Colombia Embassy Washington

Before your visit

• Location: The embassy is in Washington, D.C., about 1.2 km in a straight line from the White House; the nearest large airport is Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), about 6.3 km away. The nearest Metro station is Dupont Circle (less than 1 km). (distances: OpenStreetMap, airports: FAA passenger boarding data CY 2025)

About the Embassy of Colombia in the United States

The ambassador is Maria Consuelo Araujo Castro, who presented the credentials on 15 September 2026, according to the State Department’s Order of Precedence. The Congressional Directory also lists 10 consular offices of Colombia in the United States – career or honorary – in Los Angeles (California), San Francisco (California), Miami (Florida), Orlando (Florida), Atlanta (Georgia), Chicago (Illinois), Boston (Massachusetts), Newark (New Jersey), New York (New York) and Houston (Texas); these will get their own pages in this directory. In Colombia, the United States is represented by the U.S. Embassy in Bogota (co.usembassy.gov), according to the Congressional Directory.

Do Colombian citizens need a visa for the United States?

Colombia is not one of the 42 countries in the US Visa Waiver Program (Department of Homeland Security), so Colombian citizens normally need a US visa before travelling to the United States, also for short visits; visas are issued by US embassies and consulates abroad, not by the Colombian embassy in the United States.

Documents checklist

What Colombian citizens usually need to bring for the most common requests, based on official Colombian government information:

Colombian passport (application abroad)

• Abroad, only Colombian consulates issue passports – the application and the collection are in person
• Original cédula de ciudadanía (or the original contraseña receipt if you do not have the card yet)
• To collect the passport: original Colombian ID and the payment receipt
• Ordinary passports are valid for 10 years; processing at consulates takes about 8 working days
• Minors: accompanied by a parent or legal representative with their cédula; a third party needs a special power of attorney from both parents (apostilled and translated into Spanish if made abroad)

Sources: Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs – passports, Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs – passport requirements (checked October 2026). Requirements and fees can change and individual posts may ask for more – confirm the current list with the embassy before your visit.

Other embassies in Washington, D.C.

175 other countries are represented in Washington, D.C., among them: Costa Rica (embassy), Croatia (embassy), Cuba (embassy), Cyprus (embassy), Czech Republic (embassy), Côte d’Ivoire (embassy), Democratic Republic of the Congo (embassy), Denmark (embassy), Djibouti (embassy), Dominica (embassy), Dominican Republic (embassy), Ecuador (embassy), Egypt (embassy), El Salvador (embassy), Equatorial Guinea (embassy), Eritrea (embassy), Estonia (embassy), Eswatini (embassy), Ethiopia (embassy), Republic of the Congo (embassy). The full list of all 176 missions is on the overview page for the United States.

Closing days

The eleven US federal holidays are New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day (third Monday in January), Washington’s Birthday (third Monday in February), Memorial Day (last Monday in May), Juneteenth (19 June), Independence Day (4 July), Labor Day (first Monday in September), Columbus Day (second Monday in October), Veterans Day (11 November), Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday in November) and Christmas Day. A holiday that falls on a Saturday is observed on the Friday before, one that falls on a Sunday on the Monday after – in 2027, for example, on 18 June, 5 July and 24 December. The embassy may also close on public holidays of Colombia.

Emergency assistance

In an emergency, Colombian citizens should call the embassy on +1 202-387-8338. In the United States, dial 911 for an ambulance, the fire service or the police (GOV.UK travel advice). US citizens who need consular help in Colombia can contact the U.S. Embassy in Bogota.

Diplomatic missions of Colombia in the United States

Colombia in the United States

• Washington – Embassy of Colombia in the United States (this page)
• Los Angeles (CA) – consular office (page in preparation)
• San Francisco (CA) – consular office (page in preparation)
• Miami (FL) – consular office (page in preparation)
• Orlando (FL) – consular office (page in preparation)
• Atlanta (GA) – consular office (page in preparation)
• Chicago (IL) – consular office (page in preparation)
• Boston (MA) – consular office (page in preparation)
• Newark (NJ) – consular office (page in preparation)
• New York (NY) – consular office (page in preparation)
• Houston (TX) – consular office (page in preparation)