Colombia Digital Nomad Visa | A Complete Guide

What is digital nomad visa?

“Digital nomads” represent a lifestyle trend that has gained prominence in the 21st century. With the advancement of information technology, an increasing number of professionals—such as IT workers, media personnel, language teachers, and freelancers—have broken free from traditional office settings. They now have the ability to work remotely from any location worldwide with internet access. This concept of remote work gained significant traction, especially before and during the pandemic.

Once liberated from office constraints, some remote workers choose to embrace a unique lifestyle: they carry their bags and travel to various destinations while continuing to work remotely. These individuals, known as “digital nomads,” experience a blend of exploring new cultures and working from different corners of the world.

To attract digital nomads and promote tourism and emerging industries, governments in at least 65 countries and regions worldwide have introduced specialized digital nomad visas. These visas typically have the following characteristics:

1. Applicants must be remote workers with stable monthly income and cannot be employed locally.

2. Digital nomad visas are essentially extended travel visas, often valid for one year and allowing residence for up to two to four years in the destination country without the option for permanent immigration.

However, in some Latin American and Southern European countries—such as Portugal, Spain, Uruguay, and Ecuador—digital nomads can eventually obtain local permanent residency or even naturalization after accumulating a certain length of stay.

For more information on digital nomad visa programs, explore the details in our “Global Digital Nomad Visas | An Incomplete Handbook” on this websites.

Colombia Digital Nomad Visa:

The Colombia Digital Nomad Visa (Visa V Nómadas digitales) program officially began in January 2023. It requires applicants to be remote workers, with a remote work income that is at least three times the local minimum monthly wage. In 2024, the specific economic requirement for this visa is that your monthly income must reach 3,901,818 Colombian pesos, which is approximately 966 USD.

This program is also one of the digital nomad visa programs with the lowest economic requirements globally. However, at present, it is only open to citizens of countries and regions that have visa-free entry to Colombia.

Additionally, the Colombia Digital Nomad Visa falls under the country’s type-V visitor visa. Originally, it only allowed holders to stay in Colombia for up to 180 days per year. However, in practice, most digital nomad visa holders can stay in Colombia for a full year without restrictions.

Application Process:

The Colombia Digital Nomad Visa can be applied for entirely online. To apply for this visa, you need to register an account online after preparing all the required documents, fill out the application form, upload the relevant documents, pay an application fee of 217,000 pesos (approximately 54 USD), and submit the visa application.

If you understand Spanish and have all the necessary documents, the entire visa application process takes only half an hour to an hour.

Required documents for this program include:

• Applicant identification documents: This includes passports with at least six months of validity for all primary and secondary applicants, along with photocopies; two passport-sized photos with a white background; proof of relationships such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, etc., for primary and secondary applicants.

• Application letter: If you are a freelancer or entrepreneur, you need to provide a letter explaining the purpose of your entry into Colombia, detailing your current business status, development goals, and what you hope to gain from being in Colombia.

• Proof of remote work: You need to provide evidence that you are employed or self-employed and can work remotely.

• This proof can be submitted in either Spanish or English.

• Proof of income: You need to provide a series of documents, including bank statements, to demonstrate that your monthly income over the past three months meets the requirements of the Colombia Digital Nomad Visa.

• Criminal record check: All adult primary and secondary applicants must provide a criminal record check issued by the law enforcement agency in their place of residence.

• Proof of health insurance purchase: You need to purchase valid and adequate health insurance in Colombia for each primary and secondary applicant for each year.

All documents from outside Colombia must be notarized, and any documents not in Spanish or English must be translated into Spanish or English.

The processing time for the Colombia Digital Nomad Visa can take up to about a month. The approval information will be communicated to the applicant via email. The visa fee ranges from 170 USD to 230 USD.

Dependents:

For the Colombia Digital Nomad Visa, the spouse or common-law partner of the primary applicant, as well as their minor children, can obtain the visa as secondary applicants.

However, if there are secondary applicants accompanying the primary applicant, the income requirement for the primary applicant will increase accordingly based on the number of secondary applicants.

Visa Validity:

The Colombia Digital Nomad Visa is valid for up to two years. If your visa is valid for less than two years, you can renew the digital nomad visa upon expiration.

This is a type-V visitor visa, which cannot be used to apply for permanent residency or citizenship in Colombia.

Useful Links:

Colombia Visa Online Platform: https://www.cancilleria.gov.co/tramites_servicios/visa

Colombia Digital Nomad Visa: https://www.cancilleria.gov.co/v/nomadadigital