Colombia: migrant investor visa through real estate or direct investment

Colombia's visa system is set out in Resolution 5477 of 2022 of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Cancillería), which groups visas into Visitor (V), Migrant (M) and Resident (R) types. Investors now enter through the M Inversionista visa: either a real estate purchase of at least 350 legal monthly minimum wages (SMMLV) registered in the applicant's sole name, or a foreign direct investment of more than 650 SMMLV, in each case registered with the Banco de la República's foreign exchange system. Amounts are calculated on the minimum wage in force on the filing date; with the 2026 wage of COP 1,750,905, the thresholds are roughly COP 613 million and COP 1.14 billion. The old Resident investor visa, which could be obtained directly, was folded into the M category, so there is no longer a direct route to an R visa by investing. A separate M visa for partners or owners of a Colombian company applies from 100 SMMLV of capital.

The M investor visa is granted for up to three years and renewed while the investment is kept; each renewal requires proof that the investment or property was held throughout the previous visa. Holders must register for a foreigner's identity card (cédula de extranjería) shortly after the visa is issued and must keep health insurance with nationwide coverage for the duration of the stay. There is no minimum number of days to spend in Colombia, but the visa lapses if the holder is outside the country for more than 180 continuous days. Pensioners have a parallel M visa requiring a lifetime pension of at least three SMMLV a month, and high-income individuals living on passive income can use the V Rentista visa, which does not lead to residence.

Tax residence follows physical presence: an individual who spends more than 183 days, continuous or not, in Colombia within any 365-day period becomes tax resident and is taxed on worldwide income, with an annual wealth tax applying to net worth above a statutory threshold. Colombia has no special regime for newly arrived foreigners, so planning should take place before the 183-day mark is reached, with attention to how foreign companies, trusts and investment portfolios will be treated. Rental income and gains from the qualifying property are taxable in Colombia whether or not the holder is resident.

Family members join through beneficiary visas: a spouse or permanent partner, children under 25 who depend economically on the principal, and older children with a certified disability. Beneficiary visas cannot outlast the principal's visa and do not authorise work. After five continuous years as an M investor visa holder, the investor may apply for an R visa for accumulated time, which is indefinite but lapses after two consecutive years abroad. Under Law 2332 of 2023, nationality by adoption can be requested after five continuous years counted from the issue of the R visa, reduced to two years for spouses and permanent partners of Colombians, parents of Colombian children and in cases of reciprocity; an absence of a year or more interrupts the period. Applicants must pass a test on Spanish, Colombian history, geography and the Constitution, and Colombia does not require naturalised citizens to give up their existing nationality.