Colombia’s digital nomad visa is priced in minimum wages, and one client rule trips people up
Colombia’s digital nomad visa isn’t priced in dollars. It’s priced in minimum wages, which means the number you have to hit is set by Colombia’s government, not by your currency-converter app.
That sounds like trivia until you’re staring at your bank statements wondering whether you qualify. Here’s how the visa actually works, what trips applicants up, and why the question of where your clients live matters more than you’d think.
Before you keep reading: if “moving abroad” has been a someday thought, I turned everything I wish I’d known into one guide. Visas, jobs, country picks — check it out.
The magic number is three minimum wages
Colombia’s rule is income of three times its monthly minimum wage. For 2026, Decreto 159 sets that wage at COP 1,750,905, which puts the bar at COP 5,252,715 a month.
Here’s the catch: that decree describes the wage figure as transitory while a Council of State case is decided, so the number can move. Check it again right before you apply instead of trusting a screenshot from six months ago. Yes, really.
Why no dollar figure here? Because the peso moves, and a conversion printed today can be wrong next month. Do that math on the day you apply.
Your bank statements need three clean months
You have to show income for the last three months, and bank statements are the evidence. One guide says each of those months has to clear the threshold on its own, with no averaging. So a monster payment in January doesn’t rescue a quiet February.
Steady deposits make your story easy to read, and a short explanation helps if a payment landed late or in an odd amount. Boring beats impressive here, which is rare good news for anyone who gets paid on a schedule.
The client rule that catches people
The visa covers remote work for companies or clients based outside Colombia. It does not let you take paid work from a person or company based in Colombia.
Picture it: you land, a local café asks you to redo their website, and you say yes. Tempting? Sure. Allowed? No.
If Colombian clients are part of your plan, this isn’t the visa for it. Better to find that out now than at an immigration desk.
Your insurance has to say Colombia, out loud
Health insurance is part of the application, and the policy has to cover Colombia for the stay you’re planning. The coverage also has to spell out things like accident, illness, maternity, disability, hospitalization, death or repatriation.
Here’s the trap: a famous provider or a policy stamped “worldwide” doesn’t prove the certificate includes that wording. Read the actual certificate, line by line. It’s the least glamorous part of the whole process and, no seriously, the easiest to get wrong.
Two years is the ceiling, so make them count
The visa can be valid for up to two years. Note the “up to”: that’s a maximum, not a promise.
If you land one, spend it like someone who lives there. Start with the best Medellín tours and day trips, find the things to do in Salento that aren’t Cocora Valley, and hike to La Cueva del Esplendor near Jardín.
My take: the three-minimum-wages rule is the most refreshing part of this visa. It’s one clear number instead of a vague “sufficient funds” clause, and I’ll take clear over vague every time.
So, can your income clear that number three months in a row, with every client outside Colombia? If both answers are yes, you’re closer than you think. Which part would trip you up first?
If Colombia has you curious, the Colombia category has more.
