Frequently Ask Questions

Colombia has positioned itself as one of the most attractive destinations for foreign investment in Latin America, thanks to a combination of macroeconomic stability, strategic location, and a business-friendly environment. The country offers strong fundamentals that provide security and real opportunities for international investors:

1. Economic stability and a reliable institutional framework
2. Strategic location and access to global markets
3. Skilled and competitive human talent
4. Modernizing infrastructure and expanding logistics platforms
5. Sectoral diversity and access to natural resources

Currently, Colombia has the following trade agreements in force: https://procolombia.co/colombiatrade/exportador/articulos/acuerdos-comerciales-colombia-exportadores

Formalize before a regional notary the documents of the parent company where the decision to create the branch is made, as well as the bylaws and resolutions that describe: A. Economic activity. B. Amount of capital. C. Company address. D. Appointment of Legal Representative. E. Appointment of Statutory Auditor.

The procedures for purchasing real estate:

A. Conduct a title search.
B. Sign a purchase agreement.
C. Register the new public deed. For more information, visit: https://vui.gov.co/es/portafolio-de-tramites/compra-de-inmuebles/

Learn about the immigration procedures required to work in Colombia through the following link: https://vui.gov.co/es/portafolio-de-tramites/migracion

Work permits for foreigners:
If you are going to hire foreign workers in Colombia, you must go to the following entities: A. Ministry of Foreign Affairs to apply for a visa. B. Migration Colombia to process your foreigner's identification card and register in the Foreigner Registration Information System (SIRE). For more information, visit: https://vui.gov.co/es/portafolio-de-tramites/migracion

No permit is required to make investments; however, if you need to enter and leave the country, you must present your formal documentation such as passport and visa (the latter only if applicable).

The official entity in charge of visa and work permit processing is the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
For more information, visit: https://www.cancilleria.gov.co/tramites_servicios/visa

To hire staff, you must register your company and your employees with the following entities:
A. Health Provider Entity (EPS). B. Pension and Severance Fund Administrator (AFP). C. Occupational Risk Administrator (ARL). D. Family Compensation Fund (CCF).
For more information, visit: https://vui.gov.co/es/portafolio-de-tramites/contratacion-de-personal

The process of creating a company in Colombia:

1. Define the economic sector of interest.
2. Prepare the Articles of Incorporation or Company Creation Document.
3. Register the company with the Chamber of Commerce.
4. Complete the procedures with the DIAN (National Tax and Customs Directorate).
5. Open a bank account.
6. Deposit funds with the Central Bank of Colombia.
7. Establish a Free Trade Zone (if applicable).

For more information, visit: https://vui.gov.co/es/portafolio-de-tramites/creacion-de-empresa/

- Single income tax rate of 20% for industrial users of goods, industrial users of services and operators. Exceptions are made for commercial users who are taxed at the general rate (35%) for the year 2022.

- Customs duties (VAT and tariffs) are not levied or paid for goods that are introduced from abroad to the free trade zones, nor for raw materials, inputs and finished goods that are sold from the national customs territory to industrial users of the Free Trade Zone.

- Exports made from Free Trade Zone to third countries benefit from the International Trade Agreements negotiated by Colombia.

- It allows the industrial users of goods and/or services to keep in their facilities the raw materials, inputs, parts, products in process or finished products of the production process, transformation or assembly of goods proper of the economic activity or activities for which they have been qualified or authorized or recognized.

For more information on the requirements to access the different forms of Free Trade Zones, please visit http://zonasfrancas.mincit.gov.co/

Free Trade Zones are "Geographically delimited areas within the national territory, where industrial activities of goods and services or commercial activities are developed, under special tax, customs and foreign trade regulations"

Goods entering these zones are considered outside the national customs territory for import and export tax purposes.

Yes, it is mandatory to register foreign investment. All investments made by a foreigner in Colombia, including foreign currency that enters the country by individuals who are not Colombian residents, and that are destined as capital contributions for a company, or a branch of a foreign company must be registered before the Bank of the Republic under the figure of foreign investment.

Investors or their attorneys-in-fact must submit to the Bank of the Republic, directly or through the entities determined by it, a registration statement of:

i) the initial or additional investments
ii) changes in the holders, in the destination or in the company receiving the investment
iii) the cancellation of the investments.

In the case of foreign currency, the registration is by channeling the money through an intermediary in the exchange market or through a clearing account. In addition, the Foreign Exchange Declaration for International Investments - Form 4 available at the website of the Bank of the Republic. https://www.banrep.gov.co/sites/default/files/paginas/instr420031201.pdf

For the case of corporate reorganizations abroad, Form 11A must be completed, available at the website of the Bank of the Republic. https://www.banrep.gov.co/es/contenidos/reglamentaci-n/f-formulario-no-11a-declaracion-registro-inversiones-internacionales

According to Decree 119 of 2017, the verification function in charge of the Bank of the Republic was eliminated, and it was established that the information declared in the registry is provided under oath; additionally, the possibility was given to submit the registration, corrections, updates, changes and cancellations at any time, by the legal representative of the company receiving foreign investments in Colombia.

