Colombia
Digital Nomad Visa (Visa V – Nómadas Digitales): health insurance requirements
Yes: health insurance is required
Yes. Colombia's Visa V for digital nomads requires international health insurance valid in Colombia, all-risk, covering the entire stay including illness, accident, hospitalization and repatriation, with a minimum of $30,000 in coverage. Basic travel insurance and the local public EPS are not accepted. The visa is granted for up to two years to remote workers and digital entrepreneurs.
The requirements at a glance
| Minimum coverage | $30,000 |
|---|---|
| Repatriation required | Yes |
| Minimum policy duration | Full period of stay |
| Local-licensed insurer required | No: compliant international IPMI is accepted |
| Accepted proof | An international medical policy valid in Colombian territory, all-risk (todo riesgo), covering the full stay including illness, accident, hospitalization and repatriation, with at least $30,000 coverage. Basic travel insurance and Colombian public EPS are not accepted. |
Income requirement is three times the Colombian monthly minimum wage (3 x COP 1,750,905 in 2026, about $1,300/month at mid-2026 rates), shown via bank statements. The Visa V is a Visitor subcategory granted for up to two years; time on it does not count toward residency. The 2026 minimum-wage figure is under an active legal dispute but remains in effect via a transitional decree.
Who qualifies for the Colombia nomad visa
The income bar is what decides most applications, and it is the number people look for first. Here is the current one, with the conditions that come attached to it.
- Income required
- ≈ $1,340/mo (3× minimum wage)
- Length of permit
- 24 monthsnot renewable
- Who can apply
- Employed remotely, Freelancer, Business owner
Each of the last 3 months must individually clear the threshold (not averaged). This visa type can't be renewed.
Tax
183+ days in a year can make worldwide income taxable.
That is a summary of the rule, not tax advice. Residence for immigration and residence for tax are decided separately, and the second one tends to arrive quietly, usually after you have been in the country long enough to stop thinking about it. Take proper advice before the year you need it.
What the income bar really means
Two things get people rejected on income even when they earn enough. The first is proving it: consulates want a documented, repeating history, usually bank statements and contracts covering several months, not a screenshot of a good quarter. Irregular freelance income clears the bar on average and fails on paper. The second is dependants, who almost always raise the threshold, and by a percentage of the base figure rather than a flat amount.
Treat the number above as the floor for the paperwork, not as a comfortable income for living there. It is set by the country’s own cost of living or minimum wage, which means it moves, and in several countries it is re-set every year.
Colombia's digital nomad visa (Visa V) requires all-risk international health insurance valid in Colombia for the entire stay, including repatriation, with a minimum of US$30,000 in coverage; basic travel insurance and the public EPS are not accepted.
Our take
Colombia is one of the clearer markets: the consulate spells out what it wants, all-risk cover valid in Colombia with repatriation and at least $30,000.
The two traps are using a thin travel policy that omits repatriation, and assuming the local EPS counts; it does not for this visa. Buy an international policy that names Colombia and prints repatriation on the certificate.
What happens if you get it wrong
A policy that lacks repatriation, is not valid in Colombia, or falls short of $30,000 gets the application refused. So does relying on the public EPS, which the Cancillería does not accept for the V visa. The fix is paperwork, but it is checked.
Interactive
Verified pricesWhat would it cost in Colombia without insurance?
A fever you assume is flu until the platelet count comes back. Common across the places nomads spend winters.
| The first doctor visit, before anyone worries | $20–$50 |
| Back again, this time to emergency | $75–$180 |
| Four nights on fluids and monitoring | $1,000–$3,080 |
| You pay, out of pocket | $1,095–$3,310 |
Priced as one lump instead of itemised, a serious admission in Colombia runs $1,500 to $8,000.
That is the bill you carry alone. Insurance exists for exactly this.
See what cover costsTypical private-care estimates for illustration, not a quote. Actual bills vary by hospital, city and severity.
FAQ
Yes. You need an international health policy valid in Colombia, all-risk, covering the whole stay including repatriation, with at least $30,000 of coverage.
No. The Cancillería does not accept EPS for the V digital nomad visa; you need a qualifying international or private policy.
Three times the Colombian minimum wage, about COP 5.25 million a month in 2026 (roughly $1,300, since the figure is set in pesos and floats against the dollar).
Up to two years. It is a Visitor (V) visa, so the time does not count toward Colombian residency.
Yes. Repatriation is explicitly part of the all-risk cover the consulate requires.
How to apply
- Processing time
- Official window is about 30 calendar days; in practice often 2 to 6 weeks.
- Government fee
- Study fee about COP 230,000 (roughly US$52 to 55), non-refundable. Issuance fee about US$230 for most of the world (about US$177 for applicants in Europe). The Cedula de Extranjeria costs roughly US$60.
- Where to apply
- 100% online through the Cancilleria visa portal; no consulate appointment. The Cedula de Extranjeria is obtained in-country after arrival.
- 1
Assemble your documents: passport, photo, proof of remote work or business for clients outside Colombia, income evidence of at least three times the monthly minimum wage (about COP 5,252,715, roughly US$1,400, proven every month with no averaging), and health insurance covering the whole stay including repatriation.
- 2
Apply entirely online at the Cancilleria portal (tramitesmre.cancilleria.gov.co), complete the Visa V 'Nomadas Digitales' form, and upload everything.
- 3
Pay the non-refundable study fee, then wait for the decision and answer any request for further documents.
- 4
If approved, pay the issuance fee to have the visa granted electronically.
- 5
After entering Colombia, register with Migracion Colombia and obtain the Cedula de Extranjeria (foreigner ID) shortly after arrival, since the stay exceeds three months.
Fees and processing times move, sometimes without announcement, and a consulate can add a document the published checklist does not mention. Treat the above as the shape of the process rather than a guarantee, and check the current requirement with the mission handling your application before you book anything.
What policy actually satisfies this visa
Colombia publishes a figure, which makes this simpler than most: your certificate has to show at least $30,000 of medical cover. Clear that and the paperwork is satisfied.
A compliant international policy is accepted, so you are not forced into a local insurer. That matters more than it sounds: it means one policy can follow you when you leave, instead of expiring at the border.
Repatriation of remains has to be covered explicitly. It is a line item, and either your certificate names it or it does not, and plenty of otherwise strong policies leave it out. Ask your insurer to state it.
The dates are the other thing that gets applications rejected: full period of stay
Ask your insurer for a certificate of cover that states your full name as it appears on your passport, the exact policy period, the territory covered, and the benefit amounts. That is a normal request and any decent insurer issues it without fuss. The insurance being real and the paperwork still failing is a more common way to lose an application than being uninsured.
The visa tells you the minimum. It does not tell you what to actually carry. Those are different questions, and the paperwork minimum is nearly always the smaller of the two answers.
Get a policy that satisfies this visa
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