Living in Colombia
Information for British citizens moving to or living in Colombia, including guidance on residency, passports, healthcare and emergencies.
This guide sets out essential information for British citizens moving to or living in Colombia. Read about how our Embassy in Colombia can help.
This information is provided as a guide only. You should get definitive information from the Colombian authorities. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is not liable for any inaccuracies in this information.
See our information on the Support for British Nationals Abroad online guide that sets out how British nationals can stay safe abroad and how the FCDO can help if you do get into difficulty.
Read general guidance on moving or retiring abroad
To stay up to date:
- Sign up for email alerts
- Follow the British Embassy in Colombia on Twitter and Facebook
Before you go
See our travel advice for Colombia for up-to-date information on entry requirements, local laws and customs, safety and emergencies.
Visas and residency
Check the Colombia entry requirements in our travel advice.
British nationals can enter Colombia for up to 90 days as a visitor without a visa at the discretion of the Colombian Immigration Officer on arrival. You may need to provide evidence of return or onward travel. If you’re issued with a Colombian visa with more than 90 days’ validity, you must register the visa at a Migración Colombia office or online within 15 days of arrival in Colombia, or face fines. Check the latest entry requirements with the Colombian Consulate General in London before you travel.
You may be able to extend your stay once you are in Colombia by up to 120 days by applying at the immigration office Migración Colombia. As a visitor, you cannot remain in Colombia for more than 180 days in any 12-month period. Don’t overstay your visa, you will be fined or risk deportation at your own cost.
If you’re a British/Colombian dual national, you must enter and leave Colombia using your Colombian passport and Colombian identification card (Cédula).
If you enter Colombia by land, you should make sure your passport is stamped by the immigration authorities. Failure to do so may result in a fine on departure. If the immigration office on the border is closed, seek help at the nearest office of Migración Colombia.
Check the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Cancillería website, for more information on the Colombian visa requirements, costs, application, and types of visas.
Passports and travel
You can apply for or renew your British passport from Colombia.
Check the Colombia’s travel advice for passport validity requirements.
Healthcare in Colombia
If you have a health condition, or you are pregnant, you may need specialist healthcare abroad. Check whether your destination country can provide the healthcare you may need and ensure you have appropriate travel insurance for unexpected medical evacuation or local treatment.
Medical facilities in Colombia vary widely in quality. In large cities and state capitals, private clinics provide good quality care for routine treatments and complex treatments. Make sure you have adequate travel health insurance and accessible funds to cover the cost of any medical treatment abroad and repatriation. Not all travel health insurance policies provide cover for private, or emergency medical care so check your policy before travelling. Public health facilities and those in smaller cities are generally ill equipped and poorly funded. Ambulance services in remote areas are unreliable and public hospitals often lack adequate medical supplies.
You can find most medication in pharmacies in large cities, but medicine for complex treatment may be unavailable in rural areas and small towns. You may need a prescription from a local doctor to get some controlled medicine.
Pharmacies in Colombia are known as “droguerías”. They can be identified with a cross on the logo and can be easily accessed in the main cities in Colombia, but are less accessible in rural areas. Most pharmacies in Colombia will have a delivery service. You should note that prescriptions must be written in Spanish, in the metric system and using the medicine’s generic name.
If you need emergency medical assistance during your trip, you should dial 123 to ask for assistance (in Spanish). Contact your insurance/medical assistance company promptly if you are referred to a medical facility for treatment. Check the following link to register for healthcare access if you are a resident in Colombia. If you cannot register for healthcare, you must ensure you have private healthcare cover for Colombia.
NOTE: UK Travel insurance providers will not generally cover your healthcare costs if you live overseas.
Health risks
UK health authorities have classified Colombia as having a risk of Zika virus transmission. For more information and advice, visit the website of the National Travel Health Network and Centre website.
Dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever and Chikungunya virus are present throughout the country, although the coastal and southern states with lower altitudes are the most affected, especially during or shortly after the rainy season between April and November. You should take steps to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.
Tap water is safe to drink only in Bogota. You should drink only bottled water and avoid ice in drinks.
Medicine
If you are on a prescription for any medication, you should ensure you have a supply of it, or are able to obtain it when in Colombia. You will be responsible for determining your medication legality in Colombia. You should consult your GP before travelling to Colombia to find out about any alternative medication. Always keep your medication in the original container, bring sufficient quantities of your medication with you, pack your medication in your carry-on luggage and carry a copy of your prescriptions.
Read the guidance if you need to travel with medicines
Working in Colombia
If you are planning to move to Colombia and work, you should apply for a visa or permit at the nearest Colombian consulate or embassy. If you are in the UK you can contact the Colombian Consulate in London.
Check the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Cancillería website, for more information on the Colombian visa requirements, costs, application, and types of visas.
For residence requirements and information on obtaining an identity card known as Cédula de Extranjería (CE), contact the Colombian Immigration authorities.
Studying in Colombia
If you are planning to study in Colombia, you should apply for a visa or permit at the nearest Colombian consulate or embassy. If you are in the UK you can contact the Colombian Consulate in London.
Check the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Cancillería website, for more information on the Colombian visa requirements, costs, application, and types of visas.
Tax
For information on taxes, please contact the Direccion de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales and check the Tax treaties and related documents between the UK and Colombia.
