Buying Property in Colombia as a Foreigner (2026): Rules, Banco de la República Registration and the Investment Visa

Yes. Article 100 of the Constitution says foreigners in Colombia enjoy the same civil rights as Colombians, although a law can restrict specific rights for reasons of public order.² Colombia's foreign-investment rules list "the acquisition of real estate, directly or through trust arrangements" as a form of foreign direct investment, which assumes foreigners can buy.¹

That covers US, Canadian, UK and other buyers alike. We found no rule that sets a different process by nationality.

We found no rule that requires one. Banco de la República's data fields for registering a foreign investment accept a passport (PB) as the investor's ID, next to the cédula de extranjería (CE), and a non-resident with no Colombian document gets a code from the bank's system.³

Buying a home doesn't give you a visa or extra days in Colombia. You stay on your current permit or visa until you apply for one. Visitors on a PIP still face the yearly limit in our 90/180-day rule guide.

Yes, if you're a non-resident for exchange purposes. Foreign investors "must register their investments" following Banco de la República's procedure, and the decree treats buying real estate as foreign direct investment.¹

For exchange purposes, a foreigner is a resident after more than 183 calendar days in Colombia, entry and exit days included, within any 365 consecutive days. Everyone else is a non-resident.¹ Residence is judged on the date of the investment.³ This is a separate test from tax residency; see our tax residency guide.

Registering costs nothing. Banco de la República lists "Costo: ninguno" for registering investments in its Sistema de Información Cambiaria.⁴

It depends on how the money arrives.

With foreign currency brought into Colombia. The dollars (or other currency) must go through the official exchange market: a bank or other exchange intermediary (intermediario del mercado cambiario, IMC), or a compensation account. You give the intermediary the exchange declaration (declaración de cambio) for an international investment, and that declaration counts as the registration. Its date is the day the currency is bought or sold.³¹ In the declaration, the destination for a home is "Inmuebles".³

Without foreign currency (any other lawful act or contract). You file a Declaración de Registro de Inversiones Internacionales yourself, online in Banco de la República's Sistema de Información Cambiaria, at any time and without supporting documents.³⁴ For real estate, the investment date is the date the deed (escritura pública) is recorded at the Oficina de Registro de Instrumentos Públicos, or the contract date if you don't own the property yet.⁵

Money for building on, or improving, a property already registered as foreign investment also goes through the exchange market with a declaración de cambio.³

You sign the declaration under oath, and Banco de la República doesn't review what you report beyond a statistical consistency check.³ Each month the bank sends the registrations of foreign investment in real estate to Colombia's financial intelligence unit (UIAF).³

If you carry cash into Colombia instead, DIAN's Form 530 rules for travelers apply; our banking guide covers them. We didn't re-read DIAN's page today.

Two reasons. First, the registration is what lets you send the money home later. Once the investment is made and registered, the investor may remit abroad, in freely convertible currency, the proceeds of selling the investment in Colombia, plus net profits.¹

Second, the investment visa asks for a letter from Banco de la República's Departamento de Cambios Internacionales showing that registration in your name.⁶

Changes of owner or destination and cancellations (for example, when you sell) are also registered. Since Decreto 1044 of Aug 5, 2026, the decree says the investor files these "at any time" (en cualquier momento).¹³

Yes, the Visa M Inversionista (migrant investor visa) covers a foreigner who has bought real estate in their own name and keeps it for as long as the visa lasts. Art. 79 asks for⁶:

1. A Certificado de Tradición y Libertad (title certificate) showing the property is exclusively in your name, worth at least 350 monthly minimum wages (SMMLV) on the date you apply.
2. A letter from Banco de la República's Departamento de Cambios Internacionales showing the foreign direct investment registered for buying property in your name.
3. Bank statements for the last 3 months showing you can support yourself in Colombia.
4. For a second or later visa, proof you kept the property for the whole previous visa.
5. Health coverage in Colombia, or a policy covering accident, illness, maternity, disability, hospitalization, death and repatriation for your stay. Our health insurance guide covers what the policy needs to show.

The other route in art. 79 is a registered foreign direct investment of more than 650 SMMLV (COP 1,138,088,250 in 2026) in a business. This page covers the property route.

Every visa also needs the online form, a photo and a passport valid for at least 6 more months. Supporting documents other than the passport must be dated within 3 months of the application, so order the title certificate close to the date you apply. Documents issued abroad need an apostille or legalization and an official Spanish translation.⁶ See our apostille guide.

At least 350 minimum wages in property. With the 2026 minimum wage at COP 1,750,905, that's COP 612,816,750, about US$192,500 at the official rate (TRM) of COP 3,182.99 per dollar for Oct 31 to Nov 3, 2026. The test uses the minimum wage on the date you apply, so the amount rises when the minimum wage changes on Jan 1.⁶⁷⁸

Art. 79 measures the property's value through the title certificate and the Banco de la República registration. It doesn't say which value (purchase price, cadastral value or appraisal) is used. See "What we couldn't confirm".

