Colombia grants visa-free entry to nationals of more than 100 countries for up to 90 days under Decree 1067 of 2015, but Migración Colombia's carrier-liability framework means Avianca and LATAM Colombia will verify departure documentation before you board. A dummy ticket, also called an onward ticket, is a real PNR booked for visa or border-check purposes without paying for the flight. This guide covers six steps, from checking your entry category to presenting proof of departure at BOG's primary desk.

Step 1: Confirm Your Entry Category and Whether the Rule Applies

Colombia's visa-free programme covers nationals from the EU, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and most of Latin America. Under that framework, every visa-waiver entrant is expected to hold proof of onward travel. Colombian nationals and holders of a valid Cédula de Extranjería (resident permit) are exempt.

Nationality group Entry type Onward ticket required
EU/EEA passport holders Visa-free, up to 90 days Yes
UK passport holders Visa-free, up to 90 days Yes
US and Canadian passport holders Visa-free, up to 90 days Yes
Australian and NZ passport holders Visa-free, up to 90 days Yes
Most Latin American nationalities Visa-free, up to 90 days Yes
Colombian nationals Citizen No
Cédula de Extranjería holders Resident No

The 90-day period counts total days in Colombia per calendar year, not per trip. A second entry within the same year draws from the same pool.

Step 2: Understand Where Each Check Happens

Two separate checkpoints apply the onward ticket rule: the airline check-in desk at your origin airport, and Migración Colombia's primary desk at BOG or MDE on arrival.

Avianca applies the rule on all inbound routes to Colombia, as do LATAM Colombia, Copa Airlines, and American Airlines. These carriers query IATA Timatic, which flags Colombia for proof of onward travel under visa-waiver entry. United, Lufthansa, and Iberia on the FRA-BOG and MAD-BOG routes apply the same Timatic query. Failing that check means offloading before you reach Colombian soil.

The Migración Colombia check on arrival is separate and selective. Officers may ask, or may not. Don't assume a clean check-in clears you at BOG's primary desk.

How airlines verify your onward ticket at check-in covers the GDS query process in detail.

Step 3: Book a Dummy Ticket with a Live PNR

A dummy ticket is not a Google Flights screenshot, a price-comparison PDF, or an OTA soft hold. It's a passenger name record issued by a GDS, with your name attached and an active confirmed status code. The flight it covers must depart Colombia to another country within your intended stay window.

Timing matters. Most dummy onward tickets carry a 48-to-72-hour time-to-live (TTL) from the moment the PNR is issued. Book within 24 to 48 hours of your check-in to ensure the PNR is live when the carrier queries it.

How long an onward ticket PNR stays valid explains TTL ranges by carrier type and route.

Step 4: Verify the PNR Before You Travel

Before heading to the airport, confirm the PNR is still active. Go to the airline's "Manage My Booking" page, enter the booking reference and last name, and check that the status shows confirmed. If the status shows cancelled or ticketing required, the PNR has lapsed.

Three things cause otherwise clean dummy tickets to fail at check-in:

  • The TTL expired overnight and the PNR dropped to void status.
  • The passenger name doesn't match the passport name exactly, including any middle names that appear in the machine-readable zone.
  • The departure date on the dummy ticket falls after the 90-day Colombia stay would have ended.

None of these can be fixed at the check-in desk. Book a replacement before you arrive at the airport.

Step 5: Present Your Onward Ticket at Check-in and at Migración Colombia

At your origin airport, hand the booking confirmation to the check-in agent. They'll run the PNR through a GDS terminal. Officers don't check fares. They check PNR status. If it shows confirmed and name-matched, you'll clear in seconds.

At BOG's primary immigration desk, officers sometimes ask for the same document. Show the booking confirmation on your phone or on paper. The desk isn't verifying that you'll actually take the flight; it's confirming that a plausible departure exists.

Document GDS verifiable Accepted at Colombian check-in Accepted at BOG arrival desk
Dummy ticket with live PNR Yes Yes Yes
Paid confirmed e-ticket Yes Yes Yes
OTA soft-hold reference Rarely Unreliable Rarely
Google Flights screenshot No No No
Price-comparison PDF No No No
Bus ticket from Colombia No No Rarely

Saw a passenger at MDE get pulled aside at primary inspection because her check-in agent had cleared an OTA soft-hold booking. The carrier check passed; the border check didn't.

Step 6: Know What to Do if the Gate or Desk Holds You

Gate holds at BOG are uncommon but not unknown, particularly on regional connecting services. If an agent stops you, ask which specific document will resolve the hold. If you have mobile data, pull up a booking service on your phone and get a new PNR issued. A live booking confirmation on a phone screen satisfies the check without printing.

One note on overland crossings: the Rumichaca bridge crossing from Ecuador and the Paraguachón crossing from Venezuela are both staffed by Migración Colombia officers who enforce the same onward-ticket requirement. The absence of a carrier check at a land border doesn't remove the obligation.

At Get Onward Ticket, a booking takes under two minutes and produces a PNR you can verify directly through the airline's own portal. Book a real onward ticket before your next check-in.

Frequently asked questions

Does Colombia actually enforce the onward ticket rule?

Yes. Avianca and LATAM check on every inbound route via Timatic. Migración Colombia officers at BOG apply it selectively at primary inspection, but selective enforcement doesn't make it optional. The airline check-in at your origin airport is where the rule bites most consistently.

Can my onward ticket show a flight from Medellín instead of Bogotá?

Yes. The ticket just needs to show departure from any Colombian airport to another country. A Medellín (MDE) to Quito (UIO) dummy ticket works as well as a BOG to Panama City (PTY) one.

Do I need a dummy ticket if I have a confirmed return flight?

No. A confirmed return flight with an active PNR on a real carrier is exactly what Timatic is checking for. You don't need a dummy ticket if you already have a paid, confirmed flight out of Colombia within your intended stay window.

How long before my flight should I book the dummy ticket?

Book it 24 to 48 hours before check-in. Most PNRs carry a 48-to-72-hour TTL from issuance. Booking three days in advance and then checking in 12 hours later risks the PNR expiring overnight.

Does the dummy ticket need to match my declared departure date exactly?

Not precisely. Officers and agents are checking that a plausible departure exists within your permitted stay, not that the date is a perfect match. That said, a departure date that falls after the permitted 90-day window would raise questions, so keep it within the stay.