497

The interactive data file included as an exhibit to this filing relates to the supplement to the prospectus for Variable Portfolio – Eaton Vance Global Macro Advantage Fund filed pursuant to Rule 497(e) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, on October 29, 2013 (Accession No. 0001193125-13-416080), which is incorporated herein by reference.

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Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Registrant Name	dei_EntityRegistrantName	COLUMBIA FUNDS VARIABLE INSURANCE TRUST
Prospectus Date	rr_ProspectusDate	May 01, 2013
Document Creation Date	dei_DocumentCreationDate	Oct. 29, 2013

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Label

Element

Value

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Registrant Name

dei_EntityRegistrantName

COLUMBIA FUNDS VARIABLE INSURANCE TRUST

Prospectus Date

rr_ProspectusDate

May 01, 2013

Supplement [Text Block]

cfvit_SupplementTextBlock

Supplement dated October 29, 2013

to the Prospectus of the following fund:

Fund	Prospectus Dated
Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust
Variable Portfolio– Eaton Vance Global Macro Advantage Fund
(the "Fund)	5/1/2013, as supplemented

Effective on November 18, 2013 (the Effective Date), the Fund will be managed directly by the Investment Manager, without a subadviser. In this connection, the Fund's name will change, and its principal investment strategies will substantially change, as will certain of its principal risks. As the Fund transitions its portfolio to the new investment strategy (which is currently expected to take up to three months commencing on the Effective Date), the Fund may hold all or a substantial portion of its assets in cash, cash equivalents and/or shares of an affiliated money market fund. The Fund may also hold/use derivatives instruments during this period as well.

1. On the Effective Date, the name of the Fund will change from Variable Portfolio – Eaton Vance Global Macro Advantage Fund to Columbia Variable Portfolio – Multi-Strategy Alternatives Fund. Accordingly, effective on such date, all references in the prospectus to Variable Portfolio – Eaton Vance Global Macro Advantage Fund are deleted and replaced with Columbia Variable Portfolio – Multi-Strategy Alternatives Fund.

2. On the Effective Date, the section of the Fund's prospectus entitled "Principal Investment Strategies" is deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund pursues its investment objective through a diversified portfolio reflecting multiple asset classes and strategies employed across different markets, while seeking to limit equity and fixed income market risks (commonly referred to as beta) through various investment and hedging strategies. The Fund's investments and strategies are expected to employ both long and short positions in foreign and domestic equities (including common stock, preferred stock and convertible securities), equity futures, index futures, swaps, foreign and domestic fixed income securities (including government securities, corporate bonds, sovereign and quasi-sovereign debt obligations and municipal securities), fixed income futures, forward foreign currency contracts, commodity futures, other commodity-related investments, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). A long position is an ordinary purchase of a security, future or currency. When the Fund takes a short position, it sells the instrument or currency that it has borrowed in anticipation of a decline in the price of the instrument or currency, then the Fund buys back the same instrument or currency in the market and returns it to the lender. If the price of the instrument or currency falls sufficiently, the Fund will make money. If it instead increases in price, the Fund will lose money. Actual long and short exposures will vary over time based on factors such as market movements and assessments of market conditions.

The Fund employs a variety of strategies, techniques and practices that, in the aggregate, are designed to seek positive returns, with a low correlation to the performance of the broad equity and fixed income markets. The Fund's investment strategy may involve the frequent trading of portfolio securities. This may cause the Fund to incur higher transaction costs (which may adversely affect the Fund's performance) and may increase any taxable distributions for shareholders.

The Fund may invest without limit in foreign investments (including currencies), which may include investments in emerging markets, and in investments that are rated below investment-grade or, if unrated, deemed to be of comparable quality (commonly referred to as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds").

The Fund may invest in fixed income securities of any maturity and does not seek to maintain a particular dollar-weighted average maturity. A bond is issued with a specific maturity date, which is the date when the issuer must pay back the bond's principal (face value). Bond maturities range from less than 1 year to more than 30 years. Typically, the longer a bond's maturity, the more price risk the Fund and the Fund's investors face as interest rates rise, but the Fund could receive a higher yield in return for that longer maturity and higher interest rate risk.

The Fund may invest in derivatives such as futures (including currency, bond, index (including stock, bond, and volatility indexes) and interest rate futures), forward foreign currency contracts, forward rate agreements and interest rate swaps, including total return and credit default swaps, in an effort to produce incremental earnings, to hedge or offset existing positions, to increase market, interest rate and credit exposure, to increase investment flexibility (including using the derivative as a substitute for the purchase or sale of the underlying security, currency, commodity or other instrument) and/or to change the effective duration of the Fund's portfolio. Futures, forwards and swaps, in particular, are expected to be utilized to gain long and short investment (or credit) exposures to securities, indexes, interest rates and currencies (in lieu of purchasing or selling a security, currency or other instrument directly).

The Fund may invest directly in derivatives or indirectly by investing in one or more offshore, wholly-owned subsidiaries (Subsidiaries) that are subject to the same fundamental investment restrictions, compliance policies and procedures as the Fund, but which are not expected to offer or sell their shares to investors other than the Fund. Generally, Subsidiaries will invest primarily in commodity futures, but they may also invest in financial futures, option and swap contracts, fixed income securities, pooled investment vehicles, including those that are not registered pursuant to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act), and other investments intended to serve as margin or collateral for the Subsidiaries' derivative positions.

Unlike the Fund (which is subject to limitations under federal tax laws), Subsidiaries may invest without limitation in commodity-linked derivatives; however, the Fund, in combination with its Subsidiaries, will comply with the same 1940 Act asset coverage requirements with respect to the Subsidiaries' investments in commodity-linked derivatives that are applicable to the Fund's direct transactions in derivatives.

The Fund expects to hold a significant amount of cash, money market instruments (which may include investments in one or more affiliated or unaffiliated money market funds or similar vehicles) or other high-quality, short-term investments to cover obligations with respect to, or that may result from, the Fund's investments in forward foreign currency contracts, currency futures contracts, commodity-linked investments or other derivatives.

In managing the Fund, the portfolio managers allocate portions of Fund assets to be managed by investment professionals in other investment manager's teams, such as the Global Rates and Currency Sector Team, the Asset Allocation Team, the Equity Team, and the Fixed Income Team.

Investment Process

Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC (the Investment Manager) employs a variety of investment strategies, techniques and practices that, in the aggregate, are designed to seek positive long-term returns, with a low correlation to the performance of the broad equity and fixed income markets. The Investment Manager seeks to identify investments that have the potential to exploit inefficiencies or mispricings within individual markets or across markets.

The Investment Manager identifies asset classes and related investment strategies for allocation of the Fund's assets based on a number of qualitative and quantitative factors, including an assessment of their expected: relative return, risk, volatility and correlation with the performance of other asset classes, strategies and major market indexes. On at least a monthly basis, the Fund's investment allocations are reviewed and, as a result, may be rebalanced by the Investment Manager based on the foregoing factors. The Investment Manager also considers prevailing market, economic, and other conditions and has the flexibility to adjust allocations, at any time, to align the portfolio with expected conditions.

3. On the Effective Date, the section of the Fund's prospectus entitled "Principal Risks" is deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

An investment in the Fund involves risk, including those associated with the Fund's investment in the Subsidiaries, as described below. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective and you may lose money. The value of the Fund's holdings may decline, and the Fund's net asset value (NAV) and Fund share price may go down. (References in this section to "the Fund" also include the Subsidiaries, which share the same risks as the Fund.)

Active Management Risk. Due to its active management, the Fund could underperform its benchmark index and/or other funds with similar investment objectives. The Fund may fail to achieve its investment objective and you may lose money.

Allocation Risk. The Fund uses an asset allocation strategy in pursuit of its investment objective. There is a risk that the Fund's allocation among strategies and/or investment styles will cause the Fund's shares to lose value or cause the Fund to underperform other funds with a similar investment objective and/or strategies, or that the investments themselves will not produce the returns expected.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Regulatory Risk. The Fund does not qualify for an exemption from registration as a "commodity pool" under rules of the Commodity Exchange Act (the CEA). Accordingly, the Fund is a commodity pool under the CEA and the Investment Manager is registered as a "commodity pool operator" under the CEA. The Fund is subject to dual regulation by the SEC and the CFTC. Compliance with the CFTC's regulatory requirements could increase Fund expenses, adversely affecting the Fund's total return.

Commodity-related Investment Risk. The value of commodities investments will generally be affected by overall market movements and factors specific to a particular industry or commodity, which may include demand for the commodity, weather, embargoes, tariffs, and economic health, political, international, regulatory and other developments. Exposure to commodities and commodities markets may subject the value of the Fund's investments to greater volatility than other types of investments. Commodities investments may also subject the Fund to counterparty risk and liquidity risk.

Convertible Securities Risk. Convertible securities are subject to the usual risks associated with debt securities, such as interest rate risk and credit risk. Convertible securities also react to changes in the value of the common stock into which they convert, and are thus subject to market risk. The Fund may also be forced to convert a convertible security at an inopportune time, which may decrease the Fund's return.

Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that a counterparty to a financial instrument held by the Fund or by a special purpose or structured vehicle invested in by the Fund may become insolvent or otherwise fail to perform its obligations, and the Fund may obtain no or limited recovery of its investment, and any recovery may be significantly delayed.

Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a fixed-income security may or will default or otherwise become unable or unwilling, or is perceived to be unable or unwilling, to honor a financial obligation, such as making payments to the Fund when due. If the Fund purchases unrated securities, or if the rating of a security is lowered after purchase, the Fund will depend on analysis of credit risk more heavily than usual. Unrated securities held by the Fund may present increased credit risk as compared to higher-rated securities.

Derivatives Risk. Losses involving derivative instruments may be substantial, because a relatively small movement in the price of an underlying security, instrument, commodity, currency or index may result in a substantial loss for the Fund. In addition to the potential for increased losses, the use of derivative instruments may lead to increased volatility within the Fund. Derivatives will typically increase the Fund's exposure to principal risks to which it is otherwise exposed, and may expose the Fund to additional risks, including correlation risk, counterparty risk, hedging risk, leverage risk and liquidity risk.

Derivatives Risk/Forward Foreign Currency Contracts Risk. These instruments are a type of derivative contract whereby the Fund may agree to buy or sell a country's or region's currency at a specific price on a specific date in the future. These contracts may fall in value due to foreign market downswings or foreign currency value fluctuations. The Fund's strategy of investing in these instruments may not be successful. Investment in these instruments also subjects the Fund to counterparty risk.

