Visa
Digital nomad visa in Colombia
Colombia's remote-worker visa (visa V, nómada digital) is for people who work online for foreign companies or start a digital or IT business while living in Colombia. The test is income of about COP 5,300,000 a month (three 2026 minimum wages); to be safe, have more than COP 5,300,000 a month. It lasts up to two years.
- Official names
- Visa V Nómadas digitales (remote-worker visa), article 46 of Resolution 5477 of 2022; Visa de visitante (V), nómada digital
Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería de Colombia), Presidency of the Republic and Ministry of Labour (DAPRE publication). Checked 16 October 2026.
Who it’s for
- The visa is for remote work done from Colombia over the internet, exclusively for foreign companies, as a freelancer or an employee, or to start a digital-content or IT business of interest to Colombia.
- You need a passport from a country on Colombia's short-stay visa-exempt list; the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are all on it.
- It is not for you if you want to be paid by a company or person based in Colombia: the visa does not allow work or paid activity with any of them.
- It is also not the only way in for remote workers from exempt countries: you may enter without this visa on an entry permit of up to 90 days, extendable to 180 days in a calendar year, as long as the stay generates no payments from Colombian companies.
Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería de Colombia), Migración Colombia (official immigration authority). Checked 16 October 2026.
Money tests
- The income test is bank statements for the last three months showing at least three monthly legal minimum wages. At the 2026 wage of COP 1,750,905 that is about COP 5,300,000 a month; to be safe, have more than COP 5,300,000 a month.
- The wage is reset every year, so the test moves with it. A press report says nullity claims against the 2026 wage decree are still before the Council of State.
- If you plan to start a business instead, you also give a motivation letter that explains the project and the financial and human resources you have or expect to have; the list names no separate capital amount.
Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería de Colombia), Presidency of the Republic and Ministry of Labour (DAPRE publication). Checked 16 October 2026.
Documents
- You give a letter in Spanish or English from the foreign company or companies you work for, stating the type of link and the type of pay, plus your contract if you have one.
- If you own or co-own a foreign business, you show that instead of a contract, with a letter saying your work for it is done remotely.
- You need a health policy valid in Colombia against accident, illness, maternity, disability, hospitalisation, death or repatriation for the whole time you plan to stay.
- The general rules also ask for a passport valid for at least six months when you apply, a recent colour photo on a white background and a copy of the passport's main page.
- Documents issued abroad generally need an apostille or legalisation and an official Spanish translation, and supporting documents must be dated within three months of the application.
Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería de Colombia). Checked 16 October 2026.
Timing
- You apply online on the Cancillería's platform; allow at least 30 minutes, with a colour photo in JPG under 300 KB and PDF documents totalling under 5 MB.
- After you file, you have 10 calendar days to pay the study fee, or the application is treated as withdrawn.
- The Cancillería has up to 30 calendar days to decide once the file is complete and the study fee is paid, and longer if it consults other bodies.
- Once the visa is authorised you have 10 calendar days to pay the issue fee, or the application ends.
- If you apply from inside Colombia you must stay in regular status while the application is studied, for example on your entry permit. If you apply from a third country, you add proof of your regular stay there.
- A visa holder asks Migración Colombia for the foreigner identity card (cédula de extranjería), by appointment, within 15 calendar days of arriving or of the visa being issued; this comes from an older 2020 text, so confirm it.
Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería de Colombia), Migración Colombia. Checked 16 October 2026.
Fees
- The study fee is US$56 and is not refundable; the issue fee for a visitor-group (V) visa is US$138, so the total is US$194.
- These fees do not include stamp tax; we did not find its amount, so it is unknown.
- The foreigner identity card costs COP 294,000 under Migración Colombia's 2026 tariff.
Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Migración Colombia. Checked 16 October 2026.
How long it lasts and renewal
- The visa is granted for up to two years.
- Family members can be included: the visa allows applications for beneficiaries of the main holder.
- We found no official rule on renewing this visa or on a maximum total stay, so both are unknown.
Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería de Colombia). Checked 16 October 2026.
