Moving abroad: how do you do it? In this article I will tell you step by step what you need to arrange in order to emigrate to Colombia. You can also use this information if you are going to live in Colombia temporarily. Many things are specific to Colombia, and other steps apply to any country you move to. Read on and make emigrating to Colombia a little easier.
Table of contents
Step 1: Living temporarily or emigrating to Colombia: how to get a visa
In many cases, you will not be able to just go live in the country of preference, but will need (as in your home country) a residence permit or something similar. Therefore, if you are going to emigrate to Colombia or want to live or study there temporarily, you also need a visa.
In Colombia, there are many options for a visa. For example, for only temporary work, travel, or for a deployment. These visas are quite difficult to get, and in almost all cases you need a company in Colombia to vouch for you, a Colombian partner, or you must study in Colombia, for example. So just applying for a visa doesn’t work.
Since October 2022, there is also visa specifically for digital nomads.
Before you can move to Colombia, you need to think carefully about how you are going to get that visa. The easiest visa to get is a partner visa. This allows you to live and work in Colombia immediately. This visa is obviously only suitable for people who have a partner in Colombia. You can also get a visa through an employer in Colombia, in which case your employer must be willing to help you with your visa. And have you been living in Colombia for more than 5 years? Then you can apply for a resident visa under certain conditions.
⇒ Various visas Colombia
As of October 2022, there are significant changes in terms and types of visas. These are the different visas:
- Visitante. You get this visa when you visit Colombia without wanting to live there permanently. For example, students, journalists, athletes and others. The visa is valid for 1 year and can be extended to 2 years.
- Residente. You get this visa if you want to stay in Colombia permanently. If you are going to apply for a visa for the first time as, for example, the partner of a Colombian, ‘residente’ does not yet apply. For that, you must first have lived in Colombia for 2 years with a migrant visa. As a parent of Colombian children, you do get a resident visa immediately. This visa is valid for 5 years. I have personally obtained this visa for the second time now.
- Migrante. For foreigners who intend to reside permanently in Colombia, but do not (yet) meet the requirements for a resident visa.
As of October 2022, there are other visa options, such as a visa for digital nomads. In addition, there are many changes to the existing visas AND the requirements have become more strict. Read all about the changes regarding visas in Colombia as of October 2022 here (Spanish).
⇒ Applying for your visa to Colombia
I now have my third visa in, and thus my second resident visa. A number of things have obviously changed:
- Before the pandemic, you would receive word 5 days after applying for your visa whether or not it had been approved. Now, after the crisis, applying for a visa takes about a month. I had my visa after 3 weeks, but with the help of a lawyer who worked very hard on this. If documents are missing, it can take even longer than a month. So start the application on time.
- The requirements have become stricter. This means you have to submit more documents, depending on the type of visa you are applying for.
- All documents from outside Colombia, such as your diplomas and the extract from your birth register, must be translated, have an apostille and must not be older than 3 months.
Apply for your visa here (this must always be done online). I did not apply for my second resident visa myself, but hired a lawyer for this. This was due to my changed situation and the stricter requirements. It didn’t go completely smoothly, so I’m glad I did this.
Step 2: Obtaining your Colombian ID card(cédula)
In Colombia, after getting your visa, you must also apply for an ID card (called a cédula here). Without a cédula, you can literally do nothing in Colombia.
A cédula is necessary for everything: entering the gym, making large purchases, saving points at the supermarket, finding a job, etc. You need a cédula de extranjería and you must apply for it within 15 days of the issuance of your visa.
First make copies of your passport and visa, have passport photos taken and go to a clinic to have blood drawn (if you don’t know your blood type). Your blood type will be printed on the cédula.
Once you have all the documents, go to this website and fill out the form. Applying for a cédula can therefore ONLY be done online. Once you have filled out the form, you must submit the necessary documents at the Migración Colombia office. You also pay there immediately. Then you wait about 5 days and you can pick up your cédula at that same office.
Step 3: Once you have your visa and cédula you can live in Colombia and you can begin to arrange all other matters
Now that you can live in Colombia, the most important things are behind you, but there are still a lot of arrangements to be made. It’s best to think of it this way: everything you once had in your home country, you now have to get in your new country. So pretty much everything.
⇒ Looking for housing in Colombia
The next step is to arrange for housing. In my case, this was easy: I moved in with my ex-husband who already had a home. So I don’t know the ins and outs of what it’s like as a foreigner to buy a house in Colombia, but it doesn’t seem to be very easy.
Renting is also an option, of course; I know the ins and outs of that by now. In the case of Bogotá, it is especially important to consider where you want to live. The location here is really more important than the house itself. After all, a beautiful house in a neighborhood where you can barely walk the streets is of no use to you. So research that well.
After 3 years in Bogotá, I moved to Sopó, to move back to Bogotá again in early 2022. In the 8 years I have lived here I have moved about 6 times.