Derivatives Risk/Forward Interest Rate Agreements Risk. Under forward interest rate agreements, the buyer locks in an interest rate at a future settlement date. If the interest rate on the settlement date exceeds the lock rate, the buyer pays the seller the difference between the two rates (based on the notional value of the agreement). If the lock rate exceeds the interest rate on the settlement date, the seller pays the buyer the difference between the two rates (based on the notional value of the agreement). The Fund may act as a buyer or a seller. These transactions involve risks, including counterparty risk, hedging risk and interest rate risk.

Derivatives Risk/Futures Contracts Risk. The loss that may be incurred in entering into futures contracts may exceed the amount of the premium paid and may be potentially unlimited. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund's NAV. Additionally, as a result of the low collateral deposits normally involved in futures trading, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in substantial losses to the Fund. Futures contracts may be illiquid. Furthermore, exchanges may limit fluctuations in futures contract prices during a trading session by imposing a maximum permissible price movement on each futures contract. The Fund may be disadvantaged if it is prohibited from executing a trade outside the daily permissible price movement. Futures contracts executed on foreign exchanges may not provide the same protection as U.S. exchanges. These transactions involve additional risks, including counterparty risk, hedging risk and pricing risk.

Derivatives Risk/Interest Rate Swaps Risk. Interest rate swaps can be based on various measures of interest rates, including the London Interbank Offered Rate (commonly known as LIBOR), swap rates, treasury rates and other foreign interest rates. A swap agreement can increase or decrease the volatility of the Fund's investments and its net asset value. The value of swaps, like many other derivatives, may move in unexpected ways and may result in losses for the Fund. Swaps can involve greater risks than direct investment in securities, because swaps may be leveraged, and are, among other factors, subject to counterparty risk (the risk that the counterparty to the instrument will not perform or be able to perform in accordance with the terms of the instrument), hedging risk (the risk that a hedging strategy may not eliminate the risk that it is intended to offset), pricing risk (swaps may be difficult to value), liquidity risk (it may not be possible to liquidate a swap position at an advantageous time or price) and interest rate risk (the risk of losses attributable to changes in interest rates), each of which may result in significant and unanticipated losses to the Fund.

Emerging Market Securities Risk. Securities issued by foreign governments or companies in emerging market countries are more likely to have greater exposure to the risks of investing in foreign securities that are described in Foreign Securities Risk. In addition, emerging market countries are more likely to experience instability resulting, for example, from rapid changes or developments in social, political and economic conditions. Their economies are usually less mature and their securities markets are typically less developed with more limited trading activity (i.e., lower trading volumes and less liquidity) than more developed countries. Emerging market securities tend to be more volatile than securities in more developed markets. Many emerging market countries are heavily dependent on international trade and have fewer trading partners, which makes them more sensitive to world commodity prices and economic downturns in other countries, and some have a higher risk of currency devaluations.

Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) Risk. ETFs are subject to, among other risks, tracking risk and passive and, in some cases, active investment risk. In addition, shareholders bear both their proportionate share of the Fund's expenses and similar expenses incurred through ownership of the ETF.

Foreign Currency Risk. The performance of the Fund may be materially affected positively or negatively by foreign currency strength or weakness relative to the U.S. dollar, particularly if the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in foreign securities or other assets denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar.

Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in foreign securities involve certain risks not associated with investments in securities of U.S. companies. Foreign securities subject the Fund to the risks associated with investing in the particular country, including the political, regulatory, economic, social, diplomatic and other conditions or events occurring in the country or region, as well as risks associated with less developed custody and settlement practices. Foreign securities may be more volatile and less liquid than investments in securities of U.S. companies. The performance of the Fund may be negatively impacted by foreign currency strength or weakness relative to the U.S. dollar, particularly if the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in foreign securities or other assets denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar.

Frequent Trading Risk. The portfolio managers may actively and frequently trade investments in the Fund's portfolio to carry out its investment strategies. Frequent trading of investments increases the possibility that the Fund, as relevant, will realize taxable capital gains (including short-term capital gains, which are generally taxable to shareholders at higher rates than long-term capital gains for U.S. federal income tax purposes), which could reduce the Fund's after-tax return. Frequent trading can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce the Fund's return. The trading costs and tax effects associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect the Fund's performance.

Highly Leveraged Transactions Risk. The loans or other securities in which the Fund invests may include highly leveraged transactions whereby the borrower assumes large amounts of debt in order to have the financial resources to attempt to achieve its business objectives. Loans or securities that are part of highly leveraged transactions involve a greater risk (including default and bankruptcy) than other investments.

Inflation-Protected Securities Risk. Inflation-protected debt securities tend to react to changes in real interest rates (i.e., nominal interest rates minus the expected impact of inflation). In general, the price of such securities falls when real interest rates rise, and rises when real interest rates fall. Interest payments on these securities will vary and may be more volatile than interest paid on ordinary bonds. In periods of deflation, the Fund may have no income at all from such investments. The Fund's investment in certain inflation-protected debt securities may generate taxable income in excess of the interest they pay to the Fund, which may cause the Fund to sell investments to obtain cash to make income distributions to shareholders, including at times when it may not be advantageous to do so.

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk of losses attributable to changes in interest rates. In general, if prevailing interest rates rise, the values of debt securities will tend to fall, and if interest rates fall, the values of debt securities will tend to rise. Changes in the value of a debt security usually will not affect the amount of income the Fund receives from it but may affect the value of the Fund's shares. In general, the longer the maturity or duration of a debt security, the greater its sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Interest rate declines also may increase prepayments of debt obligations, which, in turn, would increase prepayment risk. As interest rates rise or spreads widen, the likelihood of prepayment decreases.

Issuer Risk. An issuer in which the Fund invests may perform poorly, and the value of its securities may therefore decline, which would negatively affect the Fund's performance. Poor performance may be caused by poor management decisions, competitive pressures, breakthroughs in technology, reliance on suppliers, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures, natural disasters or other events, conditions or factors.

Leverage Risk. Leverage occurs when the Fund increases its assets available for investment using borrowings, short sales, derivatives, or similar instruments or techniques. The use of leverage may make any change in the Fund's NAV even greater and thus result in increased volatility of returns. Because short sales involve borrowing securities and then selling them, the Fund's short sales effectively leverage the Fund's assets. The Fund's assets that are used as collateral to secure the Fund's obligations to return the securities sold short may decrease in value while the short positions are outstanding, which may force the Fund to use its other assets to increase the collateral. Leverage can create an interest expense that may lower the Fund's overall returns. Leverage presents the opportunity for increased net income and capital gains, but also exaggerates the Fund's risk of loss. There can be no guarantee that a leveraging strategy will be successful.

Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk associated with a lack of marketability of investments which may make it difficult to sell the investment at a desirable time or price. The Fund may have to lower the selling price, sell other investments, or forego another, more appealing investment opportunity. Judgment plays a larger role in valuing these investments as compared to valuing more liquid investments.

Low and Below Investment Grade (High-Yield) Securities Risk. Securities with the lowest investment grade rating, securities rated below investment grade (commonly called "high-yield" or "junk" bonds) and unrated securities of comparable quality expose the Fund to a greater risk of loss of principal and income than a fund that invests solely or primarily in investment grade securities. In addition, these investments have greater price fluctuations, are less liquid and are more likely to experience a default than higher-rated securities. High-yield securities are considered to be predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay interest and repay principal.

Market Risk. Market risk refers to the possibility that the market values of securities or other investments that the Fund holds will fall, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, or fail to rise. An investment in the Fund could lose money over short or even long periods. In general, equity securities tend to have greater price volatility than debt securities.

Money Market Fund Investment Risk. An investment in a money market fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by any bank, the FDIC or any other government agency. Although money market funds seek to preserve the value of investments at $1.00 per share, it is possible for the Fund to lose money by investing in money market funds. In addition to the fees and expenses that the Fund directly bears, the Fund indirectly bears the fees and expenses of any money market funds in which it invests, including affiliated money market funds. The Fund will also be exposed to the investment risks of the money market fund. To the extent the Fund invests in instruments such as derivatives, the Fund may hold investments, which may be significant, in money market fund shares to cover its obligations resulting from its investments in derivatives.

Municipal Securities Risk. Municipal securities may be fully or partially backed by the taxing authority of the local government, by the credit of a private issuer, by the current or anticipated revenues from a specific project or specific assets or by domestic or foreign entities providing credit support, such as letters of credit, guarantees or insurance, and are generally classified into general obligation bonds and special revenue obligations. General obligation bonds are backed by an issuer's taxing authority and may be vulnerable to limits on a government's power or ability to raise revenue or increase taxes. They may also depend for payment on legislative appropriation and/or funding or other support from other governmental bodies. Revenue obligations are payable from revenues generated by a particular project or other revenue source, and are typically subject to greater risk of default than general obligation bonds because investors can look only to the revenue generated by the project or other revenue source backing the project, rather than to the general taxing authority of the state or local government issuer of the obligations. Because many municipal securities are issued to finance projects in sectors such as education, health care, transportation and utilities, conditions in those sectors can affect the overall municipal market. Municipal securities generally pay interest that, in the opinion of bond counsel, is free from U.S. federal income tax (and, in some cases, the federal alternative minimum tax). There is no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will agree with this opinion or that U.S. federal income tax law will not change.

Prepayment and Extension Risk. Prepayment and extension risk is the risk that a loan, bond or other security or investment might be called or otherwise converted, prepaid or redeemed before maturity, and the portfolio managers may not be able to invest the proceeds in other investments providing as high a level of income, resulting in a reduced yield to the Fund. As interest rates decrease or spreads narrow, the likelihood of prepayment increases. The portfolio managers may be unable to capitalize on securities with higher interest rates or wider spreads because the Fund's investments are locked in at a lower rate for a longer period of time.

Quantitative Model Risk. Investments selected using quantitative methods may perform differently from the market as a whole. There can be no assurance that these methodologies will enable the Fund to achieve its objective.

Short Positions Risk. The Fund may establish short positions which introduce more risk to the Fund than long positions (where the Fund owns the instrument) because the maximum sustainable loss on an instrument purchased (held long) is limited to the amount paid for the instrument plus the transaction costs, whereas there is no maximum price of the shorted instrument when purchased in the open market. Therefore, in theory, short positions have unlimited risk. The Fund's use of short positions in effect "leverages" the Fund. Leverage potentially exposes the Fund to greater risks of loss due to unanticipated market movements, which may magnify losses and increase the volatility of returns. To the extent the Fund takes a short position in a derivative instrument, this involves the risk of a potentially unlimited increase in the value of the underlying instrument.

