Issue · October 2026 · everything a nomad needs, city by city

Nomadzine

The visa · Colombia

Colombia

Colombia has had an express digital-nomad visa since October 2022: the Visa V category Nómada Digital, granted for up to two years on proof of three minimum wages a month from foreign sources. Most nationalities can also simply arrive visa-free for 90 days and extend to 180 in a calendar year, which is how a large share of remote workers still use the country. The one thing to know before applying is that time on the nomad visa does not count towards residence, and that more than 183 days in any 365 makes a person a Colombian tax resident on worldwide income regardless of visa type.

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The routes

Researched 9 September 2026 · rules as of September 2026 · as published, not legal advice

  1. Nomad visa

    Digital Nomad Visa (Visa V Nómada Digital)

    Visa de Visitante (Tipo V) – Nómadas digitales, trabajadores remotos y emprendedores digitales / Visitor visa, category Digital Nomad (Resolución 5477 de 2022)

    Remote employees, freelancers and digital entrepreneurs who work exclusively for companies or clients outside Colombia and want a legal base of up to two years.

    Income floor
    Monthly income of at least 3 legal monthly minimum wages (SMLMV) proven month by month with bank statements; the 2026 minimum wage is COP 1,750,905, so the floor is COP 5,252,715 a month (roughly USD 1,375 to 1,400). Sources agree on the multiple; the rule is set in Resolución 5477 de 2022 and the peso figure moves every January.
    Duration
    Granted at the ministry's discretion for up to 2 years. Sources differ on renewal: several report it is not re-issued as a nomad visa after two years and holders switch category; no official text on renewal was verified. The visa lapses automatically if the holder is absent from Colombia for more than 180 continuous days.
    Cost
    Two fees paid online: a non-refundable study fee and an issuance fee on approval. Reported at about USD 52 to 56 for study and USD 170 to 232 for issuance; the eurozone tariff is quoted as EUR 44 and EUR 106. Figures vary between sources because the ministry re-set its tariffs in Resolución 3969 de 2026 and charges by region and currency. Spanish nationals are reported fee-exempt and Japanese and South Korean nationals pay the study fee only. The Cédula de Extranjería costs COP 294,000 (2026 Migración Colombia tariff).
    Processing
    The visa authority has up to 30 calendar days from payment of the study fee; the clock pauses when documents are requested. Applicants report 5 to 30 days for clean files and 45 to 60 days when extra documents or an interview are requested. The study fee must be paid within 10 calendar days of submission and the e-visa arrives within 10 days of paying the issuance fee.
    Eligibility
    Nationals of countries exempt from Colombian short-stay visas; must work remotely for foreign employers or clients or run a digital start-up of interest to Colombia; direct hiring by Colombian companies is not permitted; health insurance covering the whole stay is compulsory; the ministry may check criminal records online or ask for an apostilled certificate; in-country applications are accepted while the applicant's current stay is still legal.
    Work rights
    Remote work for foreign employers or clients only; Colombian companies may not hire the holder and local employment or local clients are not authorised.
    Dependants
    Spouse or permanent partner and children under 25 can be added as beneficiaries, each paying their own fees; beneficiaries cannot work.
    Leads to
    No. Time on a V visa does not accrue towards the R (resident) visa; residence time accrues only on M visas.
    Apply
    Online only, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa portal (tramitesmre.cancilleria.gov.co), from abroad or from inside Colombia; the e-visa is issued electronically and the Cédula de Extranjería is then collected at Migración Colombia.

    Documents Passport valid for at least 6 months with the entry stamp or current visa · Employment letter from the foreign employer or contracts from foreign clients, stating role, remote nature and pay, on letterhead · Bank statements for the last 3 months (some applicants report being asked for 6) showing at least 3 SMLMV a month · Health insurance policy expressly covering accident, illness, maternity, disability, hospitalisation, death and repatriation in Colombia for the full stay · Motivation letter and business description for digital entrepreneurs · Recent colour passport photo · Criminal record certificate, apostilled, if requested · Apostilles and sworn Spanish translations of any foreign document

    Official page →

  2. Freelance / self-employed

    Independent Worker Visa (Visa M Independiente)

    Visa de Migrante (Tipo M) – Trabajador independiente / Migrant visa, independent professional

    Freelancers and professionals who want to take Colombian clients or run a registered activity in Colombia, and who want their time to count towards residence.

