Visitor Insurance for Visitors from Colombia to the USA (2026)

If someone from Colombia is visiting you in the United States, buy a US visitor medical plan that runs for every day of the stay. Colombia's EPS system is built around care inside Colombia, and the travel benefits attached to some prepaid medicine plans are short and capped. A comprehensive visitor plan with a realistic policy maximum is the dependable way to cover a hospital bill in Miami, Queens, or Houston.

Do Colombians need a visa, and is insurance required to get one?

Yes, a visa is needed. Colombia is not part of the Visa Waiver Program, so Colombian citizens travel on a B1/B2 visitor visa issued after an interview at the US Embassy in Bogotá. Since October 1, 2025, the State Department has limited interview waivers to a narrow group of applicants, and waiver cases generally must apply in their country of nationality or residence. Most parents applying for the first time should expect an in person interview.

Health insurance is not a legal requirement for a B-2 visa or for entry. It is still strongly advisable, because the visitor becomes personally responsible for every medical bill in the US. As of September 2026, Colombia is not on the list of countries restricted under the presidential travel proclamation that took effect January 1, 2026, and it is not among the countries named in the B1/B2 visa bond program. The immigrant visa pause that included Colombia earlier in 2026 never applied to tourist visas, and it is no longer in effect after an August 2026 court order. Rules change, so confirm on travel.state.gov and with our visa insurance requirements tool before booking.

Does my parent's EPS cover medical care in the United States?

No. According to Colombia's Ministry of Health, the Plan de Beneficios en Salud financed through the UPC is designed for the population residing in Colombia, and EPS networks deliver care through authorized providers inside the national territory. An EPS will not pay an emergency room in Florida or a hospital in New Jersey.

Some EPS complementary plans, known as planes de atención complementaria, bundle a separate travel assistance product. Nueva EPS, for example, describes an assistance certificate that must be requested before departure and applies for limited periods abroad. Treat any benefit like this as a bonus to check, not as the main cover.

What about medicina prepagada from Colsanitas, Sura, or another provider?

Prepaid medicine plans are popular with Colombian families, and several providers offer an international assistance benefit. The details matter. Colsanitas describes its international coverage as a discretionary benefit that is not part of the prepaid plan itself, available for up to 30 days per trip, with fixed dollar limits and activation required before leaving Colombia. Sura similarly asks members to activate international cover before travel, with day limits that depend on the policy.

For a parent staying two or three months with grandchildren, a 30 day benefit will run out long before the trip ends. The caps are also modest compared with a US hospitalization. If your parent has one of these benefits, read the conditions, then buy a dedicated US visitor plan for the full stay so there is no gap.

Where do Colombian families in the US live, and what does care cost there?

According to the Migration Policy Institute, the top five counties for Colombian immigrants are Miami-Dade and Broward in Florida, Queens County in New York, Harris County in Texas, and Palm Beach County in Florida, together home to close to one third of all Colombians in the US. Common visit patterns follow the airline routes: Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali to Miami, Fort Lauderdale, New York, and Houston.

All of these are expensive places to be uninsured. South Florida, the New York area, and Houston have large hospital systems whose charges for an emergency visit, imaging, or an inpatient stay can quickly reach amounts that would be difficult for most families to pay. Our guide to US hospital costs for uninsured visitors explains how those bills build up, and the medical cost estimator lets you model scenarios by city.

How much coverage should a Colombian visitor have?

Choose a comprehensive plan rather than a fixed benefit plan, since comprehensive plans pay a share of actual eligible charges up to the policy maximum. Then set three levers:

• Policy maximum: younger visitors often choose $100,000 or more, while parents in their 60s and 70s are better protected with $250,000 or higher, especially in Miami or New York.
• Deductible: pick an amount you could pay in dollars without strain. A higher deductible lowers the premium but raises what you pay first on a claim.
• Trip length: cover the whole stay, from the departure day to the return flight, including any extension the officer at the airport allows.

Premiums depend mainly on age, trip length, policy maximum, and deductible. Our deductible and policy maximum guide walks through the tradeoffs in more detail.

What if my parent has diabetes, hypertension, or another known condition?

Visitor plans generally exclude pre-existing conditions. Some comprehensive plans include acute onset of pre-existing conditions, meaning a sudden, unexpected flare up that needs urgent treatment, usually with an age limit and a lower sub limit than the main maximum. Routine management, refills, and planned checkups are not covered.

Practical steps help. Ask your parent to bring enough medication for the entire stay in original packaging, plus a short summary from their Colombian doctor, ideally with a Spanish and English version. If you are unsure how acute onset works, read our explainer on acute onset coverage.

Practical tips for the visit

• Save the insurer's assistance phone number in your parent's phone and in yours, and keep a photo of the ID card.
• For a fever, a minor injury, or a sprain, an urgent care center is usually faster and far less expensive than a hospital emergency room. Use the ER for chest pain, stroke symptoms, serious injury, or trouble breathing.
• Call the assistance line before planned treatment when you can, and ask whether the plan has a preferred network in South Florida, New York, or Houston.
• Keep every itemized bill and receipt. Claims usually need them, along with the policy number and a claim form.

How to get covered

Enter your parent's age, travel dates, and the state they are visiting, then compare plans side by side on Ombrela. Hold the policy maximum and deductible constant so you are comparing like with like, and check the acute onset wording if your parent has an ongoing condition. You can compare visitor insurance quotes in a few minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Colombian EPS cover emergencies in the United States?

No. The Colombian benefits plan financed through the EPS system is designed for people residing in Colombia and delivered through authorized providers in the national territory. It does not pay US hospitals or doctors. Some EPS complementary plans bundle a separate travel assistance product with its own limits, so check those terms, but plan to buy US visitor insurance for the full length of the trip.

Is the international benefit from my prepaid medicine plan enough?

Usually not for a long family visit. Providers such as Colsanitas describe their international benefit as discretionary and limited to about 30 days per trip with fixed dollar caps, and it must be activated before leaving Colombia. That can work for a short vacation, but a parent staying several months needs a dedicated visitor plan that covers every day of the stay.

Do Colombians need health insurance to get a US visitor visa?

No. The United States does not legally require health insurance for B1/B2 visitors, and it is not a condition of entry. It is still strongly advisable, because an uninsured visitor is personally responsible for all medical bills. Many families buy a plan once the visa is approved and the travel dates are set, making sure coverage begins on the departure date.

Can a Colombian visitor buy insurance after arriving in the US?

Many visitor plans can be purchased after arrival, but coverage starts only from the effective date, and conditions that began before that date are generally treated as pre-existing. Some plans also apply waiting periods to purchases made after arrival. Buying before departure is the simplest way to avoid gaps, especially for older parents on long stays.

Planning a visit from Bogotá, Medellín, or Cali? Compare visitor insurance plans on Ombrela and choose coverage that matches your parent's age, health, and the full length of the stay.