Sovereign Debt Risk. A sovereign debtor's willingness or ability to repay principal and pay interest in a timely manner may be affected by a variety of factors, including its cash flow situation, the extent of its reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the sovereign debtor's policy toward international lenders, and the political constraints to which a sovereign debtor may be subject. Sovereign debt risk is increased for emerging market issuers.

U.S. Government Obligations Risk. While U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the "full faith and credit" of the U.S. Government, such securities are nonetheless subject to credit risk (i.e., the risk that the U.S. Government may be, or be perceived to be, unable or unwilling to honor its financial obligations, such as making payments). Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or authorities and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities or enterprises may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.

Variable Portfolio - Eaton Vance Global Macro Advantage Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Supplement [Text Block]

cfvit_SupplementTextBlock

Supplement dated October 29, 2013

to the Prospectus of the following fund:

Fund	Prospectus Dated
Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust
Variable Portfolio– Eaton Vance Global Macro Advantage Fund
(the "Fund)	5/1/2013, as supplemented

Effective on November 18, 2013 (the Effective Date), the Fund will be managed directly by the Investment Manager, without a subadviser. In this connection, the Fund's name will change, and its principal investment strategies will substantially change, as will certain of its principal risks. As the Fund transitions its portfolio to the new investment strategy (which is currently expected to take up to three months commencing on the Effective Date), the Fund may hold all or a substantial portion of its assets in cash, cash equivalents and/or shares of an affiliated money market fund. The Fund may also hold/use derivatives instruments during this period as well.

1. On the Effective Date, the name of the Fund will change from Variable Portfolio – Eaton Vance Global Macro Advantage Fund to Columbia Variable Portfolio – Multi-Strategy Alternatives Fund. Accordingly, effective on such date, all references in the prospectus to Variable Portfolio – Eaton Vance Global Macro Advantage Fund are deleted and replaced with Columbia Variable Portfolio – Multi-Strategy Alternatives Fund.

2. On the Effective Date, the section of the Fund's prospectus entitled "Principal Investment Strategies" is deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund pursues its investment objective through a diversified portfolio reflecting multiple asset classes and strategies employed across different markets, while seeking to limit equity and fixed income market risks (commonly referred to as beta) through various investment and hedging strategies. The Fund's investments and strategies are expected to employ both long and short positions in foreign and domestic equities (including common stock, preferred stock and convertible securities), equity futures, index futures, swaps, foreign and domestic fixed income securities (including government securities, corporate bonds, sovereign and quasi-sovereign debt obligations and municipal securities), fixed income futures, forward foreign currency contracts, commodity futures, other commodity-related investments, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). A long position is an ordinary purchase of a security, future or currency. When the Fund takes a short position, it sells the instrument or currency that it has borrowed in anticipation of a decline in the price of the instrument or currency, then the Fund buys back the same instrument or currency in the market and returns it to the lender. If the price of the instrument or currency falls sufficiently, the Fund will make money. If it instead increases in price, the Fund will lose money. Actual long and short exposures will vary over time based on factors such as market movements and assessments of market conditions.

The Fund employs a variety of strategies, techniques and practices that, in the aggregate, are designed to seek positive returns, with a low correlation to the performance of the broad equity and fixed income markets. The Fund's investment strategy may involve the frequent trading of portfolio securities. This may cause the Fund to incur higher transaction costs (which may adversely affect the Fund's performance) and may increase any taxable distributions for shareholders.

The Fund may invest without limit in foreign investments (including currencies), which may include investments in emerging markets, and in investments that are rated below investment-grade or, if unrated, deemed to be of comparable quality (commonly referred to as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds").

The Fund may invest in fixed income securities of any maturity and does not seek to maintain a particular dollar-weighted average maturity. A bond is issued with a specific maturity date, which is the date when the issuer must pay back the bond's principal (face value). Bond maturities range from less than 1 year to more than 30 years. Typically, the longer a bond's maturity, the more price risk the Fund and the Fund's investors face as interest rates rise, but the Fund could receive a higher yield in return for that longer maturity and higher interest rate risk.

The Fund may invest in derivatives such as futures (including currency, bond, index (including stock, bond, and volatility indexes) and interest rate futures), forward foreign currency contracts, forward rate agreements and interest rate swaps, including total return and credit default swaps, in an effort to produce incremental earnings, to hedge or offset existing positions, to increase market, interest rate and credit exposure, to increase investment flexibility (including using the derivative as a substitute for the purchase or sale of the underlying security, currency, commodity or other instrument) and/or to change the effective duration of the Fund's portfolio. Futures, forwards and swaps, in particular, are expected to be utilized to gain long and short investment (or credit) exposures to securities, indexes, interest rates and currencies (in lieu of purchasing or selling a security, currency or other instrument directly).

The Fund may invest directly in derivatives or indirectly by investing in one or more offshore, wholly-owned subsidiaries (Subsidiaries) that are subject to the same fundamental investment restrictions, compliance policies and procedures as the Fund, but which are not expected to offer or sell their shares to investors other than the Fund. Generally, Subsidiaries will invest primarily in commodity futures, but they may also invest in financial futures, option and swap contracts, fixed income securities, pooled investment vehicles, including those that are not registered pursuant to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act), and other investments intended to serve as margin or collateral for the Subsidiaries' derivative positions.

Unlike the Fund (which is subject to limitations under federal tax laws), Subsidiaries may invest without limitation in commodity-linked derivatives; however, the Fund, in combination with its Subsidiaries, will comply with the same 1940 Act asset coverage requirements with respect to the Subsidiaries' investments in commodity-linked derivatives that are applicable to the Fund's direct transactions in derivatives.

The Fund expects to hold a significant amount of cash, money market instruments (which may include investments in one or more affiliated or unaffiliated money market funds or similar vehicles) or other high-quality, short-term investments to cover obligations with respect to, or that may result from, the Fund's investments in forward foreign currency contracts, currency futures contracts, commodity-linked investments or other derivatives.

In managing the Fund, the portfolio managers allocate portions of Fund assets to be managed by investment professionals in other investment manager's teams, such as the Global Rates and Currency Sector Team, the Asset Allocation Team, the Equity Team, and the Fixed Income Team.

Investment Process

Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC (the Investment Manager) employs a variety of investment strategies, techniques and practices that, in the aggregate, are designed to seek positive long-term returns, with a low correlation to the performance of the broad equity and fixed income markets. The Investment Manager seeks to identify investments that have the potential to exploit inefficiencies or mispricings within individual markets or across markets.

The Investment Manager identifies asset classes and related investment strategies for allocation of the Fund's assets based on a number of qualitative and quantitative factors, including an assessment of their expected: relative return, risk, volatility and correlation with the performance of other asset classes, strategies and major market indexes. On at least a monthly basis, the Fund's investment allocations are reviewed and, as a result, may be rebalanced by the Investment Manager based on the foregoing factors. The Investment Manager also considers prevailing market, economic, and other conditions and has the flexibility to adjust allocations, at any time, to align the portfolio with expected conditions.

3. On the Effective Date, the section of the Fund's prospectus entitled "Principal Risks" is deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

An investment in the Fund involves risk, including those associated with the Fund's investment in the Subsidiaries, as described below. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective and you may lose money. The value of the Fund's holdings may decline, and the Fund's net asset value (NAV) and Fund share price may go down. (References in this section to "the Fund" also include the Subsidiaries, which share the same risks as the Fund.)

Active Management Risk. Due to its active management, the Fund could underperform its benchmark index and/or other funds with similar investment objectives. The Fund may fail to achieve its investment objective and you may lose money.

Allocation Risk. The Fund uses an asset allocation strategy in pursuit of its investment objective. There is a risk that the Fund's allocation among strategies and/or investment styles will cause the Fund's shares to lose value or cause the Fund to underperform other funds with a similar investment objective and/or strategies, or that the investments themselves will not produce the returns expected.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Regulatory Risk. The Fund does not qualify for an exemption from registration as a "commodity pool" under rules of the Commodity Exchange Act (the CEA). Accordingly, the Fund is a commodity pool under the CEA and the Investment Manager is registered as a "commodity pool operator" under the CEA. The Fund is subject to dual regulation by the SEC and the CFTC. Compliance with the CFTC's regulatory requirements could increase Fund expenses, adversely affecting the Fund's total return.

Commodity-related Investment Risk. The value of commodities investments will generally be affected by overall market movements and factors specific to a particular industry or commodity, which may include demand for the commodity, weather, embargoes, tariffs, and economic health, political, international, regulatory and other developments. Exposure to commodities and commodities markets may subject the value of the Fund's investments to greater volatility than other types of investments. Commodities investments may also subject the Fund to counterparty risk and liquidity risk.

Convertible Securities Risk. Convertible securities are subject to the usual risks associated with debt securities, such as interest rate risk and credit risk. Convertible securities also react to changes in the value of the common stock into which they convert, and are thus subject to market risk. The Fund may also be forced to convert a convertible security at an inopportune time, which may decrease the Fund's return.

Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that a counterparty to a financial instrument held by the Fund or by a special purpose or structured vehicle invested in by the Fund may become insolvent or otherwise fail to perform its obligations, and the Fund may obtain no or limited recovery of its investment, and any recovery may be significantly delayed.

Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a fixed-income security may or will default or otherwise become unable or unwilling, or is perceived to be unable or unwilling, to honor a financial obligation, such as making payments to the Fund when due. If the Fund purchases unrated securities, or if the rating of a security is lowered after purchase, the Fund will depend on analysis of credit risk more heavily than usual. Unrated securities held by the Fund may present increased credit risk as compared to higher-rated securities.

Derivatives Risk. Losses involving derivative instruments may be substantial, because a relatively small movement in the price of an underlying security, instrument, commodity, currency or index may result in a substantial loss for the Fund. In addition to the potential for increased losses, the use of derivative instruments may lead to increased volatility within the Fund. Derivatives will typically increase the Fund's exposure to principal risks to which it is otherwise exposed, and may expose the Fund to additional risks, including correlation risk, counterparty risk, hedging risk, leverage risk and liquidity risk.

Derivatives Risk/Forward Foreign Currency Contracts Risk. These instruments are a type of derivative contract whereby the Fund may agree to buy or sell a country's or region's currency at a specific price on a specific date in the future. These contracts may fall in value due to foreign market downswings or foreign currency value fluctuations. The Fund's strategy of investing in these instruments may not be successful. Investment in these instruments also subjects the Fund to counterparty risk.

