig?

This is one of the things that came up sometimes before and hopefully has been worked out by the new system.

Occasionally, an error would occur while someone was filling out the form, then when they tried to redo it, the system would stop them from making another one. So they’d be left without the form complete and without being able to do it.

If you get an error in the middle of filling out the form, I’d suggest taking a screenshot.

Then, try again.

If it doesn’t let you complete it, try again later.

If you are still unable to complete it, at least you have some evidence you made a reasonable effort to do so.

Do I need to complete the Check-Mig for domestic flights inside Colombia?

No, the Check-Mig is only required for entry to or exit from Colombia internationally.

For domestic flights, you’ll just need to show your ID (passport for foreign visitors) and your tickets.

Do I need to complete the Check-Mig if I have a visa or residency in Colombia?

Yes. All travelers, including citizens, permanent residents, and those on work and other types of visas must complete the Check-Mig form when entering and exiting the country.

Did you complete your Check-Mig form sucessfully?

Now you have a complete step by step guide to completing the Check-Mig form.

I hope that this was useful if you needed some help with the Colombia Check-Mig form.

More importantly, I hope it kept you from paying for something that you didn’t need to!

Most importantly of all, I hope you have a wonderful time in Colombia!

Please do check out all the other content on the site to help you plan your trip.

Cheers and Happy Exploring!