In Colombia, there is by no means a housing shortage. Especially in big cities, it is easy to find an apartment. When renting, pay attention to these things:
- It is difficult to rent an apartment in Colombia for only 6 months; most landlords do not want a contract of less than a year. You can sometimes negotiate this, but very often you cannot.
- Renting in Colombia can sometimes be a bit foreigner-unfriendly as they ask for something called a codeudor. That means another person has to act as a kind of guarantor for you and must actually show credit information for that. In Colombia, people have this done by family members, for example, but as a foreigner, you often don’t have them here. This sometimes means you cannot rent a certain apartment. Sometimes this is negotiable, for example by paying several months in advance. There are also websites nowadays where you can find rental houses without a codeudor. Such as Houm. I personally did find a codeudor and therefore rented an apartment in Bogotá without any problems.
Useful websites to find properties in Colombia:
- Houm
- Finca Raiz
- Facebook groups in cities for rentals, for example Arriendos Directos – Bogotá y Alrededores. There are so many Facebook groups where apartments are rented out, in both Bogotá and other cities. So search Facebook yourself for groups. Staying in Bogotá for only a short time? Then the group Bogota Short Term Rentals is useful. Or AirBnB of course, but that is a lot more expensive.
⇒ Have diplomas converted to Colombian standards
Then, in order to find a job, your diplomas must first be submitted to the Colombian Ministry of Education. This does NOT apply to every job, so check in advance.
Before this is possible, don’t forget to first do what is described here. Your diplomas from the Netherlands are not automatically valid in another country. The intention is therefore that the ministry gives a name to your obtained title that is valid in Colombia; this is called convalidación. After submission, you have to wait quite a long time for that: three to six months. So start this on time.
When I was notified, I was able to pick up my forms containing the “resolution” at the ministry. I needed this resolution as well as my translated diplomas to sign my work contract. Do you also want to have your diplomas convalidated in Colombia: on this website you will find the exact process, explanations, duration and much more.
⇒ Emigrating to Colombia: finding a job
You may still have a contract with for a job in your home country, but if not, it is likely that you will want to find a job. For this purpose, several websites are available in Colombia where you can put in your resume and apply for jobs that suit you. For example:
However, my experience is that this doesn’t yield much and you often don’t even get a response back to an application. How I did get my job was through contacts.
In Colombia, contacts are very important to finding work, about 75% of jobs are obtained through a contact. So make contacts! Once you have a job, you can also start building up a pension.
Working in Colombia is not always fun. There are many silly rules and that is sometimes difficult with a Dutch mindset. Meanwhile, after working for a Colombian company for almost 2.5 years, I had to resign. That didn’t exactly go without stress either. Read the full story here.
Starting your own business in Colombia
You can also choose to start your own business in Colombia. After my permanent job, I also decided to continue as an entrepreneur and started as a web designer and blogger.
To do so, you need to register with the Colombian Chamber of Commerce and arrange everything regarding the Colombian tax authorities. Here you can read all about setting up your own business in Colombia.
⇒ Arrange for health insurance
If you are going to emigrate to Colombia, you can easily apply for health insurance. As in the Netherlands, everyone in Colombia has basic insurance.
The difference with the Netherlands, however, is that there are differences in quality and service per company. I am personally insured with SURA; this one is known as one of the best in Colombia.
Just like for everything in Colombia, you also need your cédula for this, so as soon as you have it, you can apply for insurance. Health insurance is not cheap, but it is better to choose one for which you also get more service. I will soon write an article about how health insurance works in Colombia. Extensive information on health care and health insurance in Colombia can be found here.
There are also Dutch people who have lived here for years and are insured with the Dutch OOM Verzekeringen. With this, you pay in the Netherlands and receive care in Colombia. I always arrange my insurance with OOM when I go to visit family in the Netherlands.
⇒ Opening a bank account
I have opened accounts with two different banks and this is not so easy as a foreigner. The first time, I only received my bank card after I had signed my contract and could show this contract at the bank. At the other bank, I first had to be fully checked. In itself, the procedure is not difficult: you go to the bank of your choice and all forms are filled out in no time. However, if you don’t have a job, it will be difficult.
Good banks are Davivienda and Bancolombia. I am also a fan of NU Bank.
Read about opening a bank account in Colombia and how to transfer euros or dollars to Colombia.
⇒ The Colombian tax authorities
The payment of taxes in Colombia is handled by the DIAN. That is the Colombian tax authority. If you always thought that the tax service in your home country was a drama, I can probably tell you that you are going to miss exactly that tax service tremendously here in Colombia.
Paying taxes in Colombia is not a nice job and incredibly complicated. If you are going to work here, you must apply for a RUT at the DIAN. You make an appointment for that via the website. It is a whole hassle and if you don’t speak Spanish, it’s best to bring someone who does. You need the RUT for everything. For signing a work contract, starting your own business and paying taxes.