Path to permanent residence
- Time on the remote-worker visa does not count towards the resident (R) visa: the accumulated-time table lists only migrant (M) visas and the R beneficiary visa.
- A resident visa reached from another route lapses after two consecutive years outside Colombia and has to be transferred every five years.
- A migrant visa held continuously for at least three years counts as proof of residence with a view to permanence under the resolution; a visitor-group visa such as this one does not.
Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores. Checked 16 October 2026.
Tax
- You become a Colombian tax resident if you spend more than 183 days in Colombia in any period of 365 consecutive days, continuous or not, including arrival and departure days; if that covers more than one tax year, you count as resident from the second.
- Residents are taxed on income and gains from Colombia and abroad, and on assets inside and outside the country.
- Neither the visa rules nor the Tax Statute we read give a remote-worker visa holder a tax exemption or special regime, so the visa does not decide your tax status; your days do.
- For residents, income tax is progressive: 0% up to 1,090 tax value units, which is COP 57,087,660 at the 2026 UVT of COP 52,374, then 19%, 28%, 33%, 35% and 37%, reaching 39% above 31,000 UVT.
- Tax paid abroad on the same income can be credited against Colombian tax, up to the Colombian tax on that income.
Sources: Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales (DIAN), Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería de Colombia). Checked 16 October 2026.
Your passport
If you hold a US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand passport
What differs for each passport, from the same sources. A line that says there is no difference means the sources we read name none.
United States passport
- A US passport is on the exempt list that the visa requires, so US citizens can apply; the Cancillería's list has no extra line for US passport holders.
- The visa checklist has no police certificate, so the FBI check and its apostille are not part of this route.
- US citizens abroad generally file a US return on worldwide income. The 2026 foreign earned income exclusion goes up to $132,900, the physical presence test needs 330 full days abroad in 12 months, and you cannot take a foreign tax credit on income you exclude.
- Foreign accounts that together exceed $10,000 at any time in the year need an FBAR. The IRS treaty list does not include Colombia and the US is not among Colombia's 16 treaty partners, so no treaty tie-breaker applies.
- The Social Security Administration's list of agreements does not include Colombia.
Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería de Colombia), Internal Revenue Service, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), US Social Security Administration. Checked 16 October 2026.
Canada passport
- A Canadian passport is on the exempt list the visa requires. The Toronto consulate says it handles only the visitor visa itself; every other visa, including this one, is applied for online with the documents loaded on the platform.
- Canadians pay an entry control fee of COP 270,000 at the border unless they hold a valid Colombian visa, so a visa holder is exempt.
- The Canada-Colombia tax convention has been in force since 12 June 2012. For someone resident in both countries, article 4 decides in order: permanent home, closer personal and economic relations, habitual abode, nationality, then agreement between the tax authorities.
- The CRA treats a home, a spouse or partner, or dependants in Canada as significant ties; keeping them usually means you are still a factual resident of Canada, taxed on worldwide income.
- Canada's list of social security agreements does not include Colombia.
Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Consulado General de Colombia en Toronto (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores), Migración Colombia, Department of Finance Canada, Justice Laws Website (Government of Canada), Canada Revenue Agency, Government of Canada. Checked 15 October 2026.
Australia passport
- An Australian passport is on the exempt list the visa requires. The Canberra consulate lists passports, consular services and apostille, and sends visa requests to the Cancillería's central page; we found no Australia-specific checklist.
- A year in Colombia does not by itself end Australian tax residence: the tests include domicile and a 183-day test, and residents declare foreign income on their Australian return.
- The Australian Treasury list shows no income tax treaty with Colombia, and the Department of Social Services list of agreements does not include Colombia.
- No police certificate is on the visa checklist, so the AFP National Police Certificate and DFAT apostille are not part of this route.
Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Australian Taxation Office, Australian Treasury, Department of Social Services. Checked 16 October 2026.
New Zealand passport
- A New Zealand passport is on the exempt list the visa requires. The Auckland consulate sends visa questions to the Cancillería's central page; we found no New Zealand-specific requirement or fee.