    Income floor
    No fixed multiple was verified for 2026; applicants must show Colombian tax registration (RUT), contracts with Colombian clients and sustainable income, judged case by case by the ministry.
    Duration
    Up to 3 years, renewable while the activity continues.
    Cost
    Study fee about USD 52 to 55 plus an issuance fee reported at USD 230 to 270 for M visas; tariffs re-set by Resolución 3969 de 2026.
    Processing
    Statutory up to 30 calendar days from payment of the study fee; applicants report 3 to 6 weeks.
    Eligibility
    Professional qualification or proven trade, Colombian tax registration, contracts or proof of activity in Colombia, health insurance; the ministry may request criminal record and qualifications apostilled and translated.
    Work rights
    Self-employment in Colombia for local clients is permitted within the declared activity; local employment on a contract of employment needs a different M category.
    Dependants
    Spouse or permanent partner and dependent children may be added as beneficiaries.
    Leads to
    Yes. Five continuous years on M visas qualify for the R (resident) visa.
    Apply
    Online through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa portal, from abroad or in-country.

    Documents Passport and current legal stay in Colombia · RUT tax registration certificate · Contracts or service agreements with Colombian clients · Bank statements and income evidence · Apostilled professional qualification with Spanish translation · Health insurance policy

    Official page →

  3. Long stay

    Rentista Visa (Visa V Rentista)

    Visa de Visitante (Tipo V) – Rentista / Visitor visa for persons living on passive income

    People living on rental, dividend or other passive income who do not need to work and want a stay of up to two years without the nomad-visa employment paperwork.

    Income floor
    Passive income of at least 10 SMLMV a month, COP 17,509,050 in 2026 (about USD 4,585), proven for the preceding months.
    Duration
    Up to 2 years; reclassified from the M to the V category by Resolución 5477 de 2022, so it no longer accrues residence time.
    Cost
    Study fee about USD 52 to 55 plus V-visa issuance fee reported at about USD 170 to 232.
    Processing
    Statutory up to 30 calendar days; reported 5 to 30 days.
    Eligibility
    Documented passive income from outside Colombia at the required level, health insurance, no local employment.
    Work rights
    None; the visa is for persons living on passive income and does not authorise work in Colombia.
    Dependants
    Spouse or permanent partner and dependent children as beneficiaries.
    Leads to
    No; as a V visa it does not count towards the R visa.
    Apply
    Online through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa portal.

    Documents Passport · Proof of passive income (leases, dividend statements, bank statements) apostilled and translated · Health insurance policy · Criminal record certificate if requested

    Official page →

  4. Long stay

    Pensioner Visa (Visa M Pensionado)

    Visa de Migrante (Tipo M) – Pensionado / Migrant visa for pensioners

    Retirees with a state or private pension who want a three-year visa that counts towards residence.

    Income floor
    Pension of at least 3 SMLMV a month, COP 5,252,715 in 2026 (about USD 1,375), proven with an apostilled pension certificate.
    Duration
    Up to 3 years, renewable.
    Cost
    Study fee about USD 52 to 55 plus M-visa issuance fee reported at USD 230 to 270.
    Processing
    Statutory up to 30 calendar days; reported 3 to 4 weeks.
    Eligibility
    Apostilled and translated pension certificate, criminal record check, health insurance with repatriation cover.
    Work rights
    Not a work visa; remote work is not addressed in the published rule.
    Dependants
    Spouse or permanent partner and dependent children under 25 as beneficiaries.
    Leads to
    Yes. Five continuous years on M visas qualify for the R visa.
    Apply
    Online through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa portal.

    Documents Passport · Apostilled pension certificate with Spanish translation · Criminal record certificate · Health insurance policy covering the stay

    Official page →

  5. Investor

    Investor Visa (Visa M Inversionista)

    Visa de Migrante (Tipo M) – Inversionista / Migrant visa for investors

    Remote workers who buy property in Colombia, typically in Medellín or Bogotá, and want a residence-track visa without employment paperwork.