You should get professional advice on paying tax in Colombia. Find an English-speaking lawyer in Colombia.
Read guidance on:
- Tax if you leave the UK to live abroad
- Tax on your UK income if you live abroad
- Tax if you get a pension and live abroad
- Paying National Insurance while abroad to protect your State Pension and entitlement to other benefits and allowances.
Benefits
Check which UK benefits you can claim while abroad and how to claim them.
Many income-related benefits such as Pension Credit and Housing Benefit cannot be paid if you’re abroad for more than 4 weeks.
Pensions
Read State Pension guidance if you have lived in Australia, Canada or New Zealand and you are claiming or waiting to claim your UK State Pension.
If you retire in Colombia, you can claim your UK State Pension or new UK State Pension. Contact the International Pension Centre for further information.
Life certificates for UK State Pensions
If you get a ‘life certificate’ from the UK Pension Service, you must respond as soon as possible. Your payments may be suspended if you do not.
Money banking
US dollars and Euros are widely exchangeable.
Credit and Debit cards are widely accepted in Colombia but use with care and keep receipts. When using an ATM, try to do so during business hours inside a bank, supermarket or large commercial building. Be particularly vigilant before and after using an ATM on the street - robberies are common, especially at night.
If opening a personal bank account, you will be expected to submit certain documents. Please ask the bank of your choice about requirements. For information on the banking rules and private funds (AFP) regulations in Colombia, please contact the Superintendencia Finaciera de Colombia. This institution regulates and supervises the financial, insurance and private funds systems, and prevents and detects money laundering and terrorism financing.
Accommodation and buying property
Driving in Colombia
If you’re visiting Colombia, you can drive with a valid UK driving licence for the duration of your legal stay. If you’re living in Colombia, you will need to apply for a local driving licence. More information is available from the Colombian Ministry of Transport.
If you’re planning to hire a car, check with your car hire company for information on their requirements before you travel.
Driving standards are poor and traffic accidents are common. Avoid driving at night, which can be particularly hazardous. Don’t hitch-hike. The risk of violence and kidnapping is higher in some rural areas, and there is a risk of being caught in roadblocks set up by illegal armed groups. Main roads are generally safe during daylight hours.
The departmental capitals of Amazonas, Vaupes and Guainía are only accessible by air due to the lack of road infrastructure in these departments.
Read the guidance on what actions you must do to drive legally in Colombia.
Driving abroad https://www.gov.uk/driving-abroad
If you are asked for a letter authenticating, certifying or validating your UK driver’s licence, you should follow the information available on drive legally in Colombia.
Guidance for travelling by road in Colombia see https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/colombia/safety-and-security
If you wish to take your vehicle with you, see https://www.gov.uk/taking-vehicles-out-of-uk
Disabled drivers
If you have a UK Blue Badge and live in Colombia, you must return it to the original UK issuing authority.
Voting
Foreign nationals resident in Colombia can vote in municipal and district elections in the last place where they had established their place of residency. They can elect Local Administrative Boards, Municipal Councils and Mayors. They cannot elect Governor or Assembly.
You can find further information on the Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil website.
You may be able to vote in some UK elections. You can:
Births, deaths, marriage and civil partnership
Births
If your child is born in Colombia you should register the birth with the local authorities. In the following link, you can check the nearest Civil Registry Office to make a reservation. You can then register with the UK authorities and apply for a UK birth certificate.
If your child has British nationality, you do not need to register the birth with the UK authorities to apply for a British passport..
Deaths
If someone dies in Colombia read our guidance on:
- What to do if someone dies abroad
- Bereavement guidance for Colombia
- English-speaking funeral directors in Colombia
Marriage and civil partnership
Find out how you can get married or get a civil partnership abroad
Pets
To enter or leave Colombia with a pet, please check the Colombian government control agency Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario.
Emergencies
Dial the 123 for emergencies, the police or ambulance services or dial:
- 111 for disasters attention
- 112 for emergencies
- 119 for the fire brigade
- 123 to report a missing child
- 141 for children and young people’s protection
- 144 for civil services (Defensa Civil)
- 132 for Colombian Red Cross
- 165 for GAULA - Anti-kidnapping Police
- 167 for Anti-kidnapping, Anti-Terrorism and Anti-Extortion Police line
- 147 for Anti-kidnapping, Anti-Terrorism and Anti-Extortion Army line
- 106 for mental health crisis and psychosocial support
- 156 for CAI - Immediate Attention Centre (Centro de Atención Inmediata)
- 155 to report domestic violence cases and Purple line (women’s helpline): +57 018000112137 / WhatsApp +573007551846
- ‘#767 for National Roads Institute (INVÍAS)
If you have been the victim of a rape or sexual assault in Colombia, read the Colombia: information for victims of rape and sexual assault.
If you are the victim of a crime, have been arrested, or are affected by a crisis, contact the British Embassy in Colombia.
Read the guidance on international parental child abduction if your child may be at risk of this.
Returning to the UK
Read the guidance on returning to the UK permanently which includes information on bringing family members, tax and access to services.
Last updated 9 January 2023 + show all updates
-
We added new information of vital importance for the British Nationals who wish to live in Colombia
-
Coronavirus section added with a link to guidance on vaccines
-
Health section added
-
New items included
-
First published.