Working Remotely from Colombia: Visa, Income, Taxes, and Pitfalls to Know

Are you thinking of settling in Medellín, Bogotá, or elsewhere in Colombia to work with clients or an employer abroad? This guide helps you choose between a tourist stay and a visa, calculate the income you must prove, prepare your application, and spot the point where you become a tax resident. It also lists common application mistakes and scams to avoid, plus the points that sources don't yet document and that you will need to verify yourself.

Tourist Stay or Visa: What You Are Allowed to Do

If you are a citizen of a visa-exempt country, you get a stay permit of up to 90 days on arrival, extendable to a maximum of 180 days per calendar year^[1].

For remote work during this stay, the sources disagree. According to goresident.com, no form of paid work is permitted under a tourist entry, including remote work for a foreign employer^[2].

Stamped Nomad, by contrast, states that you can work for a foreign employer during this stay as long as no Colombian company pays you, citing article 46 of Migración Colombia's Resolution 2061 of 2020^[1]. Before relying on either reading, check the text of this resolution with Migración Colombia.

For a legal remote-work stay beyond this period, the official route is the V Digital Nomad visa^[3]. It is valid for up to two years^[4] and, like other Colombian visas, falls under Resolution 5477 of 2022^[1].

This visa is aimed at people who work for employers or clients based outside Colombia, or who run a digital or IT business; it explicitly excludes work for Colombian entities^[5]. It does, however, allow you to obtain a cédula de extranjería, open a bank account, and sign a lease^[2].

The Digital Nomad Visa: Requirements and Minimum Income

The visa is open to remote workers and digital entrepreneurs holding a passport from a visa-exempt country^[1].

The Income You Must Prove

You must prove a recurring monthly income of at least three times the legal minimum wage (SMMLV)^[4]. With the SMMLV set at COP 1,750,905 by Decree 0159 of February 2026, the minimum comes to COP 5,252,715 per month, or about $1,424^[4]. The proof: your bank statements for the last three months^[5].

The SMMLV is adjusted every year by decree, so check the amount in force when you apply^[4].

The Other Documents

• Comprehensive health insurance covering the entire stay, including repatriation^[5].
• Proof of the remote working relationship: a letter from the company, freelance contracts, or platform income statements^[5].
• For freelancers, a motivation letter describing their activity^[2].
• An apostilled criminal record certificate, a requirement tightened since 2025 according to expatrié.fr^[6].

Application Steps, Fees, and Timelines

The application is made entirely online through the Cancillería's official platform^[3]. You can file from abroad or from within Colombia; if you are already in the country, you must keep a legal status throughout the processing period^[1]. Remote work during a tourist stay remains debated, as noted above^[2][1].

• Step 1: Pay the study fees and submit the file. The Cancillería then has up to 30 calendar days to issue its decision^[4].
• Step 2: If approved, issuing the electronic visa can take up to 10 additional business days^[4].
• While your file is under review, watch your email: the ministry may ask for clarifications, which pauses the timeline^[4].

Fees are paid in two stages: processing fees first, then issuance fees if the application is approved^[3]. Only the schedule published on the Cancillería's portal is authoritative, so check it for the exact amounts.

Documents issued by a foreign employer must be translated into Spanish by a certified official translator to be accepted by Colombian immigration authorities^[3].

Once you are in Colombia, if your visa covers more than three months, you must register it with Migración Colombia and obtain a cédula de extranjería within 15 days of your entry, or within 15 days of approval if you are already in the country^[4]. This card is needed, among other things, to sign a long-term lease or to subscribe to a residential internet plan^[4].

Taxes: The 183-Day Threshold

Under the Colombian Tax Statute, a person who spends more than 183 days in Colombia, consecutive or not, within any 365-day period becomes a tax resident, with entry and exit days included^[1]. When the period spans two tax years, residence applies to the second one^[1].