    Income floor
    Real-estate investment of at least 350 SMLMV, about COP 612.8 million in 2026 (roughly USD 160,000), or a company investment of at least 100 SMLMV (about COP 175 million); foreign-currency inflow must be registered with the Banco de la República (Formulario 4). A direct R visa is available for investments of 650 SMLMV or more.
    Duration
    3 years, renewable while the investment remains in the holder's name.
    Cost
    Study fee about USD 52 to 55 plus M-visa issuance fee reported at USD 230 to 270.
    Processing
    Statutory up to 30 calendar days; reported 4 to 6 weeks.
    Eligibility
    Investment registered with the central bank and held in the applicant's own name; notarised property deed or company documents.
    Work rights
    Managing the investment; other work rights are not specified in the published rule.
    Dependants
    Spouse or permanent partner and dependent children under 25 as beneficiaries.
    Leads to
    Yes. Five continuous years on M visas qualify for the R visa; 650 SMLMV or more qualifies directly for the R visa.
    Apply
    Online through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa portal.

    Documents Passport · Registered public deed of the property or company incorporation documents · Banco de la República foreign-investment registration (Formulario 4) · Proof of funds and bank statements · Health insurance policy

    Official page →

  6. Residence

    Resident Visa (Visa R)

    Visa de Residente (Tipo R) / Resident visa

    Long-term settlers who have accumulated the qualifying years on M visas or made a large investment.

    Income floor
    None as such; qualification is by time on M visas (5 continuous years, or 2 years for the spouse of a Colombian or the parent of a Colombian-born child) or by investment of at least 650 SMLMV.
    Duration
    5 years, renewable indefinitely; lost after more than 2 continuous years outside Colombia.
    Cost
    Study fee about USD 52 to 55 plus an R-visa issuance fee reported at about USD 400.
    Processing
    Statutory up to 30 calendar days; reported 4 to 6 weeks.
    Eligibility
    Continuous lawful stay on the qualifying M category with no gap, or the qualifying investment; criminal record and full documentation of the preceding visas.
    Work rights
    Unrestricted: local employment, self-employment and remote work.
    Dependants
    Spouse or permanent partner and dependent children as beneficiaries.
    Leads to
    Naturalisation is open after 5 years on the R visa (3 years for spouses of Colombians and, by treaty, for nationals of Latin American and Iberian states).
    Apply
    Online through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa portal.

    Documents Passport and all previous visas · Proof of continuous M-visa residence or of the qualifying investment · Criminal record certificate · Cédula de Extranjería

    Official page →

Without a visa, by passport

The stay you get on arrival, and whether working remotely on it is tolerated

  • EU / EEA / SwitzerlandVisa-free entry permit (PIP) of 90 days, extendable once by 90 days to a maximum of 180 days per calendar yearWorking remotely for foreign employers on the tourist permit is widely reported as tolerated and is the most common way EU nomads use Colombia; the permit rules do not expressly authorise it, and Colombian employment or local clients are forbidden.
  • United KingdomVisa-free, 90 days extendable to 180 per calendar yearRemote work for a UK employer or clients is reported as tolerated on the tourist permit; not expressly authorised in the published PIP rules.
  • United StatesVisa-free, 90 days extendable to 180 per calendar yearSame tolerated-but-unwritten position; the nomad visa exists precisely to regularise stays beyond 180 days.
  • CanadaVisa-free, 90 days extendable to 180 per calendar yearRemote work reported as tolerated; local work forbidden.
  • AustraliaVisa-free, 90 days extendable to 180 per calendar yearRemote work reported as tolerated; local work forbidden.
  • BrazilVisa-free, 90 days extendable to 180 per calendar yearRemote work reported as tolerated; local work forbidden.
  • IndiaVisa required, unless the traveller holds a Schengen or United States visa or residence permit valid for at least 180 days, in which case entry is visa-free for up to 90 daysOn a visa-exempt entry the same tolerated-but-unwritten position applies; nomad-visa applications require a visa-exempt nationality, so the fallback is a consular visa.
  • South AfricaSources conflict: several travel and legal sources list South Africa as visa-exempt for 90 days, others say a visa is required; the official exemption list could not be opened to settle itCheck the consulate's current list before travelling; remote work on any short stay is not expressly addressed.
  • JapanVisa-free, 90 days extendable to 180 per calendar yearJapanese nationals are reported to pay only the study fee on visa applications; remote work on the tourist permit reported as tolerated.
  • TurkeyVisa-free, 90 days extendable to 180 per calendar yearRemote work reported as tolerated; local work forbidden.
  • IsraelVisa required for short stays since 23 July 2025 (Resolución 8558 de 2025)Short-stay visa now required on reciprocity grounds; nomad-visa eligibility depends on the visa-exempt list, so Israeli applicants need to check the consulate.

