Colombia Digital Nomad Statistics 2026: 2-Year Visa
Colombia received 4,875,830 non-resident visitors from January to September 2025, including 3,467,026 foreigners, according to Migración Colombia and the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism. The V nómada digital visa can run up to two years and requires income of at least three times the 2026 minimum wage of COP 1,750,905, or COP 5,252,715 a month. PwC states that tax residence starts after 183 days in any 365-day window. This report compiles 10 verified data points from MinCIT, Migración Colombia, the Ministry of Justice visa explainer, Holland & Knight on Decrees 1469 and 1470, PwC, Ookla, and Numbeo.
Colombia is the Latin American nomad destination that pairs a relatively low income bar with a two-year visa. Medellín and Bogotá already have the coworking, Spanish-plus-English services, and US-timezone overlap that American remote workers want. The hard numbers are stay length, the 2026 wage-linked income floor, and the 183-day tax clock that the visa does not pause.
This post is for remote workers deciding between Colombia's V visa, a 90-day tourist stay, and other Latin American bases. The problem is not "is Colombia popular." The problem is whether a two-year visa plus rolling tax residence is a better fit than visa-free hops. The sources below are government statistics, official visa rules, and named research products, not nomad blogs.
Colombia does not publish a digital nomad census. Use visitor flows, visa rules, connectivity, costs, and tax tests as the evidence base.
1. Colombia received 4,875,830 non-resident visitors in January-September 2025
Migración Colombia and MinCIT's economic studies office counted 4,875,830 non-resident visitors from January to September 2025: 3,467,026 foreigners, 1,191,475 Colombians living abroad, and 217,329 cruise passengers.
Total non-resident visitors were down 4.2% versus the same period in 2024, while foreigners not resident in Colombia were up 4.5% and 14.8% versus 2023. The mix shifted toward non-Colombian foreigners even as the headline visitor total cooled.
For remote workers, the foreign-visitor line is the better proxy. A country still pulling more than 3.4 million foreigners in nine months has the flights, rentals, and services that long stays need. The 4.5% rise in foreigners, against a 4.2% drop in the broader non-resident total, is a sign that the international (non-diaspora) market kept growing.
Source: MinCIT, tourism and air connectivity (November 2025)
2. The United States supplied 22.7% of foreign visitors
The United States was Colombia's top foreign source market in the January-September 2025 data, with 22.7% of foreign visitors, followed by Mexico (11.4%), Ecuador (7.6%), and Peru (5.2%), according to MinCIT.
That US share is why Medellín and Bogotá feel American-timezone friendly. Remote workers billing US clients lose little overlap, and English-speaking services cluster where Americans already land. Mexico in second place plus Andean neighbors in the rest of the top four shows a regional spine under the US lead.
Bogotá took 38.5% of foreign non-resident visitors, Antioquia (Medellín's department) 26.9%, and Bolívar (Cartagena) 16.7%. The nomad map is not the whole country. It is those three nodes. Plan housing and coworking there, then travel out, rather than assuming a two-year visa means living cheaply in a city with no inbound traffic.
Source: MinCIT, tourism and air connectivity (November 2025)
3. 37 million air passengers moved in January-August 2025
Aeronáutica Civil figures cited by MinCIT show 37 million passengers on scheduled flights from January to August 2025, up 2% from 2024 and 18.6% from 2023.
Domestic traffic was 20.9 million and international 16.2 million. International traffic rose 7.3% versus 2024, when the comparable figure was 15.1 million. El Dorado in Bogotá handled 69% of international passengers, then Rionegro (Medellín) and Cartagena. August 2025 alone moved 4,998,176 scheduled passengers.
For nomads, international seat capacity is the constraint that matters more than a marketing slogan. 16.2 million international air passengers in eight months means frequent US and regional connections, which is why Colombia works as a hub you can leave and re-enter. It also means peak-season fares and airport crowding at El Dorado. Build extra connection time into visa runs and client-week travel.
Source: MinCIT, tourism and air connectivity (November 2025)
4. The digital nomad visa can last up to 2 years
Colombia's Ministry of Justice LegalApp guide states that foreigners who do remote work for a company abroad, or entrepreneurs with a digital project of interest to Colombia, can work virtually from Colombia for up to two years on the nómada digital visa.
Applicants need a passport from a short-stay visa-exempt country, a letter from the foreign employer (or proof of ownership), income of at least three current monthly minimum wages, and health insurance for the stay. Holders may not take paid work for companies or people based in Colombia. The visa is requested online through Cancillería.
Two years is long by nomad-visa standards. Japan is six months and non-extendable. Argentina's nomad residence is 180 days plus one extension. Colombia's V visa is the one that can quietly run past a tax-residence line. Read the stay length next to the 183-day rule later in this post, and next to our US citizen stay guide for Colombia.
Source: Colombia Ministry of Justice, Visa nómada digital
5. The 2026 income floor is COP 5,252,715 a month (3x the minimum wage)
The 2026 monthly minimum wage (SMLMV) is COP 1,750,905, a 23% increase from 2025, under Decrees 1469 and 1470 of 29 December 2025, as summarized by Holland & Knight.
Three times that wage is COP 5,252,715 per month. That is the income test the Ministry of Justice lists as "at least three current monthly legal minimum wages." The transport subsidy (COP 249,095) is not part of the visa multiple. The visa fee on the same LegalApp page is USD 177 for applicants from Europe or Cuba and USD 230 for the rest of the world, paid by Visa or Mastercard.
The floor moves when the minimum wage moves. A file that cleared 2025's COP 1,423,500 wage may miss 2026. Bank statements need to show the current multiple, not last year's. Compared with Japan's 10 million yen annual bar, Colombia is still one of the more accessible formal nomad visas, which is why it shows up in every Latin America shortlist.
Source: Holland & Knight on Decrees 1469 and 1470 (2026 wage) and Ministry of Justice, Visa nómada digital
6. Tax residence starts at 183 days in any 365-day window
PwC's Colombia individual tax summary states that a person is fiscally resident if they remain in the country, continuously or not, for an aggregate of 183 days within 365 consecutive days. If that period finishes in the second calendar year, residence attaches in the second year.
The visa type does not matter. A two-year V nómada digital stay that crosses 183 days in a rolling year produces Colombian tax residence on the same test as a tourist who extended. Residents generally face worldwide income; non-residents are taxed on Colombian-source income. Colombian nationals have extra tests based on family, income, and assets.
This is the number that bites people who treat the two-year visa as a tax holiday. It is not. Count days from first entry, including entry and exit dates under the statute's language as commonly applied, and get advice before you assume foreign salary is out of DIAN's reach. The mechanics sit in our 183-day rule explainer.
Source: PwC Tax Summaries, Colombia - Individual - Residence
7. Colombia ranked 32nd for fixed broadband at 220.25 Mbps in May 2026
Ookla's Speedtest Global Index for May 2026 put Colombia's median fixed broadband download at 220.25 Mbps (32nd globally), with median upload of 97.05 Mbps and latency of 7 milliseconds.
That is in the same band as Japan (232.02 Mbps) in the same table and well above Argentina (115.36 Mbps). Seven-millisecond median latency is excellent for calls. Upload near 97 Mbps is enough for video, screen share, and large files from a home or coworking line.
The Ookla country page also shows a slower mobile median than fixed. Remote workers in Medellín and Bogotá should budget for a fiber apartment or coworking membership and treat mobile data as backup, especially outside those metros. Connectivity is not the reason to skip Colombia in 2026. Housing and the tax clock are.
Source: Ookla, World Cup 2026 Speedtest rankings (May 2026 Global Index)
8. A Medellín 1-bedroom in the centre averages about COP 2.98 million
Numbeo's Medellín cost-of-living table for mid-2026 lists a 1-bedroom apartment in the city centre at COP 2,980,062 a month, and COP 2,076,667 outside the centre.
Estimated monthly costs for a single person, excluding rent, are COP 2,593,336. A mid-range meal for two is about COP 140,000. Unlimited broadband of 60 Mbps or higher averages COP 100,050. Those are contributor-survey medians, not official price statistics, and they move with the peso.
Stack rent plus living costs and a mid-range Medellín nomad month often lands around COP 5 to 6 million before coworking and travel, in the same neighborhood as the visa income floor. That is still far below Tokyo or Rome. It is no longer the ultra-cheap Medellín of 2019. Price the city on current Numbeo rows, not on five-year-old blog budgets.
Source: Numbeo, Cost of Living in Medellin (August 2026 update)
9. 18.5 million American workers identified as digital nomads in 2025
MBO Partners' 2025 Digital Nomads research found 18.5 million American workers describing themselves as digital nomads, up 2.2% from 2024 and 153% since 2019, about 12% of the US workforce.
That US pool is why Colombia's 22.7% US visitor share and two-year visa matter together. Even a small slice of 18.5 million people is a large community in Medellín. MBO also found 11.2 million of those nomads hold traditional jobs, up 10% in 2025, which matches the employee-on-a-laptop profile the V visa was written for.
Colombia is competing for that group on time zone, cost, and visa length, not on Schengen access or Japanese public transport. The MBO figure is a US statistic, not a Colombia census. It is the demand side of the MinCIT arrival numbers.
Source: MBO Partners, 2025 Digital Nomads Trends Report
10. Bogotá, Antioquia, and Bolívar take 82% of foreign visitors
MinCIT reports that Bogotá received 38.5% of foreign non-resident visitors in January-September 2025, Antioquia 26.9%, and Bolívar 16.7%.
Those three shares sum to 82.1%. The rest of the country splits the remainder. Cartagena (Bolívar) is the beach-and-cruise node; Medellín is the mountain nomad node; Bogotá is the capital and main air hub with 69% of international passengers.
