Skip Navigation
You Are In: Visas > Nonimmigrant Visas > How to Apply for a Visa > Visa Clasification Chart > L Visa
Skip Left Section Navigation

Nonimmigrant Visa Unit

L Visa (Intra-Company Transferees)

What is an L visa?

An L visa is for certain people who wish to live and work temporarily in the United States. Employees of an international company who are being temporarily transferred to a parent, branch, affiliate, or subsidiary of the same company in the United States require L-1 visas. The international company may be either a U.S. or foreign organization. To begin the application process, the future employer must file a Form I-129 (Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker) in the United States with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of the Department of Homeland Security. If approved, the USCIS will mail the petitioner a Form I-797 (Notice of Action). The beneficiary may then apply for an L visa at the United States Embassy in Bogotá.

To qualify for an L-1 visa, the employee must be at the managerial or executive level, or have specialized knowledge, and must be destined to a position within the U.S. company at either of these levels. In addition, the employee must have been employed outside the United States with the international company continuously for at least one year within the three years preceding the application for admission into the United States. An L-1 visa is also the appropriate visa classification for the qualified employee of an international company who is coming to the United States to establish a parent, branch, affiliate, or subsidiary in the United States (in other words, to start the business in the United States).

Companies seeking to classify multiple aliens as intra-company transferees may qualify to file a blanket petition. The blanket petition provision is meant to serve relatively large, established companies having multi-layered structures and numerous related business entities. Blanket petitions are only available to managers, executives, and specialized knowledge professionals who are coming to the United States to work in an established office.

L-2 Visa (Spouse and Children of an L-1 visa holder)

Spouses and children under the age of 21 can receive L-2 visas to travel with or follow-to-join the principal alien in the United States.

For a more complete explanation of these and other permissible L activities, please see 9 FAM 41.54.

How do I apply for an L visa?

Follow the below steps in order to apply for an H visa at the Embassy:

  1. Purchase a personal identification number. If you are in the United States, skip this step and go to step 2.
  2. Contact our Visa Information Center to schedule an appointment with the consular officer.
  3. Pay the nonrefundable visa application fee.
  4. Appear at the Nonimmigrant Visa Unit on the date/time of your visa interview appointment.

What documents are required in order to apply for an L visa?

Every L visa applicant must provide the following documents:

  • A valid passport with at least six months’ validity remaining. Note that we are unable to process visas for applicants whose passports contain any type of powder. Also, we cannot accept damaged passports.

  • A completed and signed Form DS-156 (Nonimmigrant Visa Application). You may obtain Form DS-156 at any authorized Banco de Crédito office, or you may download the form from our website. If you download it from our website, make sure to print both pages of the form on one letter-size (8.5 inches by 11 inches) sheet of paper, front and back. You must take the completed form to Banco de Crédito when you pay the nonrefundable visa application fee.


  • For applicants who are at least 14 years of age but under 80, a completed and signed form DS-157 (Supplemental Nonimmigrant Visa Application). You may obtain form DS-157 at any authorized Banco de Crédito offices, or you may download the form from our website.


  • An original Form I-797 approved by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of the Department of Homeland Security. Applicants applying for an L-1 visa under the blanket L provision must provide three photocopies of this form, but not the original form.


  • A photocopy of the approved Form I-129 (Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker). Applicants applying for an L-1 visa under the blanket L provision must provide one original and two copies of the Form I-129. 

  • A photograph. Glue the photograph to the front of the Form DS-156 in the photograph space.


  • A Colombian national identity card (cédula de identidad personal) for citizens of Colombia 18 years of age and older, a Colombia residency card for residents of Colombia 18 years of age and older, or an identification card for citizens and residents of Colombia under 18). If you just turned 18 and have not yet received your cedula or residency card, you must present the receipt issued by the Registraduría as well as the corresponding annotation on the passport.


What other documents may be required for L visa applicants?

Applicants for an L visa should be prepared to provide the following additional documents at the visa interview:

  • Evidence of your current employment, such as pay stubs, an employment letter, or work contract, and evidence of your educational background, such as a copy of your diploma.
  • Evidence of the existence of the Colombian and American companies (for example, tax documents, bank statements, articles of incorporation, Chamber of Commerce registrations, receipts for the purchase and sale of goods and services).

Important Note: As a result of strict security procedures, some applications may require longer processing times. The application process cannot be accelerated, so you should not make final travel plans or purchase nonrefundable tickets until/unless you receive your visa. Visa applicants should never assume that their application will be approved.