Derivatives Risk/Forward Interest Rate Agreements Risk. Under forward interest rate agreements, the buyer locks in an interest rate at a future settlement date. If the interest rate on the settlement date exceeds the lock rate, the buyer pays the seller the difference between the two rates (based on the notional value of the agreement). If the lock rate exceeds the interest rate on the settlement date, the seller pays the buyer the difference between the two rates (based on the notional value of the agreement). The Fund may act as a buyer or a seller. These transactions involve risks, including counterparty risk, hedging risk and interest rate risk.

Derivatives Risk/Futures Contracts Risk. The loss that may be incurred in entering into futures contracts may exceed the amount of the premium paid and may be potentially unlimited. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund's NAV. Additionally, as a result of the low collateral deposits normally involved in futures trading, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in substantial losses to the Fund. Futures contracts may be illiquid. Furthermore, exchanges may limit fluctuations in futures contract prices during a trading session by imposing a maximum permissible price movement on each futures contract. The Fund may be disadvantaged if it is prohibited from executing a trade outside the daily permissible price movement. Futures contracts executed on foreign exchanges may not provide the same protection as U.S. exchanges. These transactions involve additional risks, including counterparty risk, hedging risk and pricing risk.

Derivatives Risk/Interest Rate Swaps Risk. Interest rate swaps can be based on various measures of interest rates, including the London Interbank Offered Rate (commonly known as LIBOR), swap rates, treasury rates and other foreign interest rates. A swap agreement can increase or decrease the volatility of the Fund's investments and its net asset value. The value of swaps, like many other derivatives, may move in unexpected ways and may result in losses for the Fund. Swaps can involve greater risks than direct investment in securities, because swaps may be leveraged, and are, among other factors, subject to counterparty risk (the risk that the counterparty to the instrument will not perform or be able to perform in accordance with the terms of the instrument), hedging risk (the risk that a hedging strategy may not eliminate the risk that it is intended to offset), pricing risk (swaps may be difficult to value), liquidity risk (it may not be possible to liquidate a swap position at an advantageous time or price) and interest rate risk (the risk of losses attributable to changes in interest rates), each of which may result in significant and unanticipated losses to the Fund.

Emerging Market Securities Risk. Securities issued by foreign governments or companies in emerging market countries are more likely to have greater exposure to the risks of investing in foreign securities that are described in Foreign Securities Risk. In addition, emerging market countries are more likely to experience instability resulting, for example, from rapid changes or developments in social, political and economic conditions. Their economies are usually less mature and their securities markets are typically less developed with more limited trading activity (i.e., lower trading volumes and less liquidity) than more developed countries. Emerging market securities tend to be more volatile than securities in more developed markets. Many emerging market countries are heavily dependent on international trade and have fewer trading partners, which makes them more sensitive to world commodity prices and economic downturns in other countries, and some have a higher risk of currency devaluations.

Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) Risk. ETFs are subject to, among other risks, tracking risk and passive and, in some cases, active investment risk. In addition, shareholders bear both their proportionate share of the Fund's expenses and similar expenses incurred through ownership of the ETF.

Foreign Currency Risk. The performance of the Fund may be materially affected positively or negatively by foreign currency strength or weakness relative to the U.S. dollar, particularly if the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in foreign securities or other assets denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar.

Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in foreign securities involve certain risks not associated with investments in securities of U.S. companies. Foreign securities subject the Fund to the risks associated with investing in the particular country, including the political, regulatory, economic, social, diplomatic and other conditions or events occurring in the country or region, as well as risks associated with less developed custody and settlement practices. Foreign securities may be more volatile and less liquid than investments in securities of U.S. companies. The performance of the Fund may be negatively impacted by foreign currency strength or weakness relative to the U.S. dollar, particularly if the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in foreign securities or other assets denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar.

Frequent Trading Risk. The portfolio managers may actively and frequently trade investments in the Fund's portfolio to carry out its investment strategies. Frequent trading of investments increases the possibility that the Fund, as relevant, will realize taxable capital gains (including short-term capital gains, which are generally taxable to shareholders at higher rates than long-term capital gains for U.S. federal income tax purposes), which could reduce the Fund's after-tax return. Frequent trading can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce the Fund's return. The trading costs and tax effects associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect the Fund's performance.

Highly Leveraged Transactions Risk. The loans or other securities in which the Fund invests may include highly leveraged transactions whereby the borrower assumes large amounts of debt in order to have the financial resources to attempt to achieve its business objectives. Loans or securities that are part of highly leveraged transactions involve a greater risk (including default and bankruptcy) than other investments.

Inflation-Protected Securities Risk. Inflation-protected debt securities tend to react to changes in real interest rates (i.e., nominal interest rates minus the expected impact of inflation). In general, the price of such securities falls when real interest rates rise, and rises when real interest rates fall. Interest payments on these securities will vary and may be more volatile than interest paid on ordinary bonds. In periods of deflation, the Fund may have no income at all from such investments. The Fund's investment in certain inflation-protected debt securities may generate taxable income in excess of the interest they pay to the Fund, which may cause the Fund to sell investments to obtain cash to make income distributions to shareholders, including at times when it may not be advantageous to do so.

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk of losses attributable to changes in interest rates. In general, if prevailing interest rates rise, the values of debt securities will tend to fall, and if interest rates fall, the values of debt securities will tend to rise. Changes in the value of a debt security usually will not affect the amount of income the Fund receives from it but may affect the value of the Fund's shares. In general, the longer the maturity or duration of a debt security, the greater its sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Interest rate declines also may increase prepayments of debt obligations, which, in turn, would increase prepayment risk. As interest rates rise or spreads widen, the likelihood of prepayment decreases.

Issuer Risk. An issuer in which the Fund invests may perform poorly, and the value of its securities may therefore decline, which would negatively affect the Fund's performance. Poor performance may be caused by poor management decisions, competitive pressures, breakthroughs in technology, reliance on suppliers, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures, natural disasters or other events, conditions or factors.

Leverage Risk. Leverage occurs when the Fund increases its assets available for investment using borrowings, short sales, derivatives, or similar instruments or techniques. The use of leverage may make any change in the Fund's NAV even greater and thus result in increased volatility of returns. Because short sales involve borrowing securities and then selling them, the Fund's short sales effectively leverage the Fund's assets. The Fund's assets that are used as collateral to secure the Fund's obligations to return the securities sold short may decrease in value while the short positions are outstanding, which may force the Fund to use its other assets to increase the collateral. Leverage can create an interest expense that may lower the Fund's overall returns. Leverage presents the opportunity for increased net income and capital gains, but also exaggerates the Fund's risk of loss. There can be no guarantee that a leveraging strategy will be successful.

Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk associated with a lack of marketability of investments which may make it difficult to sell the investment at a desirable time or price. The Fund may have to lower the selling price, sell other investments, or forego another, more appealing investment opportunity. Judgment plays a larger role in valuing these investments as compared to valuing more liquid investments.

Low and Below Investment Grade (High-Yield) Securities Risk. Securities with the lowest investment grade rating, securities rated below investment grade (commonly called "high-yield" or "junk" bonds) and unrated securities of comparable quality expose the Fund to a greater risk of loss of principal and income than a fund that invests solely or primarily in investment grade securities. In addition, these investments have greater price fluctuations, are less liquid and are more likely to experience a default than higher-rated securities. High-yield securities are considered to be predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay interest and repay principal.

Market Risk. Market risk refers to the possibility that the market values of securities or other investments that the Fund holds will fall, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, or fail to rise. An investment in the Fund could lose money over short or even long periods. In general, equity securities tend to have greater price volatility than debt securities.

Money Market Fund Investment Risk. An investment in a money market fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by any bank, the FDIC or any other government agency. Although money market funds seek to preserve the value of investments at $1.00 per share, it is possible for the Fund to lose money by investing in money market funds. In addition to the fees and expenses that the Fund directly bears, the Fund indirectly bears the fees and expenses of any money market funds in which it invests, including affiliated money market funds. The Fund will also be exposed to the investment risks of the money market fund. To the extent the Fund invests in instruments such as derivatives, the Fund may hold investments, which may be significant, in money market fund shares to cover its obligations resulting from its investments in derivatives.

Municipal Securities Risk. Municipal securities may be fully or partially backed by the taxing authority of the local government, by the credit of a private issuer, by the current or anticipated revenues from a specific project or specific assets or by domestic or foreign entities providing credit support, such as letters of credit, guarantees or insurance, and are generally classified into general obligation bonds and special revenue obligations. General obligation bonds are backed by an issuer's taxing authority and may be vulnerable to limits on a government's power or ability to raise revenue or increase taxes. They may also depend for payment on legislative appropriation and/or funding or other support from other governmental bodies. Revenue obligations are payable from revenues generated by a particular project or other revenue source, and are typically subject to greater risk of default than general obligation bonds because investors can look only to the revenue generated by the project or other revenue source backing the project, rather than to the general taxing authority of the state or local government issuer of the obligations. Because many municipal securities are issued to finance projects in sectors such as education, health care, transportation and utilities, conditions in those sectors can affect the overall municipal market. Municipal securities generally pay interest that, in the opinion of bond counsel, is free from U.S. federal income tax (and, in some cases, the federal alternative minimum tax). There is no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will agree with this opinion or that U.S. federal income tax law will not change.

Prepayment and Extension Risk. Prepayment and extension risk is the risk that a loan, bond or other security or investment might be called or otherwise converted, prepaid or redeemed before maturity, and the portfolio managers may not be able to invest the proceeds in other investments providing as high a level of income, resulting in a reduced yield to the Fund. As interest rates decrease or spreads narrow, the likelihood of prepayment increases. The portfolio managers may be unable to capitalize on securities with higher interest rates or wider spreads because the Fund's investments are locked in at a lower rate for a longer period of time.

Quantitative Model Risk. Investments selected using quantitative methods may perform differently from the market as a whole. There can be no assurance that these methodologies will enable the Fund to achieve its objective.

Short Positions Risk. The Fund may establish short positions which introduce more risk to the Fund than long positions (where the Fund owns the instrument) because the maximum sustainable loss on an instrument purchased (held long) is limited to the amount paid for the instrument plus the transaction costs, whereas there is no maximum price of the shorted instrument when purchased in the open market. Therefore, in theory, short positions have unlimited risk. The Fund's use of short positions in effect "leverages" the Fund. Leverage potentially exposes the Fund to greater risks of loss due to unanticipated market movements, which may magnify losses and increase the volatility of returns. To the extent the Fund takes a short position in a derivative instrument, this involves the risk of a potentially unlimited increase in the value of the underlying instrument.

Sovereign Debt Risk. A sovereign debtor's willingness or ability to repay principal and pay interest in a timely manner may be affected by a variety of factors, including its cash flow situation, the extent of its reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the sovereign debtor's policy toward international lenders, and the political constraints to which a sovereign debtor may be subject. Sovereign debt risk is increased for emerging market issuers.

U.S. Government Obligations Risk. While U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the "full faith and credit" of the U.S. Government, such securities are nonetheless subject to credit risk (i.e., the risk that the U.S. Government may be, or be perceived to be, unable or unwilling to honor its financial obligations, such as making payments). Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or authorities and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities or enterprises may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.

Strategy [Heading]

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Principal Investment Strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

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The Fund pursues its investment objective through a diversified portfolio reflecting multiple asset classes and strategies employed across different markets, while seeking to limit equity and fixed income market risks (commonly referred to as beta) through various investment and hedging strategies. The Fund's investments and strategies are expected to employ both long and short positions in foreign and domestic equities (including common stock, preferred stock and convertible securities), equity futures, index futures, swaps, foreign and domestic fixed income securities (including government securities, corporate bonds, sovereign and quasi-sovereign debt obligations and municipal securities), fixed income futures, forward foreign currency contracts, commodity futures, other commodity-related investments, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). A long position is an ordinary purchase of a security, future or currency. When the Fund takes a short position, it sells the instrument or currency that it has borrowed in anticipation of a decline in the price of the instrument or currency, then the Fund buys back the same instrument or currency in the market and returns it to the lender. If the price of the instrument or currency falls sufficiently, the Fund will make money. If it instead increases in price, the Fund will lose money. Actual long and short exposures will vary over time based on factors such as market movements and assessments of market conditions.

The Fund employs a variety of strategies, techniques and practices that, in the aggregate, are designed to seek positive returns, with a low correlation to the performance of the broad equity and fixed income markets. The Fund's investment strategy may involve the frequent trading of portfolio securities. This may cause the Fund to incur higher transaction costs (which may adversely affect the Fund's performance) and may increase any taxable distributions for shareholders.

The Fund may invest without limit in foreign investments (including currencies), which may include investments in emerging markets, and in investments that are rated below investment-grade or, if unrated, deemed to be of comparable quality (commonly referred to as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds").

The Fund may invest in fixed income securities of any maturity and does not seek to maintain a particular dollar-weighted average maturity. A bond is issued with a specific maturity date, which is the date when the issuer must pay back the bond's principal (face value). Bond maturities range from less than 1 year to more than 30 years. Typically, the longer a bond's maturity, the more price risk the Fund and the Fund's investors face as interest rates rise, but the Fund could receive a higher yield in return for that longer maturity and higher interest rate risk.

The Fund may invest in derivatives such as futures (including currency, bond, index (including stock, bond, and volatility indexes) and interest rate futures), forward foreign currency contracts, forward rate agreements and interest rate swaps, including total return and credit default swaps, in an effort to produce incremental earnings, to hedge or offset existing positions, to increase market, interest rate and credit exposure, to increase investment flexibility (including using the derivative as a substitute for the purchase or sale of the underlying security, currency, commodity or other instrument) and/or to change the effective duration of the Fund's portfolio. Futures, forwards and swaps, in particular, are expected to be utilized to gain long and short investment (or credit) exposures to securities, indexes, interest rates and currencies (in lieu of purchasing or selling a security, currency or other instrument directly).

The Fund may invest directly in derivatives or indirectly by investing in one or more offshore, wholly-owned subsidiaries (Subsidiaries) that are subject to the same fundamental investment restrictions, compliance policies and procedures as the Fund, but which are not expected to offer or sell their shares to investors other than the Fund. Generally, Subsidiaries will invest primarily in commodity futures, but they may also invest in financial futures, option and swap contracts, fixed income securities, pooled investment vehicles, including those that are not registered pursuant to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act), and other investments intended to serve as margin or collateral for the Subsidiaries' derivative positions.

Unlike the Fund (which is subject to limitations under federal tax laws), Subsidiaries may invest without limitation in commodity-linked derivatives; however, the Fund, in combination with its Subsidiaries, will comply with the same 1940 Act asset coverage requirements with respect to the Subsidiaries' investments in commodity-linked derivatives that are applicable to the Fund's direct transactions in derivatives.

The Fund expects to hold a significant amount of cash, money market instruments (which may include investments in one or more affiliated or unaffiliated money market funds or similar vehicles) or other high-quality, short-term investments to cover obligations with respect to, or that may result from, the Fund's investments in forward foreign currency contracts, currency futures contracts, commodity-linked investments or other derivatives.

In managing the Fund, the portfolio managers allocate portions of Fund assets to be managed by investment professionals in other investment manager's teams, such as the Global Rates and Currency Sector Team, the Asset Allocation Team, the Equity Team, and the Fixed Income Team.

Investment Process

Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC (the Investment Manager) employs a variety of investment strategies, techniques and practices that, in the aggregate, are designed to seek positive long-term returns, with a low correlation to the performance of the broad equity and fixed income markets. The Investment Manager seeks to identify investments that have the potential to exploit inefficiencies or mispricings within individual markets or across markets.

The Investment Manager identifies asset classes and related investment strategies for allocation of the Fund's assets based on a number of qualitative and quantitative factors, including an assessment of their expected: relative return, risk, volatility and correlation with the performance of other asset classes, strategies and major market indexes. On at least a monthly basis, the Fund's investment allocations are reviewed and, as a result, may be rebalanced by the Investment Manager based on the foregoing factors. The Investment Manager also considers prevailing market, economic, and other conditions and has the flexibility to adjust allocations, at any time, to align the portfolio with expected conditions.

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

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An investment in the Fund involves risk, including those associated with the Fund's investment in the Subsidiaries, as described below. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective and you may lose money. The value of the Fund's holdings may decline, and the Fund's net asset value (NAV) and Fund share price may go down. (References in this section to "the Fund" also include the Subsidiaries, which share the same risks as the Fund.)

Active Management Risk. Due to its active management, the Fund could underperform its benchmark index and/or other funds with similar investment objectives. The Fund may fail to achieve its investment objective and you may lose money.

Allocation Risk. The Fund uses an asset allocation strategy in pursuit of its investment objective. There is a risk that the Fund's allocation among strategies and/or investment styles will cause the Fund's shares to lose value or cause the Fund to underperform other funds with a similar investment objective and/or strategies, or that the investments themselves will not produce the returns expected.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Regulatory Risk. The Fund does not qualify for an exemption from registration as a "commodity pool" under rules of the Commodity Exchange Act (the CEA). Accordingly, the Fund is a commodity pool under the CEA and the Investment Manager is registered as a "commodity pool operator" under the CEA. The Fund is subject to dual regulation by the SEC and the CFTC. Compliance with the CFTC's regulatory requirements could increase Fund expenses, adversely affecting the Fund's total return.

Commodity-related Investment Risk. The value of commodities investments will generally be affected by overall market movements and factors specific to a particular industry or commodity, which may include demand for the commodity, weather, embargoes, tariffs, and economic health, political, international, regulatory and other developments. Exposure to commodities and commodities markets may subject the value of the Fund's investments to greater volatility than other types of investments. Commodities investments may also subject the Fund to counterparty risk and liquidity risk.

Convertible Securities Risk. Convertible securities are subject to the usual risks associated with debt securities, such as interest rate risk and credit risk. Convertible securities also react to changes in the value of the common stock into which they convert, and are thus subject to market risk. The Fund may also be forced to convert a convertible security at an inopportune time, which may decrease the Fund's return.

Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that a counterparty to a financial instrument held by the Fund or by a special purpose or structured vehicle invested in by the Fund may become insolvent or otherwise fail to perform its obligations, and the Fund may obtain no or limited recovery of its investment, and any recovery may be significantly delayed.

Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a fixed-income security may or will default or otherwise become unable or unwilling, or is perceived to be unable or unwilling, to honor a financial obligation, such as making payments to the Fund when due. If the Fund purchases unrated securities, or if the rating of a security is lowered after purchase, the Fund will depend on analysis of credit risk more heavily than usual. Unrated securities held by the Fund may present increased credit risk as compared to higher-rated securities.

Derivatives Risk. Losses involving derivative instruments may be substantial, because a relatively small movement in the price of an underlying security, instrument, commodity, currency or index may result in a substantial loss for the Fund. In addition to the potential for increased losses, the use of derivative instruments may lead to increased volatility within the Fund. Derivatives will typically increase the Fund's exposure to principal risks to which it is otherwise exposed, and may expose the Fund to additional risks, including correlation risk, counterparty risk, hedging risk, leverage risk and liquidity risk.

Derivatives Risk/Forward Foreign Currency Contracts Risk. These instruments are a type of derivative contract whereby the Fund may agree to buy or sell a country's or region's currency at a specific price on a specific date in the future. These contracts may fall in value due to foreign market downswings or foreign currency value fluctuations. The Fund's strategy of investing in these instruments may not be successful. Investment in these instruments also subjects the Fund to counterparty risk.

Derivatives Risk/Forward Interest Rate Agreements Risk. Under forward interest rate agreements, the buyer locks in an interest rate at a future settlement date. If the interest rate on the settlement date exceeds the lock rate, the buyer pays the seller the difference between the two rates (based on the notional value of the agreement). If the lock rate exceeds the interest rate on the settlement date, the seller pays the buyer the difference between the two rates (based on the notional value of the agreement). The Fund may act as a buyer or a seller. These transactions involve risks, including counterparty risk, hedging risk and interest rate risk.

Derivatives Risk/Futures Contracts Risk. The loss that may be incurred in entering into futures contracts may exceed the amount of the premium paid and may be potentially unlimited. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund's NAV. Additionally, as a result of the low collateral deposits normally involved in futures trading, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in substantial losses to the Fund. Futures contracts may be illiquid. Furthermore, exchanges may limit fluctuations in futures contract prices during a trading session by imposing a maximum permissible price movement on each futures contract. The Fund may be disadvantaged if it is prohibited from executing a trade outside the daily permissible price movement. Futures contracts executed on foreign exchanges may not provide the same protection as U.S. exchanges. These transactions involve additional risks, including counterparty risk, hedging risk and pricing risk.

Derivatives Risk/Interest Rate Swaps Risk. Interest rate swaps can be based on various measures of interest rates, including the London Interbank Offered Rate (commonly known as LIBOR), swap rates, treasury rates and other foreign interest rates. A swap agreement can increase or decrease the volatility of the Fund's investments and its net asset value. The value of swaps, like many other derivatives, may move in unexpected ways and may result in losses for the Fund. Swaps can involve greater risks than direct investment in securities, because swaps may be leveraged, and are, among other factors, subject to counterparty risk (the risk that the counterparty to the instrument will not perform or be able to perform in accordance with the terms of the instrument), hedging risk (the risk that a hedging strategy may not eliminate the risk that it is intended to offset), pricing risk (swaps may be difficult to value), liquidity risk (it may not be possible to liquidate a swap position at an advantageous time or price) and interest rate risk (the risk of losses attributable to changes in interest rates), each of which may result in significant and unanticipated losses to the Fund.

Emerging Market Securities Risk. Securities issued by foreign governments or companies in emerging market countries are more likely to have greater exposure to the risks of investing in foreign securities that are described in Foreign Securities Risk. In addition, emerging market countries are more likely to experience instability resulting, for example, from rapid changes or developments in social, political and economic conditions. Their economies are usually less mature and their securities markets are typically less developed with more limited trading activity (i.e., lower trading volumes and less liquidity) than more developed countries. Emerging market securities tend to be more volatile than securities in more developed markets. Many emerging market countries are heavily dependent on international trade and have fewer trading partners, which makes them more sensitive to world commodity prices and economic downturns in other countries, and some have a higher risk of currency devaluations.

Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) Risk. ETFs are subject to, among other risks, tracking risk and passive and, in some cases, active investment risk. In addition, shareholders bear both their proportionate share of the Fund's expenses and similar expenses incurred through ownership of the ETF.

Foreign Currency Risk. The performance of the Fund may be materially affected positively or negatively by foreign currency strength or weakness relative to the U.S. dollar, particularly if the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in foreign securities or other assets denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar.

Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in foreign securities involve certain risks not associated with investments in securities of U.S. companies. Foreign securities subject the Fund to the risks associated with investing in the particular country, including the political, regulatory, economic, social, diplomatic and other conditions or events occurring in the country or region, as well as risks associated with less developed custody and settlement practices. Foreign securities may be more volatile and less liquid than investments in securities of U.S. companies. The performance of the Fund may be negatively impacted by foreign currency strength or weakness relative to the U.S. dollar, particularly if the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in foreign securities or other assets denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar.

Frequent Trading Risk. The portfolio managers may actively and frequently trade investments in the Fund's portfolio to carry out its investment strategies. Frequent trading of investments increases the possibility that the Fund, as relevant, will realize taxable capital gains (including short-term capital gains, which are generally taxable to shareholders at higher rates than long-term capital gains for U.S. federal income tax purposes), which could reduce the Fund's after-tax return. Frequent trading can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce the Fund's return. The trading costs and tax effects associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect the Fund's performance.

Highly Leveraged Transactions Risk. The loans or other securities in which the Fund invests may include highly leveraged transactions whereby the borrower assumes large amounts of debt in order to have the financial resources to attempt to achieve its business objectives. Loans or securities that are part of highly leveraged transactions involve a greater risk (including default and bankruptcy) than other investments.

Inflation-Protected Securities Risk. Inflation-protected debt securities tend to react to changes in real interest rates (i.e., nominal interest rates minus the expected impact of inflation). In general, the price of such securities falls when real interest rates rise, and rises when real interest rates fall. Interest payments on these securities will vary and may be more volatile than interest paid on ordinary bonds. In periods of deflation, the Fund may have no income at all from such investments. The Fund's investment in certain inflation-protected debt securities may generate taxable income in excess of the interest they pay to the Fund, which may cause the Fund to sell investments to obtain cash to make income distributions to shareholders, including at times when it may not be advantageous to do so.

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk of losses attributable to changes in interest rates. In general, if prevailing interest rates rise, the values of debt securities will tend to fall, and if interest rates fall, the values of debt securities will tend to rise. Changes in the value of a debt security usually will not affect the amount of income the Fund receives from it but may affect the value of the Fund's shares. In general, the longer the maturity or duration of a debt security, the greater its sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Interest rate declines also may increase prepayments of debt obligations, which, in turn, would increase prepayment risk. As interest rates rise or spreads widen, the likelihood of prepayment decreases.

Issuer Risk. An issuer in which the Fund invests may perform poorly, and the value of its securities may therefore decline, which would negatively affect the Fund's performance. Poor performance may be caused by poor management decisions, competitive pressures, breakthroughs in technology, reliance on suppliers, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures, natural disasters or other events, conditions or factors.

Leverage Risk. Leverage occurs when the Fund increases its assets available for investment using borrowings, short sales, derivatives, or similar instruments or techniques. The use of leverage may make any change in the Fund's NAV even greater and thus result in increased volatility of returns. Because short sales involve borrowing securities and then selling them, the Fund's short sales effectively leverage the Fund's assets. The Fund's assets that are used as collateral to secure the Fund's obligations to return the securities sold short may decrease in value while the short positions are outstanding, which may force the Fund to use its other assets to increase the collateral. Leverage can create an interest expense that may lower the Fund's overall returns. Leverage presents the opportunity for increased net income and capital gains, but also exaggerates the Fund's risk of loss. There can be no guarantee that a leveraging strategy will be successful.

Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk associated with a lack of marketability of investments which may make it difficult to sell the investment at a desirable time or price. The Fund may have to lower the selling price, sell other investments, or forego another, more appealing investment opportunity. Judgment plays a larger role in valuing these investments as compared to valuing more liquid investments.

Low and Below Investment Grade (High-Yield) Securities Risk. Securities with the lowest investment grade rating, securities rated below investment grade (commonly called "high-yield" or "junk" bonds) and unrated securities of comparable quality expose the Fund to a greater risk of loss of principal and income than a fund that invests solely or primarily in investment grade securities. In addition, these investments have greater price fluctuations, are less liquid and are more likely to experience a default than higher-rated securities. High-yield securities are considered to be predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay interest and repay principal.

Market Risk. Market risk refers to the possibility that the market values of securities or other investments that the Fund holds will fall, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, or fail to rise. An investment in the Fund could lose money over short or even long periods. In general, equity securities tend to have greater price volatility than debt securities.

Money Market Fund Investment Risk. An investment in a money market fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by any bank, the FDIC or any other government agency. Although money market funds seek to preserve the value of investments at $1.00 per share, it is possible for the Fund to lose money by investing in money market funds. In addition to the fees and expenses that the Fund directly bears, the Fund indirectly bears the fees and expenses of any money market funds in which it invests, including affiliated money market funds. The Fund will also be exposed to the investment risks of the money market fund. To the extent the Fund invests in instruments such as derivatives, the Fund may hold investments, which may be significant, in money market fund shares to cover its obligations resulting from its investments in derivatives.

Municipal Securities Risk. Municipal securities may be fully or partially backed by the taxing authority of the local government, by the credit of a private issuer, by the current or anticipated revenues from a specific project or specific assets or by domestic or foreign entities providing credit support, such as letters of credit, guarantees or insurance, and are generally classified into general obligation bonds and special revenue obligations. General obligation bonds are backed by an issuer's taxing authority and may be vulnerable to limits on a government's power or ability to raise revenue or increase taxes. They may also depend for payment on legislative appropriation and/or funding or other support from other governmental bodies. Revenue obligations are payable from revenues generated by a particular project or other revenue source, and are typically subject to greater risk of default than general obligation bonds because investors can look only to the revenue generated by the project or other revenue source backing the project, rather than to the general taxing authority of the state or local government issuer of the obligations. Because many municipal securities are issued to finance projects in sectors such as education, health care, transportation and utilities, conditions in those sectors can affect the overall municipal market. Municipal securities generally pay interest that, in the opinion of bond counsel, is free from U.S. federal income tax (and, in some cases, the federal alternative minimum tax). There is no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will agree with this opinion or that U.S. federal income tax law will not change.

Prepayment and Extension Risk. Prepayment and extension risk is the risk that a loan, bond or other security or investment might be called or otherwise converted, prepaid or redeemed before maturity, and the portfolio managers may not be able to invest the proceeds in other investments providing as high a level of income, resulting in a reduced yield to the Fund. As interest rates decrease or spreads narrow, the likelihood of prepayment increases. The portfolio managers may be unable to capitalize on securities with higher interest rates or wider spreads because the Fund's investments are locked in at a lower rate for a longer period of time.

Quantitative Model Risk. Investments selected using quantitative methods may perform differently from the market as a whole. There can be no assurance that these methodologies will enable the Fund to achieve its objective.

Short Positions Risk. The Fund may establish short positions which introduce more risk to the Fund than long positions (where the Fund owns the instrument) because the maximum sustainable loss on an instrument purchased (held long) is limited to the amount paid for the instrument plus the transaction costs, whereas there is no maximum price of the shorted instrument when purchased in the open market. Therefore, in theory, short positions have unlimited risk. The Fund's use of short positions in effect "leverages" the Fund. Leverage potentially exposes the Fund to greater risks of loss due to unanticipated market movements, which may magnify losses and increase the volatility of returns. To the extent the Fund takes a short position in a derivative instrument, this involves the risk of a potentially unlimited increase in the value of the underlying instrument.

Sovereign Debt Risk. A sovereign debtor's willingness or ability to repay principal and pay interest in a timely manner may be affected by a variety of factors, including its cash flow situation, the extent of its reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the sovereign debtor's policy toward international lenders, and the political constraints to which a sovereign debtor may be subject. Sovereign debt risk is increased for emerging market issuers.

U.S. Government Obligations Risk. While U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the "full faith and credit" of the U.S. Government, such securities are nonetheless subject to credit risk (i.e., the risk that the U.S. Government may be, or be perceived to be, unable or unwilling to honor its financial obligations, such as making payments). Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or authorities and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities or enterprises may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.

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There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective and you may lose money.

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Supplement dated October 29, 2013

to the Prospectus of the following fund:

Fund	Prospectus Dated
Columbia Funds Variable Insurance Trust
Variable Portfolio– Eaton Vance Global Macro Advantage Fund
(the "Fund)	5/1/2013, as supplemented

Effective on November 18, 2013 (the Effective Date), the Fund will be managed directly by the Investment Manager, without a subadviser. In this connection, the Fund's name will change, and its principal investment strategies will substantially change, as will certain of its principal risks. As the Fund transitions its portfolio to the new investment strategy (which is currently expected to take up to three months commencing on the Effective Date), the Fund may hold all or a substantial portion of its assets in cash, cash equivalents and/or shares of an affiliated money market fund. The Fund may also hold/use derivatives instruments during this period as well.