US$56 (EUR 44) to apply and US$279 (EUR 191) if approved, per Cancillería's "Migrante - Inversionista" fee page posted June 10, 2026 (shown as 10/06/2026). Spanish nationals pay neither fee, and Japanese and Korean nationals pay only the study fee, per Cancillería's fees page. Check the amount shown when you pay.⁹¹⁰

You pay the study fee within 10 calendar days of submitting and the visa fee within 10 calendar days of approval. Cancillería has up to 30 calendar days to decide once the file is complete and paid.⁶ Our visa processing time guide covers what happens in practice.

The visa lasts up to 3 years. Spending more than 180 continuous days outside Colombia in any 365 days counted from issue ends it automatically.⁶

With a visa of more than 3 months, you then register with Migración Colombia for a cédula de extranjería.¹¹ Our cédula guide walks through it.

Yes. After 5 years as an M Inversionista holder you can apply for the Visa R (residente permanente) por tiempo acumulado.⁶ There is no longer a separate resident investor visa: art. 80 of the resolution was repealed by Res. 10434 of 2023.⁶

The R visa gives an open work permit to everyone except pensioners, must be renewed (traspaso) every 5 years, and ends after 2 consecutive years outside Colombia.⁶

Yes. The M Inversionista allows beneficiaries: your spouse or permanent partner, and children under 25 who depend on you financially (or older, with a qualifying disability).⁶ If your partner is Colombian, our spouse and partner visa guide covers a different route.

You have to tell Cancillería straight away. Holders must report any change in the investment that the visa was granted on, so Cancillería can review whether the visa stays valid.⁶ Art. 79 covers investors who keep the property for the life of the visa, and a renewal needs proof you kept it.

The sale is also registered with Banco de la República as a cancellation of the investment.⁵

The rules on this page are national: the Constitution, the foreign-investment decree, Banco de la República's circular and Cancillería's visa resolution apply in every city. The deed is recorded at the Oficina de Registro de Instrumentos Públicos where the property is. Prices, neighborhoods and estratos differ by city; see our Medellín neighborhoods guide.

• Constitución Política de Colombia 1991, art. 100 (foreigners' civil rights), Cancillería normograma: https://cancilleria.gov.co/normograma/compilacion/docs/constitucion_politica_1991.htm
• Decreto 1068 de 2015, DIAN normograma (art. 2.17.1.2 residence for exchange purposes, as modified by Decreto 119/2017; art. 2.17.2.2.1.2 real estate is foreign direct investment; art. 2.17.2.2.3.1 exchange rights after registration; art. 2.17.2.5.1.1 registration procedure, as modified by Decreto 1044 of Aug 5, 2026): https://normograma.dian.gov.co/dian/compilacion/docs/decreto_1068_2015.htm
• Banco de la República, Circular Reglamentaria Externa DCIP-83, Chapter 7 compendium (circular of Sept 12, 2023, as modified through Boletín No. 22 of Aug 25, 2026; PDF file dated Aug 26, 2026; numerals 7.1, 7.1.1, 7.1.3, 7.1.5 f, 7.2.1.1, 7.2.1.2, 7.2.1.4 as modified by Boletín No. 22 of Aug 25, 2026, 7.7): https://www.banrep.gov.co/sites/default/files/reglamentacion/archivos/dcip-83-compendio-capitulo7.pdf
• Banco de la República, DCIP-83 Anexo 4 (investment dates; real estate = date the deed is recorded): https://www.banrep.gov.co/sites/default/files/reglamentacion/archivos/dcip-83-compendio-anexo4.pdf
• Banco de la República, Consulta de servicios y trámites ante el Departamento de Cambios Internacionales y Pagos (last modified Oct 25, 2024; registration cost "ninguno"): https://www.banrep.gov.co/es/regulacion-operaciones-cambiarias/consulta-tramites-ante-cambios-internacionales
• Cancillería, Resolución 5477 of Jul 22, 2022, consolidated text (arts. 11, 12, 13, 20, 21, 24, 65, 79, 80 repealed by Res. 10434/2023, 84, 86, 87, 88, 90 as modified by Res. 10434/2023, 93): https://cancilleria.gov.co/normograma/compilacion/docs/resolucion_minrelaciones_5477_2022.htm
• Cancillería, fee page "Migrante - Inversionista" (posted Jun 10, 2026, shown 10/06/2026; USD 56 study, USD 279 visa; EUR 44 / EUR 191): https://cancilleria.gov.co/node/32894
• Cancillería, visa costs page (nationality exceptions): https://cancilleria.gov.co/atencion-y-servicio-al-ciudadano/tramites-y-servicios/visa/costos
• Decreto 1469 de 2025 (2026 minimum wage COP 1,750,905), Cancillería normograma: https://cancilleria.gov.co/normograma/compilacion/docs/decreto_1469_2025.htm
• Migración Colombia, Resolución 2061 de 2020, art. 8 (cédula for visas over 3 months), Cancillería normograma: https://cancilleria.gov.co/normograma/compilacion/docs/resolucion_uaemc_2061_2020.htm
• TRM COP 3,182.99 per US$ valid Oct 31 to Nov 3, 2026 (Superintendencia Financiera dataset on datos.gov.co): https://www.datos.gov.co/resource/32sa-8pi3.json