In January 2025, a thread on the r/expats subreddit titled "What I wish I had known before moving to Colombia" collected 847 comments in 72 hours. The top-voted comment, by a user who had made the move from Vancouver two years earlier, contained a single sentence that was upvoted 1,200 times: "The Art. 11 insurance is not optional, it is not negotiable, and if you show up without it your visa application goes in the trash." The rest of the thread was a taxonomy of the things that surprised people — not the obvious stuff (language barrier, traffic, altitude in Bogotá) but the bureaucratic and financial specifics that nobody explained clearly before the move: which documents need apostilles and which need only notarized translations, the difference between a visa approval and a cédula de extranjería, why your bank account back home may suddenly restrict international transfers, how long it actually takes to open a Colombian bank account without a cédula, and what the 183-day tax rule means in practice for someone who has been here three months and is counting on staying. This guide is a master checklist — organized by timeline, from 90 days before arrival through the first year in Colombia — covering every substantive step that matters for a successful long-term relocation.
after visa approval
worldwide income rules apply
for ALL Visa M applications
Colombian income tax calculations
90 Days Before Arrival: The Pre-Move Checklist
- Decide on your visa category. The most common for long-term expats is Visa M (Migrante). Sub-categories include: trabajador independiente (independent worker/freelancer), compañero permanente (partner of a Colombian or legal resident), pensionado (retiree with 3× SMMLV pension = ≈ USD 1,050/month in 2026), rentista (passive income ≈ USD 750/month), and voluntario (volunteer). Each has different documentation requirements. Confirm which applies to your situation with Migración Colombia (visas.cancilleria.gov.co) before you start gathering documents.
- Get your Art. 11 plan. Every Visa M applicant must provide a medical assistance plan (Plan de Asistencia Médica, known as Art. 11 after the resolution article that mandates it). The plan must be issued by a Colombian-licensed insurer. Foreign insurance does not substitute. CoVisas can source this for you — it is the first step, not the last.
- Apostille your documents. Documents from your home country that will be used in Colombian immigration applications need a Hague Apostille (for countries that are signatories to the Hague Convention) or consular legalization (for non-signatories). Documents commonly requiring apostille: birth certificate, marriage certificate, criminal background check, university degrees (for work-related visas). The apostille is obtained from the designated authority in your home country — in the US this is the Secretary of State of the state where the document was issued.
- Prepare certified Spanish translations. All foreign-language documents submitted to Migración Colombia must have an official certified Spanish translation by a translator registered with the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is separate from and in addition to the apostille. Budget 3–5 weeks for apostilles and translations.
- Get a Colombian criminal background check waiver letter. For most visa categories, you must provide a certificate of no criminal record (antecedentes judiciales) from your home country, plus from any country where you lived for more than 6 months in the past 3 years — apostilled and translated.
At Arrival: The First 30 Days
- Submit your visa application online. All Visa M applications are submitted through visas.cancilleria.gov.co. You upload scanned documents, pay the application fee online (approximately USD 52 for Visa M), and wait. Processing time: 5–30 business days depending on the category and current volume.
- Get your cédula de extranjería within 30 days of visa approval. Once your visa is approved and stamped in your passport, you have 30 days to register with Migración Colombia and obtain your cédula de extranjería (foreign ID card). This is done at a Migración Colombia CAM (Centro de Atención al Migrante) office. Book an appointment online through the Migración Colombia portal — walk-ins are not accepted. Cost: COP 185,000 (≈ USD 48). The cédula is your primary ID in Colombia — you need it for banking, SIM cards, rental contracts, and most formal transactions.
- Open a Colombian bank account. The major banks that most readily open accounts for foreign nationals with a cédula: Bancolombia (bancolombia.com), Davivienda (davivienda.com), Banco de Bogotá. You need: cédula de extranjería, proof of income or financial means, initial deposit (typically COP 50,000–200,000). Digital banks (Nequi, Daviplata) can be opened with just a cédula and a Colombian phone number — useful as a bridge while waiting for the full account.
- Get a Colombian SIM card. Claro, Tigo, and Movistar all offer prepaid SIMs. You need your passport (or cédula once you have it). A SIM with 10GB data + calls runs COP 30,000–50,000/month. Register the SIM — unregistered SIMs can be blocked by the government.
Days 30–90: Settling In
- Obtain your RUT from the DIAN. The RUT (Registro Único Tributario) is your Colombian tax ID. Required for invoicing clients, signing long-term contracts, and tax filings. Register online at muisca.dian.gov.co with your cédula — the process is free. If you plan to invoice Colombian clients, you also need to set up factura electrónica (electronic invoicing) — mandatory for all independent workers.
- Find long-term housing. Furnished monthly rentals are easy to find on Airbnb, Booking.com, or Idealista for the first 1–3 months. For long-term unfurnished rentals, the standard Colombian lease (contrato de arrendamiento) requires: a Colombian codeudor (co-signer with Colombian property) or a fianza (deposit of 1–2 months), and proof of income (3× the monthly rent). As a foreigner without Colombian credit history, the codeudor requirement is the most common friction point. Some landlords accept a 3–6 month advance payment in lieu of a codeudor — negotiate directly.
- Register with your country's embassy. Most countries offer citizen registration services for nationals living abroad. This ensures you can be contacted in emergencies and facilitates consular services (passport renewal, civil records). Registration is typically free and done online through your embassy's website.
Day 183: The Tax Moment
On your 183rd day in Colombia, you become a Colombian tax resident. You must file a declaración de renta (income tax return) for all worldwide income for that calendar year — due in August–September of the following year. Register with the DIAN (if not already done), obtain or confirm your RUT, and engage a Colombian contador (accountant) familiar with foreign resident taxation. If your country has a bilateral tax treaty (CDI) with Colombia, apply the treaty credits to avoid double taxation. If your country does not (US, UK, Australia), consult a cross-border tax specialist urgently — you may have dual tax liability.
90 days before: Choose visa category → Get Art. 11 plan (CoVisas) → Apostille home-country documents → Get certified Spanish translations → Obtain criminal background checks.
At arrival: Submit visa application online (visas.cancilleria.gov.co) → Get cédula within 30 days of approval → Open bank account (Bancolombia, Davivienda) → Get Colombian SIM (Claro, Tigo, Movistar).
Days 30–90: Register RUT with DIAN → Set up electronic invoicing if needed → Find long-term housing → Register with home-country embassy.
Day 183: Colombian tax residency begins → Engage Colombian contador → File declaración de renta → Apply bilateral treaty credits.
Art. 11 renewal: Plans renew annually — CoVisas handles renewal and documentation for Migración Colombia.