1. On the Effective Date, the name of the Fund will change from Variable Portfolio – Eaton Vance Global Macro Advantage Fund to Columbia Variable Portfolio – Multi-Strategy Alternatives Fund. Accordingly, effective on such date, all references in the prospectus to Variable Portfolio – Eaton Vance Global Macro Advantage Fund are deleted and replaced with Columbia Variable Portfolio – Multi-Strategy Alternatives Fund.

2. On the Effective Date, the section of the Fund's prospectus entitled "Principal Investment Strategies" is deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund pursues its investment objective through a diversified portfolio reflecting multiple asset classes and strategies employed across different markets, while seeking to limit equity and fixed income market risks (commonly referred to as beta) through various investment and hedging strategies. The Fund's investments and strategies are expected to employ both long and short positions in foreign and domestic equities (including common stock, preferred stock and convertible securities), equity futures, index futures, swaps, foreign and domestic fixed income securities (including government securities, corporate bonds, sovereign and quasi-sovereign debt obligations and municipal securities), fixed income futures, forward foreign currency contracts, commodity futures, other commodity-related investments, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). A long position is an ordinary purchase of a security, future or currency. When the Fund takes a short position, it sells the instrument or currency that it has borrowed in anticipation of a decline in the price of the instrument or currency, then the Fund buys back the same instrument or currency in the market and returns it to the lender. If the price of the instrument or currency falls sufficiently, the Fund will make money. If it instead increases in price, the Fund will lose money. Actual long and short exposures will vary over time based on factors such as market movements and assessments of market conditions.

The Fund employs a variety of strategies, techniques and practices that, in the aggregate, are designed to seek positive returns, with a low correlation to the performance of the broad equity and fixed income markets. The Fund's investment strategy may involve the frequent trading of portfolio securities. This may cause the Fund to incur higher transaction costs (which may adversely affect the Fund's performance) and may increase any taxable distributions for shareholders.

The Fund may invest without limit in foreign investments (including currencies), which may include investments in emerging markets, and in investments that are rated below investment-grade or, if unrated, deemed to be of comparable quality (commonly referred to as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds").

The Fund may invest in fixed income securities of any maturity and does not seek to maintain a particular dollar-weighted average maturity. A bond is issued with a specific maturity date, which is the date when the issuer must pay back the bond's principal (face value). Bond maturities range from less than 1 year to more than 30 years. Typically, the longer a bond's maturity, the more price risk the Fund and the Fund's investors face as interest rates rise, but the Fund could receive a higher yield in return for that longer maturity and higher interest rate risk.

The Fund may invest in derivatives such as futures (including currency, bond, index (including stock, bond, and volatility indexes) and interest rate futures), forward foreign currency contracts, forward rate agreements and interest rate swaps, including total return and credit default swaps, in an effort to produce incremental earnings, to hedge or offset existing positions, to increase market, interest rate and credit exposure, to increase investment flexibility (including using the derivative as a substitute for the purchase or sale of the underlying security, currency, commodity or other instrument) and/or to change the effective duration of the Fund's portfolio. Futures, forwards and swaps, in particular, are expected to be utilized to gain long and short investment (or credit) exposures to securities, indexes, interest rates and currencies (in lieu of purchasing or selling a security, currency or other instrument directly).

The Fund may invest directly in derivatives or indirectly by investing in one or more offshore, wholly-owned subsidiaries (Subsidiaries) that are subject to the same fundamental investment restrictions, compliance policies and procedures as the Fund, but which are not expected to offer or sell their shares to investors other than the Fund. Generally, Subsidiaries will invest primarily in commodity futures, but they may also invest in financial futures, option and swap contracts, fixed income securities, pooled investment vehicles, including those that are not registered pursuant to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act), and other investments intended to serve as margin or collateral for the Subsidiaries' derivative positions.

Unlike the Fund (which is subject to limitations under federal tax laws), Subsidiaries may invest without limitation in commodity-linked derivatives; however, the Fund, in combination with its Subsidiaries, will comply with the same 1940 Act asset coverage requirements with respect to the Subsidiaries' investments in commodity-linked derivatives that are applicable to the Fund's direct transactions in derivatives.

The Fund expects to hold a significant amount of cash, money market instruments (which may include investments in one or more affiliated or unaffiliated money market funds or similar vehicles) or other high-quality, short-term investments to cover obligations with respect to, or that may result from, the Fund's investments in forward foreign currency contracts, currency futures contracts, commodity-linked investments or other derivatives.

In managing the Fund, the portfolio managers allocate portions of Fund assets to be managed by investment professionals in other investment manager's teams, such as the Global Rates and Currency Sector Team, the Asset Allocation Team, the Equity Team, and the Fixed Income Team.

Investment Process

Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC (the Investment Manager) employs a variety of investment strategies, techniques and practices that, in the aggregate, are designed to seek positive long-term returns, with a low correlation to the performance of the broad equity and fixed income markets. The Investment Manager seeks to identify investments that have the potential to exploit inefficiencies or mispricings within individual markets or across markets.

The Investment Manager identifies asset classes and related investment strategies for allocation of the Fund's assets based on a number of qualitative and quantitative factors, including an assessment of their expected: relative return, risk, volatility and correlation with the performance of other asset classes, strategies and major market indexes. On at least a monthly basis, the Fund's investment allocations are reviewed and, as a result, may be rebalanced by the Investment Manager based on the foregoing factors. The Investment Manager also considers prevailing market, economic, and other conditions and has the flexibility to adjust allocations, at any time, to align the portfolio with expected conditions.

3. On the Effective Date, the section of the Fund's prospectus entitled "Principal Risks" is deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

An investment in the Fund involves risk, including those associated with the Fund's investment in the Subsidiaries, as described below. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective and you may lose money. The value of the Fund's holdings may decline, and the Fund's net asset value (NAV) and Fund share price may go down. (References in this section to "the Fund" also include the Subsidiaries, which share the same risks as the Fund.)

Active Management Risk. Due to its active management, the Fund could underperform its benchmark index and/or other funds with similar investment objectives. The Fund may fail to achieve its investment objective and you may lose money.

Allocation Risk. The Fund uses an asset allocation strategy in pursuit of its investment objective. There is a risk that the Fund's allocation among strategies and/or investment styles will cause the Fund's shares to lose value or cause the Fund to underperform other funds with a similar investment objective and/or strategies, or that the investments themselves will not produce the returns expected.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Regulatory Risk. The Fund does not qualify for an exemption from registration as a "commodity pool" under rules of the Commodity Exchange Act (the CEA). Accordingly, the Fund is a commodity pool under the CEA and the Investment Manager is registered as a "commodity pool operator" under the CEA. The Fund is subject to dual regulation by the SEC and the CFTC. Compliance with the CFTC's regulatory requirements could increase Fund expenses, adversely affecting the Fund's total return.

Commodity-related Investment Risk. The value of commodities investments will generally be affected by overall market movements and factors specific to a particular industry or commodity, which may include demand for the commodity, weather, embargoes, tariffs, and economic health, political, international, regulatory and other developments. Exposure to commodities and commodities markets may subject the value of the Fund's investments to greater volatility than other types of investments. Commodities investments may also subject the Fund to counterparty risk and liquidity risk.

Convertible Securities Risk. Convertible securities are subject to the usual risks associated with debt securities, such as interest rate risk and credit risk. Convertible securities also react to changes in the value of the common stock into which they convert, and are thus subject to market risk. The Fund may also be forced to convert a convertible security at an inopportune time, which may decrease the Fund's return.

Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that a counterparty to a financial instrument held by the Fund or by a special purpose or structured vehicle invested in by the Fund may become insolvent or otherwise fail to perform its obligations, and the Fund may obtain no or limited recovery of its investment, and any recovery may be significantly delayed.

Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a fixed-income security may or will default or otherwise become unable or unwilling, or is perceived to be unable or unwilling, to honor a financial obligation, such as making payments to the Fund when due. If the Fund purchases unrated securities, or if the rating of a security is lowered after purchase, the Fund will depend on analysis of credit risk more heavily than usual. Unrated securities held by the Fund may present increased credit risk as compared to higher-rated securities.

Derivatives Risk. Losses involving derivative instruments may be substantial, because a relatively small movement in the price of an underlying security, instrument, commodity, currency or index may result in a substantial loss for the Fund. In addition to the potential for increased losses, the use of derivative instruments may lead to increased volatility within the Fund. Derivatives will typically increase the Fund's exposure to principal risks to which it is otherwise exposed, and may expose the Fund to additional risks, including correlation risk, counterparty risk, hedging risk, leverage risk and liquidity risk.

Derivatives Risk/Forward Foreign Currency Contracts Risk. These instruments are a type of derivative contract whereby the Fund may agree to buy or sell a country's or region's currency at a specific price on a specific date in the future. These contracts may fall in value due to foreign market downswings or foreign currency value fluctuations. The Fund's strategy of investing in these instruments may not be successful. Investment in these instruments also subjects the Fund to counterparty risk.

Derivatives Risk/Forward Interest Rate Agreements Risk. Under forward interest rate agreements, the buyer locks in an interest rate at a future settlement date. If the interest rate on the settlement date exceeds the lock rate, the buyer pays the seller the difference between the two rates (based on the notional value of the agreement). If the lock rate exceeds the interest rate on the settlement date, the seller pays the buyer the difference between the two rates (based on the notional value of the agreement). The Fund may act as a buyer or a seller. These transactions involve risks, including counterparty risk, hedging risk and interest rate risk.

Derivatives Risk/Futures Contracts Risk. The loss that may be incurred in entering into futures contracts may exceed the amount of the premium paid and may be potentially unlimited. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Fund's NAV. Additionally, as a result of the low collateral deposits normally involved in futures trading, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in substantial losses to the Fund. Futures contracts may be illiquid. Furthermore, exchanges may limit fluctuations in futures contract prices during a trading session by imposing a maximum permissible price movement on each futures contract. The Fund may be disadvantaged if it is prohibited from executing a trade outside the daily permissible price movement. Futures contracts executed on foreign exchanges may not provide the same protection as U.S. exchanges. These transactions involve additional risks, including counterparty risk, hedging risk and pricing risk.

