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Colombia Country Profile

Passport
For more details visit Colombia Passport Ranking
  • Passport Grade
    B
  • Passport Ranking
    70/198
  • Passport Score
    132.4/198
  • Visa-free Countries
    118
  • Visa-required Countries
    80
  • Access to the World's GDP
    38%
  • Access to the World's Surface Area
    43%
  • Access to the World's Population
    34%
  • Access to the Unesco Sites
    67%
Citizenship and Naturalization
Birthright citizenship (Jus Soli)
  • Birthright citizenship (Jus Soli)
    Restricted
    Restricted: A child born in Colombia will become a citizen at birth if at least one of the parents is a Colombian resident.
Naturalization - Standard Conditions
  • Minimum residency period
    typically, 10 years
    Must hold permanent residency for 5 years, which usually takes 5 years to obtain.
  • Physical presence requirement
    –
  • Language test
    Yes, Spanish
  • Need to renounce original citizenship?
    No
  • Can minor children naturalize?
    Yes
  • Can naturalized parents pass citizenship to a child born abroad?
    Yes
  • Can you lose naturalization due to prolonged absence/ naturalization elsewhere?
    No / No
Naturalization - Your Spouse is a Citizen
  • Living IN the country: Residency/marriage requirement
    2 years / 0 years
    May apply immediately after marriage, assuming you have resided there for 2 years.
  • Living ABROAD: Marriage requirement
    Not allowed
  • Language test
    Yes, Spanish
  • Need to renounce original citizenship?
    No
Naturalization - Other Beneficial Provisions
  • Your child is a citizen
    2 years
    May apply immediately after having a child with a Colombian citizen or giving birth in Colombia (jus soli), assuming you have resided there for 2 years.
  • Citizens of specific countries
    1 year
    1 year for citizens by birth from Latin American and Caribbean countries. (Additionally, the timeline may change based on reciprocity principle.)
"–": The provision has not been analysed.
Taxation
For more details visit Cost of Living
  • Taxation Type
    Residence-based
A tax resident of a country with a RESIDENCE-BASED tax system pays taxes on their WORLDWIDE income. However, if you lose tax residency status there (e.g., by moving out), the country will generally stop taxing you.
Schiff Sovereign's Take on Colombia
As longtime Sovereign Man readers will know, we are fans of Colombia. 

You can almost describe the country as a mini version of Brazil – diverse, friendly, exciting – but more business-friendly.

Decades of civil war with FARC (the communist rebel group) have finally come to an end, and that's very good news for the country.

All the money that was spent on a pointless war is now being pumped into very much needed infrastructure. (For decades, the Colombian government did not want to spend a penny on infrastructure, because they knew FARC would just blow it up.)

Colombia has also come a long way from being the world’s most dangerous country, when the drug lord Pablo Escobar was responsible for a huge part of the Colombian economy.

But safety can still be an issue. Most people find Colombia to be Dangerous (6/7), although we know expats who lived in Medellin (Escobar’s hometown) for years and have never encountered a problem.

The bad news is that Colombia is still a relatively difficult place to do business – although it’s better than Brazil. Mountains of regulations stand in your way, and the tax system is byzantine.

As a place to live, we think Colombia can be amazing (and we don't say that lightly). 

Colombia's cost of living is among the cheapest in the world, and various parts of the country offer varied lifestyle options. 

We personally don’t like Bogota, the country’s capital. The city is enormous, overwhelming, and home to relentless traffic jams.

The second-largest city, Medellín, however, is much more livable. It is known as the “city of eternal spring” thanks to its year-round pleasant weather (the city is situated close to the equator, and at high altitude). 

Several Sovereign Man’s friends live in Medellin and are happy there.

We even conducted a Sovereign Man Total Access event in Medellín back in 2016, and attendees were blown away by how nice, safe and developed the place was.

Cartagena and Santa Marta on the Caribbean coast could not be more different from Medellín. Both boast a very distinct Caribbean vibe, a more relaxed atmosphere and hot, humid weather. 