A resident is taxed on income from Colombian and foreign sources, as well as on assets held in Colombia and abroad^[1]. A non-resident is taxed only on income from Colombian sources^[1].

No visa determines your tax status: what counts is the number of days you spend in the country^[1]. Once you pass the threshold, your worldwide income must be declared to the Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales (DIAN), the national tax authority^[3].

This threshold can also affect your tax status in your home country^[3]. Keeping a home or family in France may be enough to remain a resident there, even beyond 183 days elsewhere^[6]. These rules do not replace personalized advice: before a long stay, review your situation with an international tax advisor or a Colombian accountant.

Scams, Traps, and Points of Caution

• Colombian clients: the digital nomad visa prohibits any local employment and any payment from a Colombian company or individual. If you take on Colombian clients, you must switch to another visa category^[4]; check the process with the Cancillería before making any decision.
• Bank statements: each of the three months must meet the threshold on its own; the ministry does not average out irregular freelance income^[5]. A slow month can jeopardize your application.
• Outdated amount: the threshold follows the minimum wage, which is revised annually by decree^[4]. Calculating with the figure from a previous year may leave your application short.
• Fees: reconfirm them directly on the portal before paying anything, as they are adjusted periodically^[5].
• Stay expiring during processing: if you apply from within Colombia, your authorization to stay must be valid at the time you file; it is advisable to submit your application well before your tourist permit expires to avoid any irregular stay^[3].
• No residency at the end of the visa: the V visa is a visitor category; time spent on it generally does not count toward residency, and the count starts over if you later switch to a category leading to residency^[5]. Only Migrant (M) visas count toward a residency visa^[1]. A second digital nomad visa is at the discretion of the Cancillería^[1].
• Tax residency without realizing it: spending more than 183 days out of 365 makes you a tax resident, regardless of your visa^[5]. Count your days, entry and exit days included.
• Job offers that sound too good to be true: be wary of work-from-home offers requiring two hours a day for monthly earnings of around $2,000^[7].
• Requests for money: be suspicious of any payment request presented as necessary for a recruitment process, a visa, a medical exam, an apostille, document legalization, or official translations^[7]. A legitimate offer does not ask the candidate to pay anything upfront^[7].
• Reporting fraud: the Colombian Ministry of Labor receives reports at 489-3900, option 2; at 018000-513100 outside Bogotá; or at 120 from a mobile phone^[7].

Connectivity and Daily Life: What Is Documented

L'expatrié.fr rates connectivity in Colombia 7 out of 10, and eSIMs work there, so you don't have to hunt for a local SIM card on arrival^[6].

English remains limited outside hotels, tourist areas, and certain international jobs: Spanish is essential for daily life^[6]. It is, however, common in coworking spaces and digital nomad communities, especially in Medellín and Bogotá^[2].

As for working hours, expat.com notes that the European time zone is close in the morning^[3], without detailing the overlap windows. For budget, the only sourced benchmark is a rough indicator: living there would cost 42% of what it costs in Paris^[6].

Before You Leave: What You Still Need to Check

• On the Cancillería visa portal: the exact conditions of the V Nómadas Digitales visa, the study and issuance fee amounts, and the income threshold currently in force.
• With Migración Colombia: what the tourist permit exactly allows in terms of remote work for a foreign employer.
• Your last three bank statements: each month, individually, at or above the monthly threshold (three times the SMMLV in force).
• Your presence calendar: the number of days planned in Colombia out of 365, and the opinion of a tax advisor on your situation in your country of origin.
• If you want to stay long-term: the M visa category that fits your profile.
• Housing and budget: compare several listings and recent local sources.
• Banking: apart from the possibility of opening an account with the visa, withdrawal fees, transfers, and account opening conditions still need to be checked with the banks.
• Time difference: calculate your own shared working hours with your clients in Europe or the United States.
• Safety: consult your Ministry of Foreign Affairs' official advice for each city before choosing where to settle.