Moving to Colombia
Visas and residency, citizenship, tax, company and banking, cost of living and the places to live in Colombia, in one place.
South America
Navid lived hereThinking about moving to Colombia?
I lived in Colombia.
Here's how long you can stay, the ways to live there for good, what you'd pay in tax and what everyday life costs, each figure from an official source.
In this guide, I'll show you:
- How long you can stay, by passport
- The visas and residency routes that let you live there
- How long citizenship takes
- How tax works, with the rates
- What it costs, and the internet and safety
- The best places to live
- The basics: capital, currency and languages
Pick your passport at the top of the page, and the stay rule shows for you.
TL;DRKey takeaways
Colombia at a glance
How long can you stay in Colombia?
It depends on the passport you hold.
Here's the rule for the most common ones:
US passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
UK passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
EU passport (German)- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
Canadian passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
Australian passport- Rule
- Visa-free
- Stay
- 90 days
Indian passport- Rule
- e-Visa
- Stay
- –
For any other passport, pick yours at the top, or see every country on the visa-free countries map.
Visas and residency in Colombia
Colombia has a visa for people who work remotely:
- Visitor visa (V) for digital nomads – an income of COP 5,252,715 a month, for 24 months
Compare them with every other country in the digital nomad visa finder.
These routes don't need a local job either:
- Migrant visa for pensioners (M Pensionado) (retirement visa) – COP 5,252,715 a month, and it can lead to permanent residency
- Visitor visa for people with passive income (V Rentista) (passive income visa) – COP 17,509,050 a month
See the investor routes side by side in the golden visa finder, and the ones for retirees in the retirement visa finder.
Citizenship in Colombia
Naturalization takes about 7 years of residence.
Dual citizenship is allowed, so you can keep your passport.
Work out your own timeline with the second passport calculator.
Tax in Colombia
Colombia taxes its tax residents on their income from anywhere.
See where it sits among every country on the territorial tax map.
The main rates:
- Lowest income tax band – 0%
- Top income tax rate – 35%
- Corporate tax – 35%
- VAT or sales tax – 19%
- Capital gains tax – 10%
Where you're a tax resident usually comes down to days.
Count yours with the 183-day rule calculator.
Company and banking
Compare the banks and cards that work for people abroad in the bank account finder.
Move money for less with the money transfer comparison.
Many people who live abroad run a US LLC instead; check yours with the US LLC for non-residents checker.
Cost of living in Colombia
Everyday prices in Colombia are about 38% of US prices.
That's the World Bank's price level for 2025: its purchasing power conversion factor divided by the exchange rate.
That makes it one of the cheaper places to live on a foreign income.
A night's stay in a whole place, by Inside Airbnb's median:
- Bogotá – $54
Convert what things cost with the currency converter.
Is Colombia safe?
The US State Department rates Colombia Level 3 ("Reconsider travel", updated 2026-03-31). Level 3 means the US asks you to reconsider the trip. Some advisories are stricter for parts of a country, so read the full advisory before you go.
See every country's level on the travel advisory map.
Internet in Colombia
In M-Lab's open speed tests across Colombia over the last 12 months, half came in above 32 Mbps download.
The fastest quarter of lines came in above 96 Mbps, closer to a good fiber connection (4,376,655 tests).
By place:
- Medellín – 31 Mbps typical
- Bogotá – 33 Mbps typical
- Cartagena – 41 Mbps typical
- Santa Marta – 38 Mbps typical
Test your own line when you arrive with my internet speed test.
The best places to live in Colombia
Compare them with places everywhere in digital nomad locations.
Colombia: the basics
| What | Colombia |
|---|---|
| Capital | Bogota |
| Currency | Colombian peso (COP) |
| Languages | Spanish |
| Population | about 49.6 million |
From GeoNames' country data (CC BY 4.0).
More tools for Colombia
- Passport index and compare passports
- Time zone overlap calculator for calls with home
- eSIM finder for data when you land
- Card fees abroad calculator before you spend
Colombia FAQs
Visa-free, for 90 days.
Pick another passport at the top of the page to see its rule.
It depends on your passport.
Pick yours at the top of the page to see the days, and whether you need a visa first.
Yes: Visitor visa (V) for digital nomads.
It asks for an income of COP 5,252,715 a month.
Yes, with Migrant visa for pensioners (M Pensionado) and Visitor visa for people with passive income (V Rentista).
Each asks for a steady income; the section above lists the amounts.
About 7 years of residence.
Yes.
Check that your own country allows it too.
Colombia taxes its tax residents on their income from anywhere.
Check the details with a tax adviser before you move.
Everyday prices are about 38% of US prices, by the World Bank's price level for 2025.
Rent in the biggest cities can be higher than that suggests.
The US State Department rates it Level 3.
Levels 1 and 2 are everyday travel; read the full advisory for any regions it warns about.
Half of M-Lab's tests there came in above 32 Mbps download over the last 12 months.
The fastest quarter of lines passed 96 Mbps.
The places I cover there are Medellín, Bogotá, Cartagena and Santa Marta.
Each has its own guide with the weather by month, internet and costs.
The Colombian peso (COP).
The main language is Spanish.
Navid Moazzez
AI business strategist & AI OS builder
Navid Moazzez helps creators and founders master AI and build their own AI Operating System (AI OS) to automate their business and life.
Navid.me is reader-supported. When you buy through links on this site, I may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
Places to live in Colombia
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