For a two-year visa holder, that concentration is a planning fact. Spanish, housing supply, and coworking depth follow those three departments. A "live in a pueblo" plan is a different product: slower internet, fewer English services, and less inbound competition for rentals. Choose it on purpose, not because a national arrival total implies nationwide nomad infrastructure.
Source: MinCIT, tourism and air connectivity (November 2025)
What these numbers tell us
Colombia's 2026 story is access, not mystery. A two-year visa with a wage-linked income floor, more than 3.4 million foreign visitors in nine months, and 220 Mbps-class fixed broadband is a coherent package. The United States is already the largest source market. The infrastructure is in Bogotá, Medellín, and Cartagena, not evenly across the map.
The catch is tax, not immigration. 183 days in any 365-day window is shorter than the visa. People who treat the V visa as two tax-free years are reading the wrong statute. Costs in Medellín are still lower than US coastal cities and no longer trivial next to the COP 5.25 million income test.
The trajectory is consolidation. Foreign arrivals are still rising even as the broader non-resident total dipped. The 2026 wage hike lifted the visa floor. Colombia remains one of the most usable formal nomad visas in the Americas if you count days as carefully as you count rent.
Colombia in 2026 is a two-year remote-work base with a modest income bar, fast enough internet, and a 183-day tax line that the visa will not save you from.
How Staywise helps you navigate this landscape
A two-year Colombian visa and a rolling 183-day tax test are different clocks. Tourist time before the visa still counts. So do weekend trips that do not reset the 365-day window.
Staywise (the visa compliance app for digital nomads) tracks days in Colombia and every other country automatically, with alerts before stay limits. It is useful when you mix a V visa, a prior tourist stamp, and side trips to Panama or Mexico. Passport details stay on your device. It does not replace DIAN or Cancillería.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How long is Colombia's digital nomad visa?
The Ministry of Justice states that the nómada digital visa lets qualifying remote workers stay up to two years while working for a foreign employer. It does not allow paid work for Colombian companies or residents. You need a visa-exempt nationality for short stays, employer documentation, health insurance for the stay, and income of at least three current monthly minimum wages. Entrepreneurs with a digital project of interest to Colombia can also apply. File online through Cancillería and expect email notifications rather than a walk-in in Bogotá unless asked.
How much income does Colombia require in 2026?
Three times the 2026 SMLMV of COP 1,750,905, which is COP 5,252,715 per month, based on Decrees 1469 and 1470 as reported by Holland & Knight and the Ministry of Justice visa guide. The 2026 wage is 23% above 2025's COP 1,423,500, so last year's statements can fail this year's test. The LegalApp page lists visa fees of USD 177 (Europe or Cuba) or USD 230 (other countries), paid by Visa or Mastercard. The transport subsidy is not part of the three-times multiple.
How many tourists visit Colombia?
From January to September 2025, MinCIT and Migración Colombia counted 4,875,830 non-resident visitors, including 3,467,026 foreigners (up 4.5% year on year and 14.8% versus 2023). The United States was 22.7% of foreign visitors, then Mexico, Ecuador, and Peru. Bogotá, Antioquia, and Bolívar received 82% of foreign traffic. Scheduled air passengers hit 37 million in January-August, including 16.2 million international. Use the nine-month official print rather than an unofficial full-year round number.
When do you become a Colombian tax resident?
PwC summarizes the rule as 183 days, continuous or not, within any 365 consecutive days. If the 183 days finish in the second calendar year, you are resident in that second year. The digital nomad visa does not create a tax exemption, and tourist days before the visa still count. Residents generally face worldwide income; non-residents are taxed on Colombian-source income. Confirm your facts with a Colombian tax professional before assuming foreign salary is untaxed.
Where do these Colombia statistics come from?
Visitor and air-traffic figures come from MinCIT citing Migración Colombia and Aeronáutica Civil. Visa length, income multiple, and fees come from the Ministry of Justice LegalApp guide. The 2026 minimum wage comes from Holland & Knight's summary of Decrees 1469 and 1470. Tax residence is PwC. Broadband is Ookla's May 2026 Global Index. Medellín costs are Numbeo. The US nomad population is MBO Partners 2025.
Related guides
- How long can US citizens stay in Colombia
- What is a digital nomad visa?
- The 183-day rule explained
- How to track days in multiple countries
About Staywise
Staywise is the visa compliance app for digital nomads. Built by nomads for nomads, it tracks your days across every country automatically, alerts you before overstays, and keeps passport details on your device for privacy. The in-app AI assistant answers visa questions in plain English. Available on iOS.
Important: This content is informational and does not constitute legal, tax, or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax regulations, and entry requirements change frequently and vary by individual circumstances. Always verify current requirements with official government sources or a qualified professional before making travel decisions. Staywise tracks your days and surfaces compliance information, but final responsibility for compliance rests with the traveler.