To appoint a representative, you must:

A. Present identification documents for the person granting the power of attorney and the representative.
B. Present the document describing the powers acquired by the representative.
C. Have the document apostilled at the nearest Colombian consulate. For a document issued by a country that is party to the Hague Convention to be valid in Colombian territory, it must be apostilled by the competent authority in the country of origin.
D. Have the document officially translated into Spanish (if required).

Article 1 of Law 1004 of 2005 defines Free Trade Zones as follows: "A Free Trade Zone is a geographical area within the national territory where industrial activities involving goods and services, or commercial activities, are carried out under special tax, customs, and foreign trade regulations. Goods entering these zones are considered outside the national customs territory for the purposes of import and export taxes."

Infrastructure construction licenses in Colombia require compliance with the procedures and regulations established in each region of the country. Find out more about each sector at the VUI.

For more information, visit: https://vui.gov.co/es/portafolio-de-tramites/construccion-de-infraestructura

It is the authorization granted by the competent environmental authority that allows the execution of projects, works, or activities that may cause impacts on the environment. This license guarantees that the project complies with the technical, environmental, and social requirements established by current regulations. For more information, visit: https://www.anla.gov.co/licencias-ambientales

It is the administrative act by which the competent municipal or district authority authorizes the development of construction, expansion, adaptation, or demolition works on a building. Obtaining this permit is a prerequisite for starting any construction work.
For more information, visit: https://www.minvivienda.gov.co

Permits and licenses required to operate in Colombia:

Environmental licenses in Colombia can be processed through the Comprehensive Online Environmental Procedures Window (VITAL) or before the Regional Autonomous Corporations, as applicable. Consult the subsector where you will be investing to verify whether you need an environmental license or other permits or licenses.

For more information, visit: https://vui.gov.co/es/portafolio-de-tramites/permisos-pre-operacionales

This is the Foreign Direct Investment Facilitation Service (SIED), a specialized service designed to manage and resolve requests from foreign investors seeking to establish, operate, or expand their investments in the country. For more information, visit: https://vui.gov.co/es/servicio-de-facilitacion-a-la-inversion-extranjera-directa-sied

The purpose of SIED is to systematically improve the investment climate in Colombia. To achieve this, it offers a series of levels and tools aimed at alternative dispute resolution for investment conflicts, as well as the management of consultations and difficulties in key areas such as tax, financial, and intellectual property issues, among other aspects crucial to doing business in Colombia. In addition, it prevents any disputes that may arise between investors and the Colombian State.

The SIED is responsible for receiving and managing challenges that arise in the installation of investors' operations. Among the main difficulties identified are delays in response times for procedures carried out with government entities. In these cases, the SIED acts as an intermediary, ensuring that the relevant entities comply with the established deadlines and prioritizing responses.

The email address for reporting VUI incidents is ContactoVUI@mincit.gov.co.

The strategic partners of the Single Window for Investment (VUI) are the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), ProColombia, and Confecamaras. For more information, visit: https://vui.gov.co/, https://www.iadb.org/es, https://procolombia.co/, and https://confecamaras.org.co/

Soon, the Single Window for Investment will offer the option to carry out transactional procedures. Currently, you can make informational inquiries, including procedures, processes, and deadlines necessary to begin your investment process in Colombia.

Report the error to: contactovui@mincit.gov.co

Yes, you need to register with a username and password. Click on “Don't have an account? Sign up,” where the username is your email address and the password is initially assigned by the platform. Once you log in, you must change it.

* Be careful when entering your email address.
* Make sure the email address you entered is the same one you use.
* Check the spam folder in your email account.
* Finally, try logging into the website using the information you registered with.
* If you have tried all of the above options, please send an email to contactovui@mincit.gov.co.

The Transactional VUI has the option to recover or reset the password by clicking on Forgot your Password?

On the website, https://vui.gov.co/es/tramites-y-procedimientos-administrativos, you can find information on administrative procedures and processes that are part of the investment cycle. When you select a procedure, general information, the responsible institutions, and the legal deadline for completion are displayed.

The Business Creation Process:

1. Define the economic sector of interest. 2. Prepare the Articles of Incorporation or Company Creation Document. 3. Register the company with the Chamber of Commerce. 4. Complete the procedures with the DIAN (National Tax and Customs Directorate). 5. Open a bank account. 6. Deposit funds with the Central Bank of Colombia. 7. Establish a Free Trade Zone (if applicable).

For more information, visit: