What You Need to Know About the Colombia Digital Nomad Visa

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Launched in October 2022, Colombia’s digital nomad visa offers global remote workers a home destination to live and work from.

Colombia joins Argentina, Brazil, and Ecuador as a destination primed and ready to accept remote workers that satisfy the digital nomad criteria in South America. Applicants must provide proof of a minimum monthly income, health insurance in the country, and proof of remote work for successful submission.

The Colombian digital nomad visa also offers remote workers the unique opportunity of starting a remote digital technology company operating within the country's borders. It’s a rare opportunity and one that we’re yet to see in other nomad visas around the world.

From the application fees and minimum income requirements to the cost of living and quality of life—find out everything you need to know about the Colombia digital nomad visa in our guide to remote working in the country.

READ MORE: The Best Digital Nomad Neighborhoods in Medellin

What is the Colombia Digital Nomad Visa?

benefits of the colombia digital nomad visa

The Colombia digital nomad visa allows remote workers to live and work in Colombia for a maximum of two years. Created with remote workers in mind, the visa offers a solution for those looking to spend long periods of time visiting the country. The visa is, however, only open to those that meet the criteria set by immigration officials including a minimum monthly income, proof of health insurance, and payment of visa fees.

The Colombia remote working visa also grants the opportunity for remote workers to start a digital technology business that operates within Colombia. This is a unique feature and a rare opportunity that we haven’t seen offered by other countries adopting the digital nomad visa.

Why is the Colombia Digital Nomad Visa Better Than a Tourist Visa?

One of the main benefits of the Colombia digital nomad visa is the length of time that visitors are permitted to stay in the country. Typically, those on a tourist visa are offered a maximum stay duration of just 180 days when visiting Colombia. The digital nomad visa more than quadruples the maximum stay, lengthening it to a two-year period for remote workers to utilize.

The Colombian digital nomad visa also allows successful applicants to visit the South American country with their spouse and/or dependents under the same documentation. This removes the need for families to apply for separate visas when traveling to Colombia.

Colombia Digital Nomad Visa Requirements

The Colombian digital nomad visa is not open to everyone and the following short list of requirements must be satisfied by all applicants for a successful submission process:

Valid Passport: The applicant's passport must be valid for a minimum of six months at the time of visa application.
Remote Worker: All digital nomad visa applicants must be remote workers (employees, business owners, or freelancers) earning their income from outside of Colombia.
$900 USD Minimum Monthly Income: Applicants must prove a minimum income of at least $900 USD per month. This can be completed by providing bank statements.
Health Insurance: Applicants must show proof of health insurance with coverage in accidents, maternity, sickness, death, repatriation, and disabilities in Colombia.
Proof of Employment: Applicants must show proof of remote employment from their employer.

How to Apply

The Colombian digital nomad visa is relatively straightforward, but care should be taken in each step to avoid missing out on crucial documentation. Our step-by-step guide to applying for the Digital Nomad visa is designed to streamline the process for remote workers around the world.

Step 1: Collect all Necessary Documents

The first step when applying for any digital nomad visa is to collect all of the necessary documents required for application. All Applicants must gather the following documents:

Copy of Passport (Six Months Minimum Validity)
Passport Sized Photo (Full Color)
Bank Statements (Dated in the Last Three Months)
Proof of Health Insurance (With Coverage in Colombia)

If applicable, applicants may also be required to provide the following additional documents when submitting visa information:

Letter of Intent
Proof of Relationship to Dependents

All documents must be submitted in either English or Spanish.

Step 2: Submit Colombia Digital Nomad Visa Application

Once all documents have been collected, the application process can be initiated by digital nomads. The application form can be accessed online at the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ online portal. The digital nomad visa is treated much in the same way as a visitor visa—this is vital to note when selecting the visa that is being applied for.

The application process is relatively straightforward, but official instructions are also available online for remote workers to reference. An application fee of $52 USD must be paid at this time, details of which can also be found on the official site.

