Migración Colombia, the country’s immigration authority, has temporarily suspended in-person services at seven of its Migration Service Facilitation Centres after a magnitude-7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on the morning of 10 August 2026. The closures cover the offices in Medellín, Cali, Armenia, Manizales, Pereira, Popayán and Quibdó — a region that includes two of the cities most popular with foreign residents and remote workers. The agency describes the measure as precautionary while the safety of its buildings is verified, and it has not yet announced a reopening date. Offices elsewhere in the country continue operating normally.
Background
The earthquake struck at 7:34 a.m. local time on 10 August, with its epicenter near San José del Palmar in the Chocó department, and was felt across western and central Colombia. The toll is severe and still being updated: local authorities reported at least 254 deaths and more than 2,500 people injured as of 11 August, with dozens of collapsed buildings and over a thousand damaged homes across the affected departments. The national government has declared a state of national disaster, Cali and Pereira imposed overnight curfews, and at least 54 aftershocks were recorded in the first day, the strongest at magnitude 5.0. Public institutions across the affected region, not just Migración Colombia, suspended in-person service while buildings are inspected.
What exactly changed
Migración Colombia announced on 10 August that in-person attention at seven Centros Facilitadores de Servicios Migratorios is suspended as a preventive measure: Armenia, Cali, Manizales, Medellín, Pereira, Popayán and Quibdó. These offices handle the in-person procedures foreigners in Colombia depend on — appointments for the cédula de extranjería (the foreigner ID card), registration of visas in the Registro de Extranjeros, safe-conduct documents and other formalities that cannot be completed online. The agency says it will provide further information once safety assessments are complete, and it has not committed to a resumption date. Its online channels, its free phone line (01 8000 51 55 15) and the remaining offices around the country, including Bogotá, continue to operate.
Who it affects
The suspension mainly affects foreigners who live in, or were about to complete paperwork in, western Colombia. Medellín in particular hosts one of Latin America’s largest communities of foreign remote workers and retirees, and Cali is a major destination in its own right. Concretely affected: someone who just received a visa and is inside the legal window to register it and apply for the cédula de extranjería; someone with a booked appointment at one of the seven offices this week; and anyone who needs an in-person document such as a salvoconducto while their status changes. Travellers merely passing through are less affected — border posts and airports are a separate operation from these service centres, and no nationwide suspension of immigration processing has been announced.
What this means in practice
If you have an appointment at one of the seven closed offices, do not travel to it without checking first: Migración Colombia is telling users to monitor its official channels for updates before showing up. If you are within a legal deadline — for example the registration window after a visa is issued — keep evidence that you attempted to comply, and watch for official guidance on rescheduling; the agency has not yet said how missed appointments or deadlines will be handled. Where a procedure can be done at an unaffected office or online through the agency’s digital channels, that remains the fastest route. For the broader picture on visas and residence procedures in the country, see our <a href="/country-guides/colombia">Colombia country guide</a>.
When it takes effect
In effect since 10 August 2026, announced the same day by Migración Colombia. No resumption date has been announced; the agency says it will communicate once building safety checks are complete.
What is not yet confirmed
There is no confirmed date for reopening the seven offices, and Migración Colombia has not yet published guidance on rescheduled appointments or on whether legal deadlines that fall during the closure will be excused. Casualty and damage figures from the earthquake are still evolving. Check the agency’s official website and channels before acting on second-hand information.
Key Takeaway
Migración Colombia’s offices in Medellín, Cali, Armenia, Manizales, Pereira, Popayán and Quibdó are closed for in-person services until building safety checks after the 10 August earthquake are complete — verify before travelling to any appointment.