Group Travel Program
The Group Travel Program facilitates visa issuance for qualified applicants from recognized groups whose members all have the same travel plan.
The Program helps to ensure consistent visa adjudication standards and to prevent fraud by visa applicants. The Consular Section encourages group members to schedule visa appointments together as a group.
Definition of a Group
To participate in the Group Travel Program, the group must have a minimum of 6 and maximum of 80 members. All travelers must be officially registered with the sponsoring organization. All travelers must have the same travel itinerary to and from the United States. Groups not eligible to participate in the program include: Families, travel agency and tour groups, companies sending employees to training, applicants only transiting the U.S., and student (F, M, or J) visa applicants.
Specific Procedures
1. The Group coordinator should send an email to Group_Processing_COL@visaops.net and cc: BogotaGroups@state.gov requesting a group appointment for all members of the group at the same day/time, well in advance of the dates of travel. Note: NO requests for expedited visa processing will be accepted.
The request must include the following:
- Name and description of sponsoring organization
- Complete list of participants (include a full name and date of birth for each)
- Purpose of travel,
- Complete Itinerary (include destination, departure and return dates
- Complete contact information for the sponsor organization in Colombia (phone numbers, email, and mailing addresses)
- Complete contact information for the sponsor organization in the U.S. (phone numbers, email, and mailing addresses)
2. Appear at the entrance to the Embassy’s Visa Unit as a group on the date of the visa interview appointment. The group should ARRIVE 1 hour before the scheduled appointment time. Applicants who arrive late will not be admitted and will have to reschedule the interview. Each applicant MUST bring his valid passport, a photo, and the DS-160 Application form confirmation page. For more information on photo requirements and the application form, please see our TIPS for the DS-160 page.
3. If the visa is approved, the passport with visa will be delivered approximately 10 business days after the interview. Note that each applicant must qualify for the visa on his or her own merits.
For more information on the visa application process in general, please see our How to Apply for a Visa page.
After Travelling to the U.S.
Within five business days of the group’s return to Colombia, an authorized representative of the group must appear at the Visa Unit of the U.S. Embassy in Bogota. The group representative should present the passport of every participant any business day (except U.S holidays), Monday through Friday between 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. Evidence of any group member violating the terms of his or her visa will be grounds to suspend the entire group from future participation in the Program and may also result in further sanctions.