Tax

When the country starts counting you as its taxpayer

Residency trigger
An individual is a Colombian tax resident after more than 183 calendar days of presence, continuous or not, counting entry and exit days, within any period of 365 consecutive calendar days, so the count can straddle two calendar years (Article 10 of the Estatuto Tributario). The additional tests (family resident in Colombia, 50 percent of income or assets in Colombia, tax-haven domicile, failure to prove foreign residence) apply to Colombian nationals only. Residents are taxed on worldwide income and must report foreign assets; non-residents are taxed only on Colombian-source income. Filing for tax year 2025 is triggered above gross income of COP 69,718,600 or net worth of COP 224,095,500, among other thresholds, and is due on a staggered calendar in 2026.
Special regime
None. Colombia has no flat-rate, exemption or newcomer regime for remote workers or nomad-visa holders; the digital-nomad visa carries no tax concession.
Social security
No published rule squarely addresses nomad-visa holders whose only income is foreign. Independent workers with Colombian income must contribute to health and pension through the PILA payroll platform; pension affiliation is voluntary for foreign employees already covered abroad; and the visa rules do not accept affiliation to a Colombian EPS as the required health insurance. Colombia has few bilateral social-security agreements, so certificates of coverage exist only with the handful of countries that have signed them.
Treaties
Double-taxation agreements in force with Spain, Chile, Switzerland, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, India, Portugal, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Italy and France, plus Andean Community Decision 578 with Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru; treaties with Japan and the United Arab Emirates are signed but reported as not yet in force. There is no treaty with the United States, Australia or Brazil, so a remote employee or contractor from those countries who crosses 183 days relies on unilateral foreign-tax credits. Treaty tie-breakers can keep a person resident elsewhere only where a treaty exists.

Practicalities

Foreigner ID card (Cédula de Extranjería)
Compulsory for any visa valid over 3 months; must be requested from Migración Colombia within 15 calendar days of arrival or of visa issue. 2026 fee COP 294,000. Missing the deadline is a minor migration infraction with a fine.
Health insurance
A policy valid in Colombia for the whole visa period, expressly covering accident, illness, maternity, disability, hospitalisation, death and repatriation. Ordinary travel insurance without maternity cover is a common refusal ground; affiliation to a Colombian EPS is not accepted as the visa policy.
Tax number (RUT / NIT)
Registration with the DIAN is needed to file a return, to invoice Colombian clients and for the M Independiente visa; residents file annually on a staggered calendar and also file the informational foreign-assets return.
Overstay and irregular stay
Sanctions under Resolución 2357 de 2020 scale with days overstayed; 2026 values reported at roughly COP 3.5 million for a bare infraction, COP 4.2 million for 1 to 30 days, COP 5.25 million for 31 to 60, COP 7.0 million for 61 to 90, COP 8.75 million for 91 to 120 and COP 10.5 million beyond 121 days, paid at Migración Colombia before departure or any visa application. Deportation with an entry ban of 6 months to 10 years is possible in serious or repeat cases.
Visa-free stay cap
90 days on entry, one extension of 90 days (Permiso Temporal de Permanencia) applied for online before the first permit expires, hard cap of 180 days per calendar year; the count resets on 1 January.
Losing the visa by absence
V and M visas are cancelled automatically after more than 180 continuous days outside Colombia; the R visa after 2 continuous years abroad.
Minimum wage reference
All income floors are multiples of the SMLMV, which is COP 1,750,905 for 2026 and is re-set every January, so peso thresholds rise annually.

