Good news about Colombia

1. Guest Columnist

I began my mission at the Costa Rican Embassy in Colombia in November 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the crisis that was causing in the Colombian business community, I admired the strength and capacity for innovation of the Colombian business community to overcome this predicament. Without a doubt, its strengths are many. Still, at that moment, I was surprised by the capacity to develop initiatives beyond the traditional sectors of its economy, being one of the countries in the region that has best “rebounded” after the pandemic, that has better inserted itself in the fourth industrial revolution, and that continues with an admirable vocation towards foreign markets. For this reason, I am proud to have worked closely with the Bogotá Chamber to increase business flow between our countries.

Costa Rica is also highly innovative, with free trade agreements reaching 50 countries worldwide and 2.5 billion consumers. It is also one of the best-interconnected countries in Central America. For this reason, Colombian companies of all sizes, from large companies such as Grupo Nutresa, or smaller ones such as Joyas El Edén, have chosen my country as the ideal destination for their investments and the attention of the Central American market and its 52 million inhabitants. Additionally, we work on taking advantage of two-way business opportunities in nontraditional goods and services such as architecture and sustainable design, structural wood, goods and services for technological laboratories, cardboard, agri-food, and of course, tourism. All this occurs within a free trade agreement that works without disputes. We hope that this healthy trade flow will be reinforced very soon with the entry of Costa Rica into the Pacific Alliance, for which we have initiated the accession procedure and requested Colombia's support.

Faced with Colombia's growing interest in investing in Costa Rica, added to the dynamism of the tourism sector between our countries, which has increased significantly after the pandemic, our capitals have seen their interconnection rocket, currently reaching more than twenty weekly flights. – with the possibility of increasing in the coming months. Thus, after the visit to Colombia in August by our president, His Excellency Rodrigo Chaves Robles, on the occasion of the change of mandate, he undertook - in a colloquium held at the Bogotá Chamber with the presence of more than 200 businesspeople - to facilitate and simplify the procedure for granting visas for businessmen and women, as well as tourists. Today, shortly after, we can announce good news. First, the granting of multiple-entry business visas will be extended (provided that the company is registered in Costa Rica), valid for up to 5 years, while currently, they are issued for one year. On the other hand, multiple-entry tourist visas valid for one year may be granted, as opposed to current visas, which are valid for only sixty days and suitable for one entry only.

The preceding, accompanied by a procedure for sending the application by digital means and a reduction in the documentary requirements demanded of Colombian men and women - in the process of being implemented - will not only increase the tourist flow but will also allow the business sector to remain in Costa Rican territory for a more extended period. At the same time, it will speed up the process for those who want to carry out business perspective exercises in our country.