Colombia

Colombia has a dedicated digital nomad visa for remote workers, and a set of Migrant (M) visas for people who want to settle: one for company founders and partners, one for property buyers and direct investors and one for retirees with a pension. All are governed by Resolution 5477 of 2022 and requested online.

Short stays

Nationals of visa-exempt countries get an entry permit of up to 90 days, which can be extended to no more than 180 days in a calendar year under Migración Colombia Resolution 2061 of 2020. Remote workers from those countries can work for foreign employers during that stay, as long as no Colombian company pays them (Article 46).

The digital nomad visa

The nomad visa suits remote workers and digital entrepreneurs who want up to 2 years in one go. It needs a passport from a visa-exempt country and income of three monthly minimum wages, which is COP 5,252,715 a month in 2026. It doesn't allow local work, a second visa is at Cancillería's discretion, and the time doesn't count toward residence.

The M visas

M visas last up to 3 years each and lead to the Resident (R) visa after five years, as long as each new visa is granted before the last one expires.

• Company owners: the M Socio o Propietario visa needs a stake of at least 100 minimum wages (COP 175,090,500 in 2026) and allows work in that company only.
• Property buyers and investors: the M Inversionista visa needs property worth 350 minimum wages (COP 612,816,750) or direct investment of more than 650 (COP 1,138,088,250).
• Retirees: the M Pensionado visa needs a lifelong pension of three minimum wages (COP 5,252,715 a month) and doesn't allow work.

Minimum wage figures

Every threshold is set in monthly minimum wages (SMMLV). The 2026 minimum wage is COP 1,750,905 a month, set by Decree 1469 of 2025, so all these amounts rise each Jan. 1.

Which route fits

• Remote worker on a scouting trip: the visa-free entry permit.
• Remote worker staying up to two years: the digital nomad visa.
• Nomad who wants to settle: an M visa, since nomad visa time doesn't count toward residence.
• Retiree with a pension: the M Pensionado visa.

Numbeo's crowd-sourced prices, updated September 2026, give these monthly budgets for one person: rent for a one-bedroom apartment plus other living costs.

• Bogotá: about COP 3.6 million outside the center to COP 4.6 million in it (about USD 1,130 to 1,440).
• Medellín: about COP 4.7 million to COP 6.0 million (about USD 1,470 to 1,870), per Numbeo's Medellín page.

Dollar amounts use the exchange rate of Sept. 24, 2026. Numbeo has rent figures but too few entries for a full budget in Cali, where a one-bedroom apartment averaged about COP 2.1 million a month in the center in August 2026, and Cartagena, at about COP 3.3 million in the center in September 2026.

Numbeo's figures are averages of what contributors report, so they're a guide rather than a quote. Furnished short-term rentals in popular neighborhoods usually cost more.

What the totals leave out

• Visa fees: $56 plus $138 for the nomad visa.
• Health insurance: required for the nomad and M visas, priced by age and cover.
• Coworking: a desk comes on top.

Medellín is one of Colombia's best-known nomad bases, with a wide choice of coworking spaces and a mild climate for most of the year. It suits nomads who want a large community and city amenities, at a higher rent than Bogotá in Numbeo's September 2026 prices.

Bogotá, the capital, sits high in the Andes and stays cool all year. It suits nomads who want a big city with museums, a business scene and direct flights, and it had the lower total budget of the two largest cities in Numbeo's data.

Cartagena is on the Caribbean coast, and its walled port is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It suits nomads who want sea and heat, and one-bedroom rents in the center were close to Medellín's in Numbeo's September 2026 figures.

Cali is a large city in the southwest known for salsa, with lower center rents than Bogotá, Medellín or Cartagena in Numbeo's figures. Santa Marta suits beach and mountain lovers on the Caribbean coast.

For a slower pace, Pereira, Manizales and Salento sit in the Coffee Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Fixed broadband is fast in the big cities. Speedtest's Global Index for August 2026 put Colombia's median fixed download speed at about 317 Mbps and its median mobile speed at about 97 Mbps.

Those are national medians. Speeds in a given apartment depend on the building and plan, and rural areas lag the cities, so it pays to test the connection before a long stay.

Coworking

Coworking spaces are plentiful in Medellín and Bogotá, with a smaller choice in Cartagena, Cali, Santa Marta and the coffee region. Day passes and monthly memberships are the usual formats, and prices vary by space and neighborhood.

No Colombian visa sets tax status; days in the country do. Under the Tax Statute, a person who spends more than 183 days, continuous or not, in Colombia within any 365-day period is tax resident, counting entry and exit days. When the period spans two tax years, residence applies in the second.

Residents are taxed on income from Colombian and foreign sources and on assets held in and outside Colombia (Article 9). Non-residents pay only on Colombian-source income.

What nomads should check

• The rolling window: the threshold is easy to cross on a nomad visa, and the 365-day window doesn't reset on Jan. 1.
• No nomad regime: Colombia has no special tax treatment for nomad visa holders or retirees.
• Filing and treaties: residents may have to file a return with the tax authority (DIAN), and a tax treaty with the home country can change the outcome, so it pays to get advice before the threshold.

Arrival

Nationals of visa-exempt countries get an entry permit of up to 90 days at the border. Nomad visa applicants can file from abroad or from inside Colombia, but have to keep a legal status while the application is under study.

Registration

Holders of visas valid more than three months register with Migración Colombia and get a cédula de extranjería, the foreigner ID card. Banks, landlords and phone companies often ask for it.

Money

The peso (COP) is the currency, and prices run into the millions for rent. Cards work in cities, while cash still matters in smaller towns and markets.

Phone and internet

Prepaid SIM and eSIM plans are sold at carrier shops and airports; expect to show a passport.

Health

The nomad and M visas require health insurance valid in Colombia, with cover for accident, illness, hospitalization and repatriation. Private clinics are concentrated in the big cities, and care is thinner in rural areas.

Safety

Security varies sharply by region and neighborhood. Home governments' travel advice lists areas to avoid and is worth checking before trips outside the main cities.