Medical Travel from Aruba to Colombia: Flights, Costs and What AZV Covers

Updated 27 October 2026. Information only, not medical advice.

Short answer: AZV only pays for treatment in Colombia when your Aruban specialist requests it, the independent Commissie Grensoverschrijdende Zorg (CGZ) advises it and AZV approves it in advance. Approved patients go to one of three contracted hospitals: Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe in Medellín, Fundación Cardioinfantil (LaCardio) in Bogotá or Fundación Valle del Lili in Cali. AZV then pays the flight, the hospital, a hotel and a daily allowance of COP 100,000 (since 1 August 2025). Elective care you book yourself, such as dental work or cosmetic surgery, is paid out of pocket.

This guide explains both routes for Aruban residents: the AZV referral route and the self-paid route, plus flights, entry rules and the gaps in cover you should plan for. All AZV rules below come from the official AZV pages, checked on 27 October 2026.

When does AZV send a patient to Colombia?

AZV sends patients abroad when the care they need is not available in Aruba. In a statement from July 2026, AZV said overseas treatment must be medically necessary, widely accepted within the medical profession, covered under AZV legislation and unavailable in Aruba. Experimental or research-based treatments are not covered.

The process, as described on the AZV page for medical care abroad:

Your treating specialist in Aruba submits the request to AZV. You cannot start it yourself.
The CGZ committee checks whether the treatment is medically necessary and whether it can be given in Aruba. AZV usually follows its advice. Oncology requests go to Aruba's Oncology Committee first.
After approval, AZV asks the foreign hospital for an appointment and treatment plan, and asks for copies of your passport and your companion's passport.
AZV assigns the destination. It works with Curaçao, Colombia, the Netherlands and the United States, so you do not choose the country or the hospital.
You travel on a commercial flight once the appointment and treatment plan are confirmed. For very urgent cases AZV can arrange an air ambulance within 12 hours.

Which Colombian hospitals does AZV use?

Since 1 January 2025 AZV has contracts with three Colombian hospitals, each with an international patient department that coordinates with AZV through its Medical Referral Aruba platform. The Google ratings below are from our directory on 27 October 2026.

Hospital	City	Google rating (reviews)	Directory page
Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe	Medellín	4.3 (813)	View listing
Fundación Cardioinfantil (LaCardio)	Bogotá	3.9 (1,191)	View listing
Fundación Valle del Lili	Cali	4.3 (948)	View listing

Outside Colombia, AZV also uses Curaçao Medical Center, Erasmus MC in Rotterdam (through the broker Transcaring) and Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami.

What does AZV pay for, and what does it not pay?

For an approved referral, AZV covers:

Return flights for the patient and one social companion.
Medical costs: hospital admission, operations and tests.
A hotel, booked through an AZV guarantee letter.
A daily allowance for food and water: COP 100,000 per day in Colombia since 1 August 2025, paid per day of stay whether or not you are admitted. If you come home early you must pay the unused part back.
A medical companion, only if your specialist asks for one and AZV approves it.
Taxi service from the airport in Colombia.

What AZV does not pay:

Food and water for the social companion. AZV pays only the companion's ticket and lodging.
A ticket for a second companion if you swap companions during the stay.
Costs of unexpected illness while you are abroad. AZV states this plainly and advises both patient and companion to buy travel insurance.
Extra treatment for complications abroad that AZV has not approved. AZV says additional care needs its approval before it is covered.
Any treatment you arrange yourself without a referral, including cosmetic surgery, elective dental work and private check-ups.

How do you get from Aruba to Colombia?

Direct flights are short. According to Noticias RCN (September 2026), Wingo flies direct from Aruba to five Colombian cities: Bogotá (since 2016), Medellín (since 2022), Cali (since 2023), Bucaramanga (since June 2026) and Barranquilla (since July 2026). The Aruba government reported the Barranquilla route as year-round on Thursdays and Sundays, and the Bucaramanga route as seasonal (17 June to 15 August 2026). Avianca has also run a seasonal Medellín to Aruba service, launched in 2024. Schedules change, so check the airline sites before you plan around a date. We do not quote fares here because they move daily.

For an AZV referral you do not book anything: AZV buys the tickets once the hospital has confirmed. For a self-paid trip, the three cities with both direct flights and a deep bench of specialists are Bogotá, Medellín and Cali. See our city pages for clinics in Medellín and other cities.

Do you need a visa or forms to enter Colombia?

Aruban residents with a Dutch passport do not need a visa for a short stay. Colombia's Resolución 5488 of 2022 lists the Netherlands (Países Bajos) among the countries whose nationals are exempt for short stays of less than 90 days, which can be extended up to 180 days in the cases the rules allow. Residents of Aruba with another nationality should check that nationality on the Cancillería site. AZV also asks that both patient and companion hold a valid passport and, where needed, a valid visa.

Migración Colombia's online Check-MIG form can be filled in from 72 hours to one hour before your flight. A September 2026 report in El Cronista said it was not mandatory for air travel at that time but recommended to speed up the passport check. Rules on this form have switched back and forth since 2022, so check the official Migración Colombia portal shortly before you fly.

What if you want treatment AZV does not cover?

Many Arubans travel to Colombia for care they pay for themselves, mostly dental work, cosmetic surgery and eye treatment. In that case you choose the clinic, you pay the clinic directly and you carry the full risk of complications. Practical points:

Ask for a written quote that lists what is included: surgeon, anaesthesia, facility, implants or materials, follow-up visits and any compression garments or medication.
Check the surgeon's registration in Colombia's ReTHUS registry and the clinic's habilitation in REPS before you pay a deposit.
Buy travel insurance that explicitly covers complications of elective treatment. Most standard travel policies exclude planned treatment abroad, and AZV will not step in.
Plan a return check with your own doctor in Aruba and bring the full medical report home.

Our guides on medical tourism costs in Colombia list advertised prices by procedure, and the plastic surgery directory shows clinics by city with their Google ratings.

What should Aruban patients watch out for?

No retroactive approval. AZV pays only after prior approval. Paying a Colombian hospital first and claiming later is not the referral route.
You do not choose the hospital. AZV assigns one of its contracted hospitals, and the waiting time depends on that hospital's capacity.
The allowance is modest. COP 100,000 per day is meant for food and water. Budget for extras, and for your companion's meals, yourself.
Coming home takes paperwork. AZV books the return flight only after it receives a medical report saying you are fit to travel. An air ambulance return can mean waiting about a week.
Insurance gap. Unexpected illness abroad and the companion's medical emergencies are not covered by AZV. Travel insurance fills that gap.

Frequently asked questions

Can I choose to be treated in Colombia instead of Curaçao or the Netherlands?

No. AZV assigns the country and hospital after the CGZ review. You can tell your specialist your preference, but the decision is AZV's.

Does AZV pay for dental implants or cosmetic surgery in Colombia?

Not on your own initiative. AZV covers care abroad only when it is medically necessary, unavailable in Aruba and approved in advance. Cosmetic and elective dental treatment you book yourself is self-paid.

How much is the AZV daily allowance in Colombia?

COP 100,000 per day since 1 August 2025, for the patient only, per day of stay. Unused days must be paid back if you return early.

Does AZV pay for my companion?

AZV pays the flight and lodging of one social companion. The companion pays their own food and water and should have travel insurance, because AZV does not cover the companion's medical emergencies.

Is there a direct flight from Aruba to Medellín?

Yes, Wingo has flown Aruba to Medellín since 2022 according to Noticias RCN, and Avianca has operated a seasonal route. Check current schedules on the airline sites.

Sources

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