Colombia is also a great place for medical tourism, and for plastic surgery, in particular. Private healthcare in the country is also top-notch and very inexpensive. 
Schiff Sovereign's Rolodex
Service Providers available in Colombia
  • Immigration (residency, citizenship)
  • Tax advice (attorneys and/or accountants)
  • Corporate services (company formation, etc.)
  • Real Estate (agents, lawyers)
Obtain access to our Rolodex by signing up for Sovereign Confidential Join Sovereign Confidential Today

Sovereign Global Explorer

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Colombia Overview
  • Region
    North and South America
  • Capital City
    Bogotá
  • Largest City
    Bogotá
  • Currency
    Colombian peso
  • Languages
    Spanish
  • Population
    51 million (28th)
  • Life Expectancy
    74.9 years (129th)
  • GDP (Nominal)
    $342.9 billion (44th)
  • GDP/Capita
    $6,717 (107th)
Useful Data
For more details visit Cost of Living
  • Cost of Living
    Very cheap (2/7)
  • Climate
    Comfortable (2/5)
  • Safety
    Very Dangerous (6/7)
  • Pollution
    Average (3/5)
  • English Proficiency
    Low (4/5)

Sovereign Global Explorer

Benefiting from over a decade of our team’s boots-on-the-ground experience, Global Explorer is where your international journey begins.
Explore Now
Found a mistake /
Have a suggestion ?
Please let us know if you spot any inaccuracies on this page or have a suggestion on how to make it even more useful.
Report Here
PREMIUM REPORTS
Colombia inside Schiff Sovereign resources
Resource TitleProductTypeDate
No Tax, All Gain: Crypto Havens of 2024Sovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert23-Apr-2404/23/24
The Best Countries for Birth TourismSovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert06-Nov-2311/06/23
The Roundup of Common Residency Options in Latin AmericaSovereign ConfidentialSMCBlack Paper06-Sep-2309/06/23
Real Estate Investment Yields Residency in These South American CountriesSovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert06-Feb-2302/06/23
A Roundup of Naturalization Rules & Timelines in the AmericasSovereign ConfidentialSMCBlack Paper27-Jun-2206/27/22
Here Are 15 Factors to Consider Before Your International MoveSovereign ConfidentialSMCMonthly Letter15-Jun-2106/15/21
Medical tourism destinations in Latin AmericaSovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert05-Jan-2101/05/21
How to turn opportunities into freedom - from someone who has done itSovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert05-Aug-2008/05/20
Medical tourism: Discover high quality, less expensive healthcare options abroadSovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert05-Dec-1712/05/17
Sovereign Man Country Rankings: The Right Country for YOU, with Simon's insightsSovereign ConfidentialSMCBlack Paper06-Apr-1704/06/17
The unsettling lesson I just learned firsthand… and how you can protect yourselfSovereign ConfidentialSMCMonthly Letter15-Mar-1703/15/17
Colombia: Why this successful entrepreneur calls Medellín the best place to start a business todaySovereign ConfidentialSMCCase Study05-Dec-1612/05/16
Meet FATCA’s even nastier cousin: CRSSovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert26-Feb-1602/26/16
Medellin, Colombia: You need to know about this placeSovereign ConfidentialSMCMonthly Letter22-Oct-1510/22/15
Colombian residency visa: A fast, flexible, inexpensive option for a very exciting countrySovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert14-Oct-1510/14/15
How to obtain residency in the modern El Dorado - ColombiaSovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert06-May-1505/06/15
Why Chile, Colombia and Panama are great options for residency and for doing businessSovereign ConfidentialSMCMonthly Letter16-Apr-1504/16/15
Cartagena, Colombia: Another undervalued real estate market you should know aboutSovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert03-Jun-1406/03/14
Medellin, Colombia: A global entrepreneur hub in a thriving countrySovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert12-Mar-1403/12/14
Solutions to Agricultural ChallengesSovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert15-Jan-1301/15/13

Articles featuring Colombia

Second Residency

Overview: Colombian Residency By Property Investment Program (2023)

In last week’s episode, we featured a Latin American country – Ecuador – where buying property worth just around $45,000 can earn you a residency permit. (And we were very surprised by our readers’ enthusiastic responses!) So today, we feature another South American country with a cheap, property-based residency program: Colombia… Colombia: Another Latin American […]
Colombia's Digital Nomad Visa is launching soon
Second Residency

Colorful Colombia’s Digital Nomad Visa program is going live soon

Thinking about an immersive living experience in colorful Colombia? A new law, coming into effect on October 22, will create a new visa specifically for Digital Nomads. Let’s get into the details below… Being a digital nomad in Colombia is about to get a lot easier Bordered by Brazil, Peru, Ecuador and the Caribbean Sea, […]
Trends & News

The ‘other’ big news out of Colombia

Sometimes it strikes me as bizarre that in our modern, egalitarian society, we still award prizes to women who have the most artificially contrived beauty. Nevertheless, that is our reality. And so the big news from this week was the SNAFU at the Miss Universe pageant in which the host accidentally awarded the crown to […]

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