Derivatives Risk/Interest Rate Swaps Risk. Interest rate swaps can be based on various measures of interest rates, including the London Interbank Offered Rate (commonly known as LIBOR), swap rates, treasury rates and other foreign interest rates. A swap agreement can increase or decrease the volatility of the Fund's investments and its net asset value. The value of swaps, like many other derivatives, may move in unexpected ways and may result in losses for the Fund. Swaps can involve greater risks than direct investment in securities, because swaps may be leveraged, and are, among other factors, subject to counterparty risk (the risk that the counterparty to the instrument will not perform or be able to perform in accordance with the terms of the instrument), hedging risk (the risk that a hedging strategy may not eliminate the risk that it is intended to offset), pricing risk (swaps may be difficult to value), liquidity risk (it may not be possible to liquidate a swap position at an advantageous time or price) and interest rate risk (the risk of losses attributable to changes in interest rates), each of which may result in significant and unanticipated losses to the Fund.

Emerging Market Securities Risk. Securities issued by foreign governments or companies in emerging market countries are more likely to have greater exposure to the risks of investing in foreign securities that are described in Foreign Securities Risk. In addition, emerging market countries are more likely to experience instability resulting, for example, from rapid changes or developments in social, political and economic conditions. Their economies are usually less mature and their securities markets are typically less developed with more limited trading activity (i.e., lower trading volumes and less liquidity) than more developed countries. Emerging market securities tend to be more volatile than securities in more developed markets. Many emerging market countries are heavily dependent on international trade and have fewer trading partners, which makes them more sensitive to world commodity prices and economic downturns in other countries, and some have a higher risk of currency devaluations.

Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) Risk. ETFs are subject to, among other risks, tracking risk and passive and, in some cases, active investment risk. In addition, shareholders bear both their proportionate share of the Fund's expenses and similar expenses incurred through ownership of the ETF.

Foreign Currency Risk. The performance of the Fund may be materially affected positively or negatively by foreign currency strength or weakness relative to the U.S. dollar, particularly if the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in foreign securities or other assets denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar.

Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in foreign securities involve certain risks not associated with investments in securities of U.S. companies. Foreign securities subject the Fund to the risks associated with investing in the particular country, including the political, regulatory, economic, social, diplomatic and other conditions or events occurring in the country or region, as well as risks associated with less developed custody and settlement practices. Foreign securities may be more volatile and less liquid than investments in securities of U.S. companies. The performance of the Fund may be negatively impacted by foreign currency strength or weakness relative to the U.S. dollar, particularly if the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in foreign securities or other assets denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar.

Frequent Trading Risk. The portfolio managers may actively and frequently trade investments in the Fund's portfolio to carry out its investment strategies. Frequent trading of investments increases the possibility that the Fund, as relevant, will realize taxable capital gains (including short-term capital gains, which are generally taxable to shareholders at higher rates than long-term capital gains for U.S. federal income tax purposes), which could reduce the Fund's after-tax return. Frequent trading can also mean higher brokerage and other transaction costs, which could reduce the Fund's return. The trading costs and tax effects associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect the Fund's performance.

Highly Leveraged Transactions Risk. The loans or other securities in which the Fund invests may include highly leveraged transactions whereby the borrower assumes large amounts of debt in order to have the financial resources to attempt to achieve its business objectives. Loans or securities that are part of highly leveraged transactions involve a greater risk (including default and bankruptcy) than other investments.

Inflation-Protected Securities Risk. Inflation-protected debt securities tend to react to changes in real interest rates (i.e., nominal interest rates minus the expected impact of inflation). In general, the price of such securities falls when real interest rates rise, and rises when real interest rates fall. Interest payments on these securities will vary and may be more volatile than interest paid on ordinary bonds. In periods of deflation, the Fund may have no income at all from such investments. The Fund's investment in certain inflation-protected debt securities may generate taxable income in excess of the interest they pay to the Fund, which may cause the Fund to sell investments to obtain cash to make income distributions to shareholders, including at times when it may not be advantageous to do so.

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk of losses attributable to changes in interest rates. In general, if prevailing interest rates rise, the values of debt securities will tend to fall, and if interest rates fall, the values of debt securities will tend to rise. Changes in the value of a debt security usually will not affect the amount of income the Fund receives from it but may affect the value of the Fund's shares. In general, the longer the maturity or duration of a debt security, the greater its sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Interest rate declines also may increase prepayments of debt obligations, which, in turn, would increase prepayment risk. As interest rates rise or spreads widen, the likelihood of prepayment decreases.

Issuer Risk. An issuer in which the Fund invests may perform poorly, and the value of its securities may therefore decline, which would negatively affect the Fund's performance. Poor performance may be caused by poor management decisions, competitive pressures, breakthroughs in technology, reliance on suppliers, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures, natural disasters or other events, conditions or factors.

Leverage Risk. Leverage occurs when the Fund increases its assets available for investment using borrowings, short sales, derivatives, or similar instruments or techniques. The use of leverage may make any change in the Fund's NAV even greater and thus result in increased volatility of returns. Because short sales involve borrowing securities and then selling them, the Fund's short sales effectively leverage the Fund's assets. The Fund's assets that are used as collateral to secure the Fund's obligations to return the securities sold short may decrease in value while the short positions are outstanding, which may force the Fund to use its other assets to increase the collateral. Leverage can create an interest expense that may lower the Fund's overall returns. Leverage presents the opportunity for increased net income and capital gains, but also exaggerates the Fund's risk of loss. There can be no guarantee that a leveraging strategy will be successful.

Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk is the risk associated with a lack of marketability of investments which may make it difficult to sell the investment at a desirable time or price. The Fund may have to lower the selling price, sell other investments, or forego another, more appealing investment opportunity. Judgment plays a larger role in valuing these investments as compared to valuing more liquid investments.

Low and Below Investment Grade (High-Yield) Securities Risk. Securities with the lowest investment grade rating, securities rated below investment grade (commonly called "high-yield" or "junk" bonds) and unrated securities of comparable quality expose the Fund to a greater risk of loss of principal and income than a fund that invests solely or primarily in investment grade securities. In addition, these investments have greater price fluctuations, are less liquid and are more likely to experience a default than higher-rated securities. High-yield securities are considered to be predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay interest and repay principal.

Market Risk. Market risk refers to the possibility that the market values of securities or other investments that the Fund holds will fall, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, or fail to rise. An investment in the Fund could lose money over short or even long periods. In general, equity securities tend to have greater price volatility than debt securities.

Money Market Fund Investment Risk. An investment in a money market fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by any bank, the FDIC or any other government agency. Although money market funds seek to preserve the value of investments at $1.00 per share, it is possible for the Fund to lose money by investing in money market funds. In addition to the fees and expenses that the Fund directly bears, the Fund indirectly bears the fees and expenses of any money market funds in which it invests, including affiliated money market funds. The Fund will also be exposed to the investment risks of the money market fund. To the extent the Fund invests in instruments such as derivatives, the Fund may hold investments, which may be significant, in money market fund shares to cover its obligations resulting from its investments in derivatives.

Municipal Securities Risk. Municipal securities may be fully or partially backed by the taxing authority of the local government, by the credit of a private issuer, by the current or anticipated revenues from a specific project or specific assets or by domestic or foreign entities providing credit support, such as letters of credit, guarantees or insurance, and are generally classified into general obligation bonds and special revenue obligations. General obligation bonds are backed by an issuer's taxing authority and may be vulnerable to limits on a government's power or ability to raise revenue or increase taxes. They may also depend for payment on legislative appropriation and/or funding or other support from other governmental bodies. Revenue obligations are payable from revenues generated by a particular project or other revenue source, and are typically subject to greater risk of default than general obligation bonds because investors can look only to the revenue generated by the project or other revenue source backing the project, rather than to the general taxing authority of the state or local government issuer of the obligations. Because many municipal securities are issued to finance projects in sectors such as education, health care, transportation and utilities, conditions in those sectors can affect the overall municipal market. Municipal securities generally pay interest that, in the opinion of bond counsel, is free from U.S. federal income tax (and, in some cases, the federal alternative minimum tax). There is no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will agree with this opinion or that U.S. federal income tax law will not change.

Prepayment and Extension Risk. Prepayment and extension risk is the risk that a loan, bond or other security or investment might be called or otherwise converted, prepaid or redeemed before maturity, and the portfolio managers may not be able to invest the proceeds in other investments providing as high a level of income, resulting in a reduced yield to the Fund. As interest rates decrease or spreads narrow, the likelihood of prepayment increases. The portfolio managers may be unable to capitalize on securities with higher interest rates or wider spreads because the Fund's investments are locked in at a lower rate for a longer period of time.

Quantitative Model Risk. Investments selected using quantitative methods may perform differently from the market as a whole. There can be no assurance that these methodologies will enable the Fund to achieve its objective.

Short Positions Risk. The Fund may establish short positions which introduce more risk to the Fund than long positions (where the Fund owns the instrument) because the maximum sustainable loss on an instrument purchased (held long) is limited to the amount paid for the instrument plus the transaction costs, whereas there is no maximum price of the shorted instrument when purchased in the open market. Therefore, in theory, short positions have unlimited risk. The Fund's use of short positions in effect "leverages" the Fund. Leverage potentially exposes the Fund to greater risks of loss due to unanticipated market movements, which may magnify losses and increase the volatility of returns. To the extent the Fund takes a short position in a derivative instrument, this involves the risk of a potentially unlimited increase in the value of the underlying instrument.

Sovereign Debt Risk. A sovereign debtor's willingness or ability to repay principal and pay interest in a timely manner may be affected by a variety of factors, including its cash flow situation, the extent of its reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the sovereign debtor's policy toward international lenders, and the political constraints to which a sovereign debtor may be subject. Sovereign debt risk is increased for emerging market issuers.

U.S. Government Obligations Risk. While U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the "full faith and credit" of the U.S. Government, such securities are nonetheless subject to credit risk (i.e., the risk that the U.S. Government may be, or be perceived to be, unable or unwilling to honor its financial obligations, such as making payments). Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or authorities and U.S. Government-sponsored instrumentalities or enterprises may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.

XML

Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Document Type	dei_DocumentType	Other
Document Period End Date	dei_DocumentPeriodEndDate	Dec. 31, 2012
Registrant Name	dei_EntityRegistrantName	COLUMBIA FUNDS VARIABLE INSURANCE TRUST
Central Index Key	dei_EntityCentralIndexKey	0000815425
Amendment Flag	dei_AmendmentFlag	false
Document Creation Date	dei_DocumentCreationDate	Oct. 29, 2013
Document Effective Date	dei_DocumentEffectiveDate	Oct. 29, 2013
Prospectus Date	rr_ProspectusDate	May 01, 2013