- New Zealand makes you tax resident with a permanent place of abode or more than 183 days in 12 months, and you stop only with no permanent place of abode and more than 325 days away; residents report overseas income on an IR3 with the IR1261.
- The Inland Revenue treaty list shows no double tax agreement with Colombia, and Work and Income's list of eleven social security agreements does not include Colombia.
- No police certificate is on the visa checklist, so a Ministry of Justice Criminal Record Check is not part of this route.
Sources: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Inland Revenue (New Zealand), Work and Income (Ministry of Social Development, New Zealand). Checked 16 October 2026.
Other visas
Other visas in Colombia.
The country
More on Colombia.
Questions about Digital nomad visa in Colombia.
How much income does Colombia's remote-worker visa ask for?
Three monthly legal minimum wages, shown by bank statements for the last three months: about COP 5,252,715 a month at the 2026 wage. To be safe, have more than COP 5,300,000 a month. The wage is reset every year, so the figure moves.
Can I get Colombia's remote-worker visa with a US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand passport?
Yes, the passport test is met: the visa requires a passport from a country on Colombia's short-stay visa-exempt list, and all four are on it. You still need the income proof, a letter from your foreign employer or clients and a health policy valid in Colombia.
Does Colombia's remote-worker visa let me work for Colombian clients?
No. The visa allows remote work exclusively for foreign companies and does not allow work or paid activity with any company or person based in Colombia.
How long does Colombia's remote-worker visa last, and does it lead to residence?
It lasts up to two years. Time on it does not count towards the resident (R) visa, because the accumulated-time table lists only migrant visas. We found no official rule on renewal.
What does Colombia's remote-worker visa cost in government fees?
The study fee is US$56 (not refundable) and the issue fee is US$138, so US$194 in total. The fees do not include stamp tax, whose amount we did not find. The identity card is COP 294,000.
Does Colombia's remote-worker visa make me a Colombian tax resident?
No, the visa does not decide it; your days do. More than 183 days in any 365 consecutive days makes you a tax resident, taxed on income from everywhere. We found no tax exemption for visa holders.
Sources
Official sources we used.
Government and official pages only, each with the date we checked it.
- Visa types: remote worker (nómada digital), rentista, pensionado, worker, spouse, partner, investor and resident visas, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería de Colombia). Checked 16 October 2026. Read in Spanish on 16 October 2026.
- Resolution 5477 of 2022 (visas), compiled text with later amendments, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, compilation on the Cancillería website. Checked 16 October 2026. Read on 16 October 2026. Articles 11 to 13, 20, 21, 24 (general requirements), 46, 54, 56, 66, 67, 68, 70, 74, 77, 79, 81, 82, 87, 88, 90 and 93.
- Resolution 5488 of 2022 (visa exemptions), compiled text with later amendments: article 3, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, compilation on the Cancillería website. Checked 15 October 2026. The list of visa-exempt countries, as replaced by Resolution 12189 of 2026, includes the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand; a short stay is one of under 90 days that can extend to 180 days.
- US citizens and residents abroad: filing requirements, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Figuring the foreign earned income exclusion, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Foreign earned income exclusion: physical presence test, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Foreign tax credit, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR), Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Checked 15 October 2026.
- United States income tax treaties, A to Z, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026.
- US international Social Security agreements, Internet Archive copy, US Social Security Administration (Internet Archive copy of 10 October 2026). Checked 15 October 2026. Colombia is not among the agreements in force.
- General visa guide, Consulate General of Colombia in Toronto (PDF), Consulado General de Colombia en Toronto (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores). Checked 15 October 2026. File metadata dates it September 2023. Says the consulate itself handles only the visitor visa and that any other visa is applied for online with all documents loaded on the SITAC platform.
- Resolution 0599 of 2026 (Migración Colombia tariffs for 2026): article 1 and the exemptions in article 2, Migración Colombia, compilation on the Cancillería website. Checked 15 October 2026. Diario Oficial 53.402 of 18 February 2026. Sets the identity card (cédula de extranjería) at COP 294,000 and an extension of a temporary stay permit at COP 150,000; COP 270,000 for control and migration verification of Canadian citizens, with exemptions that include Canadians holding a valid Colombian visa.