It seems as if the DIAN is looking for foreigners who have not arranged their taxes properly. These foreigners get high fines. I know several Dutch people in Colombia who have had to deal with this and lost a lot of money because of it. Among other things, in Colombia you have to declare all your bank accounts, including those you have in other countries. And also if you don’t receive a salary on it. If you don’t do that, they can still find accounts and give you fines of 15% on the money you have in them (which keeps increasing if you don’t pay).
My advice: find an accountant in Colombia. One who has experience with tax returns for foreigners. There are a lot of accountants who don’t have that, and as a result, you still get fines. If you have your own business in Colombia as a foreigner, an accountant is mandatory, by the way. My accountant literally arranges everything. From entering invoices every month at the DIAN to the tax return. And I am very happy to pay a little more for that.
⇒ Getting a SIM card
You can take out a subscription with Tigo or Claro. There are more providers, but these are the best. I use Tigo myself and my home wifi is from Etb. To take out a subscription you need a cédula; if you don’t have one, ask a Colombian to help you.
⇒ Colombian driver’s license
Having a driver’s license in Colombia, especially in Bogotá, is not necessarily necessary. Still, I find it incredibly useful to have a Colombian driver’s license.
When I got my driver’s license in 2015, it was a joke. Let’s just say it was way too easy. Here you can read the bizarre story of my driver’s license.
However, the rules have since been tightened considerably and you can no longer just buy your driver’s license. You will have to do it the official way. This applies to both the car license and the motorcycle license.
You start at the SIM, which is a kind of driving proficiency office; there you first apply for a RUNT. Then you go to a driving school and say you would like a Colombian driver’s license. You will have to ask there how many lessons and hours you need to complete. In addition, you must undergo a medical examination.
After 10 years, you must renew your driver’s license. I did that in 2025. That is very simple and if you plan it reasonably well, you will have your new driver’s license on the same day. You have to do a medical exam for that and then pick up your new license.
⇒ Living in Colombia: what does it cost?
Before emigrating to Colombia, it’s also good to look at what living in Colombia actually costs and how much money you need per month. Especially if you don’t have a job yet, it’s helpful to know if you have enough savings. In this article you will read all about the cost of living in Colombia.
Emigrating to Colombia also involves other issues
⇒ The language
If you are going to immigrate to Colombia, language is essential. Even if you live here temporarily, it is quite useful to speak some Spanish. There will certainly come a moment when you really need it. For example, if you suddenly find a job or have to go to the doctor.
I personally learned a little Spanish beforehand with DuoLingo and Betty la Fea, but only when I started working did I begin to speak more and more fluently. Immersing yourself in society is the best way to learn a new language and the typical expressions that go with it. About emigrating and learning a new language, I wrote this article.
⇒ Making friends
In Colombia, you make friends quickly at work, and that’s how it happened with me. After work and my move to Sopó, I wanted to make new friends again. This succeeded by having a dog (you then have quick contact), by going to the gym and with the app Bumble. Bumble is a dating app, but it’s not just for dating. You also have a BFF section there and there you can easily connect with locals who are also looking for new friends.
I personally also do all kinds of creative workshops where I have made many contacts.
⇒ To the gym (or something similar)
Also a good way to make contacts and put yourself in the middle of society: a subscription to a gym or some club. I did this only after I started my job and turned out to be a very nice way to meet new people and learn more about life in Colombia.
⇒ Watching TV from abroad
You may just like to watch programs from abroad every now and then. However, this is usually not possible.
To watch Dutch TV from Colombia, you need a VPN, which is a tool with which you change your IP address to an IP address of another country. I have been using a VPN for years.
Now I watch almost no Dutch TV, but there are some programs I do like to see.
I also use my VPN to watch Netflix from another country; for example, Netflix from the US and England has a slightly different offering than the Colombian one. You do this with, for example, NordVPN, one of the best VPN services worldwide.
⇒ Looking up people from your home country
Now I must say that I don’t have a lot of contact with other Dutch people, but I do very regularly with a few. I don’t feel the need to hang out with other Dutch people every day, but if you are going to emigrate to Colombia, it is very nice to be able to share your thoughts and frustrations occasionally with people who really understand you and think just like you. I am therefore very grateful for my dear Dutch friends I have here.
Moving abroad: the pros and cons
Before you make the decision to move abroad, it is good to be aware of all that emigrating entails. There are many advantages and positives to it.
For me, emigrating was the best choice ever, for example. But there are also disadvantages to emigrating. In this article, an overview of the pros and cons of emigrating.
Emigrating: what do you need to arrange in the country you are coming from?
When you move abroad, not only do you spend time in the destination country arranging things, you also have to do all sorts of things in your home country to make your emigration as smooth as possible.
Think about unsubscribing from the municipality, canceling the IRS, unsubscribing from your health insurance and more. In this article you will read what you need to arrange in the country you are coming from if you are going to emigrate.
Emigrating to Colombia: would you do it? Or do you have other plans to move abroad?
