Colombia’s Digital Nomad Visa: How It Works and Renews
Colombia · Step by Step
Key Facts
- The visa. Colombia's Digital Nomad Visa (Type V) lets you live there for up to two years while working remotely for foreign employers or clients.
- The income test. You must show about three times the minimum wage — 5,252,715 pesos, or roughly US$1,435 a month — for each of the last three months.
- Foreign income only. It does not allow work for Colombian companies; all of your income must come from abroad.
- Apply online. The whole process runs through the Cancillería (Foreign Ministry) portal, from home or from inside Colombia.
- The cost. Government fees total about US$320 — a study fee plus an issuance fee — before the ID card.
If you work online and want a proper base in Medellín or Bogotá rather than endless visa runs, Colombia's digital nomad visa is one of the easiest in the region. Here is how the Type V visa works, what you must prove, and how to renew before it runs out.
What the visa is
The Visa de Nómada Digital, the Type V digital nomad visa, was created to draw remote workers to Colombia, and it has become one of the most accessible in the region. It lets you live in the country for up to two years while working remotely for companies or clients based outside Colombia, and it hands you what a tourist stamp cannot: full banking access and the ability to sign formal leases.
The one firm limit is that it does not authorise work for Colombian employers, because your income must be foreign-sourced. For a remote worker weighing Medellín or Bogotá as a base, it turns repeated visa runs into a settled, legal two-year chapter.
The income and document test
The headline requirement is income of at least three times the Colombian minimum wage, which in 2026 is 5,252,715 pesos a month, about US$1,435. You prove it with personal bank statements for the three months before you apply, and crucially each month must individually clear the threshold, because the figures are not averaged.
The consulate converts your income to pesos at the exchange rate on the day it opens your file, so a 10% to 15% buffer protects you from a currency dip pushing you under. Alongside the income proof you need a passport valid for six months, health insurance that explicitly covers Colombia, and a clean criminal record, with employer letters or client contracts to evidence the remote relationship.
How to apply
The whole process is online, through the Cancillería portal, and you can apply from abroad or from inside Colombia on a tourist stamp. You build a profile, upload your documents as PDFs under the size limits, and pay a study fee of about US$55, after which an officer reviews the file over roughly two to six weeks.
They may request aclaraciones, additional clarifications, so check your email daily during the wait. If approved, you pay an issuance fee of about US$265 and receive an electronic visa, with government costs landing near US$320 in total before the ID card.
Register, renew and the cédula
If your visa is valid for more than three months, you must register it with Migración Colombia within fifteen days of approval or of entering the country, which is how you receive your cédula de extranjería, the foreigner ID card that unlocks local banking and contracts. The Type V visa lasts up to two years and cannot be renewed indefinitely as a nomad visa; when it ends you either leave, reapply if eligible, or move to another category such as a Migrant visa if your situation has changed.
Keep your cédula current and your registration in order, because lapses complicate everything from bank accounts to your next visa.
The tax-residency trap
The mistake that catches nomads by year two is tax, not immigration. Spend more than 183 days in Colombia within any 365-day period and you become a Colombian tax resident, which means the country can tax your worldwide income, not just what you earn locally.
Many nomads arrive thinking foreign income is automatically untaxed and discover otherwise once they cross the line, so track your days deliberately and take advice before your second year. Becoming a resident can also change what you owe at home, and Colombia’s foreign-tax-credit rules and the absence of some treaties make the interaction worth planning rather than improvising.
Nomad visa versus the tourist stamp
It is worth being clear about why the visa beats simply living on tourist stamps. The tourist entry many nationalities receive lasts up to 90 days and can be extended to a maximum of 180 days in a calendar year, it offers only limited banking, and remote work on it sits in a legal grey zone.
The Digital Nomad visa, by contrast, gives two years of clear legal status, full banking, formal leases and the cédula, in exchange for proving your income once. For anyone planning to stay more than a few months and build a real base, the trade is usually worth it.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How long is Colombia's digital nomad visa valid?
Up to two years. When it ends you must change to another visa category rather than renew it indefinitely.
How much income do I need?
About three times the minimum wage — 5,252,715 pesos, or roughly US$1,435 a month — proven for each of the three months before you apply.
Can I work for a Colombian company on it?
No. The visa only covers remote work for employers or clients based outside Colombia.
Where do I apply?
Online through the Cancillería portal, either from abroad or from inside Colombia on a tourist stamp.
What does it cost?
Government fees total about US$320 — a study fee of around US$55 and an issuance fee of around US$265 — plus about US$80 for the Cédula de Extranjería.
This guide is general information, not legal, tax, immigration or financial advice. Colombian rules change often, so confirm current requirements with official sources — the DIAN, Migración Colombia, the Cancillería and the Banco de la República — and consult a qualified Colombian lawyer or contador before acting. Information is current as of June 2026.
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