- Entry into force of the Tax Convention between Canada and Colombia, Department of Finance Canada. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Canada-Colombia Tax Convention Act, 2010: Schedule 1 (the convention), articles 4 and 22, Justice Laws Website (Government of Canada). Checked 15 October 2026.
- Determining your residency status, Canada Revenue Agency. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Social security agreements, Government of Canada. Checked 15 October 2026. Date modified 9 October 2026. Colombia is not on the list.
- Consulado de Colombia en Canberra: services and procedures, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Consulate of Colombia in Canberra. Checked 15 October 2026. Lists passports, consular services and apostille and points visa requests to the Cancillería's central visa page.
- Australian resident for tax purposes (archived copy), Australian Taxation Office (Internet Archive copy). Checked 15 October 2026.
- Foreign and worldwide income (archived copy), Australian Taxation Office (Internet Archive copy). Checked 15 October 2026.
- Income tax treaties in force, Australian Treasury. Checked 15 October 2026.
- International social security agreements (archived copy), Australian Government, Department of Social Services (Internet Archive copy). Checked 15 October 2026. Internet Archive capture of 9 September 2026; Colombia is not listed.
- Consulate of Colombia in Auckland: services, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Consulado de Colombia en Auckland). Checked 15 October 2026. Lists passports, consular registration, apostille and visas, and sends visa questions to the Cancillería's central visa page.
- Tax residency status for individuals, Inland Revenue (New Zealand). Checked 15 October 2026.
- Overseas income, Inland Revenue (New Zealand). Checked 15 October 2026.
- Tax treaties: double tax agreements and tax information exchange agreements, Inland Revenue (New Zealand), Tax Policy. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Social security agreements and special arrangements with other countries, Work and Income (Ministry of Social Development, New Zealand). Checked 15 October 2026. Lists eleven countries; Colombia is not among them.
- Decree 0159 of 2026: monthly minimum wage for 2026, article 1, Presidency of the Republic and Ministry of Labour (DAPRE publication). Checked 15 October 2026. Sets COP 1,750,905 a month for 2026. Three wages are COP 5,252,715; ten are COP 17,509,050; 100 are COP 175,090,500; 350 are COP 612,816,750; 650 are COP 1,138,088,250.
- Migración Colombia's reply to a public enquiry about entry permits (PQRSDF 173752, 20 April 2026), Migración Colombia (official immigration authority). Checked 15 October 2026. An answer to one person, not a general rule: a 90-day entry permit, extendable by another 90 days without leaving, up to 180 days in a calendar year.
- Online visa application form (SITAC), Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Cancillería de Colombia). Checked 15 October 2026. Says to allow at least 30 minutes, to have a 3x4 cm colour photo in JPG under 300 KB and PDF documents totalling under 5 MB.
- Resolution 2061 of 2020 (entry permits, extensions and the foreigner identity card), articles 9 and 18, Migración Colombia, compilation on the Cancillería website. Checked 15 October 2026. Article 9: the identity card (cédula de extranjería) must be requested within 15 calendar days of entry or of the visa being issued, by appointment. An older text, so confirm with Migración Colombia.
- Resolution 3969 of 2026 (consular and Foreign Ministry fees), article 4: visa fees, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, compilation on the Cancillería website. Checked 15 October 2026. Diario Oficial 53.445 of 31 March 2026. Visitor (V): US$56 study plus US$138 issue; migrant (M): US$56 plus US$204; resident (R): US$56 plus US$183. The fees do not include stamp tax, whose amount we did not find.
- Tax Statute (Decreto 624 de 1989), DIAN compilation: articles 9, 10 and 254, Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales (DIAN), compilation of the Tax Statute. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Resolution 000238 of 2025: tax value unit (UVT) for 2026, Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales (DIAN). Checked 15 October 2026. 2026 UVT of COP 52,374.