World news story

New UK visa application centre in Colombia

Opening of new UK visa application centre and changes to UK transit requirements from summer 2014 in Colombia

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

“Our visa hub in Bogota handles an average of 29,000 applications per year, with the majority processed well within our target of 15 days for non-settlement. For those selecting our priority visa service the majority are processed under 5 days.

I am pleased to confirm that from 27th February 2014 our commercial partner, VFS Global, has begun operating a new visa application centre as part of our global aim to deliver a modernised, efficient visa service. In addition to the existing priority visa service, visa applicants in Bogota are now able to choose to access other premium services including a premium lounge.”

A further passenger notice:

“From the summer, we intend to allow Colombian nationals to transit airside through UK airports without needing a Direct Airside Transit Visa (DATV)”. “Colombian nationals will still need a visa if they want to cross the UK border for any reason, whether to visit or change flights. If a connecting flight is from another airport, passengers will still need to get a Visitor in Transit Visa before passing through the UK.”

Published 4 March 2014