Colombia: a two-year Visa V Nómada Digital on a COP 5.25 million a month floor, sitting on top of a generous 180-day visa-free year

Where remote workers base and which route they use

Medellín remains the default base, with Laureles and El Poblado the neighbourhoods most nomads name, followed by Bogotá's Chapinero and the Caribbean coast around Santa Marta and Cartagena. The practical split is between people who stay under 180 days a year on the visa-free permit and people who want a full year or more, who apply for the Visa V Nómada Digital.

The nomad visa is judged month by month against three minimum wages, COP 5,252,715 in 2026. Advisers stress that a single weak month sinks the file even when the average is comfortably above the line, and that income must come from outside Colombia. Anyone who wants Colombian clients, or wants the years to count towards residence, is pointed to the Visa M Independiente instead, which requires tax registration and local contracts.

Property buyers use the Visa M Inversionista at 350 minimum wages, about COP 613 million in 2026, and it is the only investment route nomads actually take. The rentista visa at ten minimum wages exists but, since its 2022 move to the visitor category, no longer builds towards residence.

What applicants report about the process

Applications are online only, through the ministry's visa portal, and can be lodged from inside Colombia while a tourist permit is still valid. The statutory decision period is 30 calendar days from payment of the study fee, and clean files are reported back in one to four weeks, but requests for extra documents stop the clock and push many cases to 45 to 60 days. The visa is issued electronically and the Cédula de Extranjería must then be requested within 15 days.

Refusals cluster around four things: insurance certificates that do not use the ministry's wording, especially on maternity and repatriation; employment letters without letterhead, company registration or a clear statement of remote work; months of income below the threshold; and missing apostilles or sworn Spanish translations. Applicants also note that the visa is single-entry by default and multiple-entry must be requested, and that fees vary by nationality and currency, with Spanish nationals exempt and Japanese and South Korean nationals paying the study fee only.

The 180-day rule cuts both ways. Absence from Colombia for more than six continuous months cancels the visa, and presence for more than 183 days in any rolling 365 makes the holder a Colombian tax resident on worldwide income, with no special regime to soften it. Advisers repeatedly warn that the nomad visa is an immigration status, not a tax status.

Money, tax and daily administration

Colombia has no digital-nomad tax concession. Residents pay progressive income tax on worldwide income and must file an informational return on foreign assets; filing for the 2025 tax year is triggered at gross income of COP 69,718,600, net worth of COP 224,095,500, or the same figure in card spending or bank movements, on a staggered calendar through 2026. Non-residents are taxed only on Colombian-source income.

Treaty cover matters for the half of nomads who stay past 183 days. Agreements are in force with the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Canada, Mexico, Chile, South Korea, India and the Andean Community; those with Japan and the United Arab Emirates are signed but not yet in force. There is no treaty with the United States, Australia or Brazil.

Social security is the least documented corner. Independent workers with Colombian income contribute to health and pension through the PILA platform, and foreign employees covered abroad may opt out of pension, but no published rule squarely addresses a nomad-visa holder whose income is entirely foreign. The visa rules are clear on one point: a Colombian EPS affiliation does not satisfy the insurance requirement, so a private policy is needed either way.

What is changing

The framework is still the July 2022 pair of resolutions, 5477 on visas and 5488 on exemptions, in force since October 2022. Amendments since have been at the edges: a visa reimposed on Israeli nationals in July 2025, fee schedules re-set in December 2023 and again in 2026, and annual peso uplifts to every minimum-wage-based threshold.

Two developments to watch. Advisers report the ministry applying its discretion more tightly to nomad-visa files since late 2025, with one private tracker putting refusals at about 42 percent for the year, a figure no official source confirms. Separately, the ministry has announced an October 2026 deadline for a mandatory transfer of visas held by foreign residents; the detail of that announcement could not be verified in this pass and holders of existing visas should check the ministry's notice directly.

Researched from cancilleria.gov.co · cancilleria.gov.co · suin-juriscol.gov.co · cancilleria.gov.co · cancilleria.gov.co · migracioncolombia.gov.co · migracioncolombia.gov.co · dian.gov.co · dian.gov.co · eltiempo.com · the authority