Colombia is open to international travelers. To enter Colombia, you must complete a Check Mig health registration form within 24 hours prior to checking in for your flight. You must bring a printed copy of this form to the airport to share with the gate agent and keep it until you clear passport control in Colombia. This is currently the only requirement for entering Colombia. The link to the Check Mig form can be found here: https://apps.migracioncolombia.gov.co/pre-registro/public/preregistro.jsf Colombia does not require a negative Covid test for entry. There are no checks of vaccination status or quarantine required upon arrival.
For those returning to the US, there are 3 requirements you must fulfill to board your flight home: 1) Proof of Negative Covid Test – Regardless of vaccination status, you must show proof of a negative Covid test taken within 3 calendar days of your departure date (i.e. if you’re leaving on Sunday, the first day you can test is Thursday). Either a Rapid Antigen or PCR test are accepted as valid for travel and are widely available in Colombia for ~$40 (rapid) to ~$70 (PCR). Check with your hotel concierge who can set up a test! 2) CDC Attestation Form – You must print and sign this form certifying that you are compliant with the Covid testing requirement. Link here: https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/pdf/attachment-a-global-passenger-disclosure-attestation-2021-p.pdf 3) Check Mig Form – You must complete the same Colombian Check Mig health form upon exit that you completed to enter Colombia. Link here again: https://apps.migracioncolombia.gov.co/pre-registro/public/preregistro.jsf
Prior to arriving in Medellín, we recommend scheduling a transfer from the airport to your hotel. There are two recommended options here: 1) Hotel - Set up a pick-up directly through your hotel 2) Gema Tours – This is the tour company we’re working with for wedding transport—they can also schedule a pick-up if you contact transportemedellin@gematours.com (English or Spanish!) There are taxis available at the airport but are cash-only and the arrivals area can feel chaotic if it’s your first time visiting. Transfers are about the same price, so we prefer to plan ahead!
Medellín is known as the city of eternal springtime because the temperature year-round is in the 70s during the day and cooler at night. Rain showers can cause it to cool off quickly, so be sure to bring a light jacket and an umbrella just in case. Our Welcome Party and Wedding are both up in the mountains at higher elevations than Medellín, so both will be cooler than the city by about 5-10 degrees. Both will also involve a good amount of walking & standing outdoors on gravel & grass, so bring comfortable shoes! As a reminder, dress code for the two events is: Welcome Party – Dressy Casual: Sun dresses, dark jeans, chinos Wedding – Garden Formal: Long dresses for women, coat & tie for men One final tip – pack some masks! Colombia is still very cautious when it comes to Covid, and masks are still required in all public spaces. Guests will have to wear masks in the church during the ceremony but not during the reception.
If you’re looking to stimulate the Medellín economy, you’ll need some Colombian pesos (COP), the local currency. The exchange rate is currently about 3,850 COP per $1 USD. In and around the wedding hotels, credit cards are widely accepted and generally the easiest way to pay, but know that there are also plenty of situations when you will need cash, including some restaurants, cafes, taxis, etc. When we travel to Colombia, we use our debit card at an ATM to withdraw pesos directly rather than going to a currency exchange counter or bringing cash from the States. There are plenty of ATMs around town and we usually use Bancolombia, the largest domestic bank. One thing to keep in mind is that your bank or the ATM may give you large bills (50,000 or 100,000 COP notes). However, taxis and many local stores don’t keep that much cash on hand so may have a hard time giving you change. As much as possible, try to keep small bills (20,000 COP and below) for these types of expenses.