Step 3: Await Visa Approval

After the application has been processed, remote workers are then simply required to await the outcome of their visa application. The current processing time sits around the 30-day mark although application status updates can be found by completing the online form. If any additional documents or revisions are required, applicants will be notified and given a maximum of 10 days to comply before the application is denied.

Step 4: Pay Visa Fee

Once the visa application has been approved, the final step is to pay the visa fee required for all digital nomads. The fee is dependent on a number of factors (number of dependents, etc.) with a range between $170 and $230 USD. Once paid, the visa will be electronically delivered within a further 10 days.

Why Choose Colombia for Your Next Remote Working Trip?

Colombia really needs no introduction for the majority of digital nomads and ranks highly on the must-visit destination list for countless global travelers.

Taking a look at the numbers and Colombia ranks 77th out of a total of 167 different countries in the 2021 Legatum Prosperity Index. The annual independent study utilizes over 100 different indexes to evaluate the overall success of each country. In this regard, Colombia is ranked between Bosnia & Herzegovina and Ukraine in the study.

From the colorful cities of Medellín and Bogotá to the colonial town of Jardin and Tayrona National Natural Park, there’s so much to see and do in Colombia. A rich history, fantastic food, and incredible coffee should be enough for any traveler to note Colombia as a bucket-list destination.

Remote Work Culture in Colombia

Colombia has long been a top destination and great tech hub for remote workers looking to explore South America. The city of Medellín is the most popular nomad hotspot with neighborhoods including El Poblado, Laureles, Envigado, and Sabaneta offering great remote working infrastructure. A range of top coworking spaces, including Selena, WeWork, and Bloom Ecoworking, are great places to find like-minded nomads exploring the city.

The internet speeds are good for remote work in the country with a median fixed download speed of 86.66 Mbps and an upload speed of 30.68 Mbps. The mobile download speed has a median of 10.64 Mbps.

Cost of Living and Quality of Life in Colombia

It’s no secret that the low cost of living is one of the biggest pulls of digital nomads looking to live and work in Colombia. Current estimates show that the cost of living in Colombia is approximately 69.5% lower than in the United States with rental prices more than 85.6% lower than equivalent properties in the US.

The living expenses for an individual remote worker in the country are estimated at $330 USD per month (without rent) with the estimated expenses increasing to $1,140 USD per month (without rent) for a family of four.

However, this low cost of living is matched with a moderate-low quality of life in the country. A quality of life index score of just 101.4 out of a possible 240 is earned by Colombia with property prices, purchasing power, pollution, and commuting time proving the largest issues. The country does, however, perform well in healthcare, climate, and of course, cost of living.

Healthcare in Colombia

Again, using the 2021 Legatum Prosperity Index, Colombia is ranked highly for healthcare and sits in the 32nd position, between the United Kingdom (31) and Costa Rica (33) out of 167 different countries included in the study.

The country’s high ranking in healthcare comes from a range of factors, taking into account everything from risk factors and mortality rates to illness outcomes and health systems. The healthcare levels in the country have grown dramatically in the last 30-40 years with universal public health insurance known as Entidades Promotoras de Salud (EPS).

All digital nomads qualifying for the Colombian remote working visa must provide proof of valid health insurance covering accidents, maternity, sickness, death, repatriation, and disabilities in the country.

Our Take

Colombia has long been a fantastic hub for digital nomads and remote workers exploring South America. With a great infrastructure (and fast internet) for nomads in both Medellín and Bogotá, Colombian cities are proving more popular than ever thanks to the surge in companies permitting remote work. A maximum tourist visa stay of 180 days has limited travelers from long-term stays in the past, but the new two-year digital nomad visa may just prove to be the perfect solution for Spanish-speaking remote workers.

There are, of course, a handful of important requirements that must be met by all remote workers before applying for the nomad visa. A minimum income of $900 USD per month, health insurance with coverage in the country, and proof of remote work must be provided for a successful application. We’re expecting to see many more freelancers, business owners, and remote employees flock to the colorful cities of Colombia for that maximum two-year period!