Question 1

Can a foreigner buy real estate in Colombia?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Colombian law gives foreign nationals the same property rights as Colombian citizens — no residency, visa or local partner is required. Title is registered in your personal name (or in a company you control) at the Oficina de Registro de Instrumentos Públicos.

Question 2

What is the legal process to acquire a property?

Accepted Answer

1) Reservation and signing of the promesa de compraventa (preliminary contract). 2) Due diligence on title (Estudio de Títulos) by an independent Colombian attorney — we coordinate this. 3) Signing of the Escritura Pública before a notary. 4) Registration at the Oficina de Registro. 5) Beneficiario real declaration with the developer. The full cycle typically takes 30–60 days.

Question 3

Do I need to travel to Colombia to close?

Accepted Answer

No. The entire process can be completed via Power of Attorney (Poder Especial), apostilled in your country of residence. Most of our European investors close fully remotely.

Question 4

How is my money protected during construction? (Fiducia)

Accepted Answer

Every payment goes into a fiducia mercantil — a regulated trust managed by an independent Colombian fiduciary company (such as Fiduciaria Bancolombia or Alianza Fiduciaria), supervised by the Superintendencia Financiera. The fiduciary holds the funds in your name and only releases them to the developer as construction milestones are verified and the project meets its legal pre-conditions (licences, sales threshold, etc.). If those conditions are not met, the fiduciary returns your capital. It is the standard, mandatory protection mechanism for off-plan real estate purchases in Colombia.

Question 5

How do I send money into Colombia for the purchase?

Accepted Answer

Through a registered Intermediario del Mercado Cambiario (IMC) — typically a Colombian bank or a regulated FX broker. Each inbound wire is registered with Banco de la República under your name using a Form 4 (Declaración de Cambio por Inversiones Internacionales). This registration is what later authorises you to repatriate capital and profits.

Question 6

Can I repatriate capital and rental income freely?

Accepted Answer

Yes — provided the original investment was registered with Banco de la República (Form 4). Once registered, you can legally repatriate 100% of the original capital, capital gains and rental yields, in any major currency, with no annual cap.

Question 7

Are payment plans available during construction?

Accepted Answer

Yes — and they are flexible. The initial reservation is between 10% and 30% of the unit price, depending on what works best for you. The remaining balance is paid in instalments across the construction period, on a schedule we agree together (monthly, quarterly, or milestone-based). Construction runs approximately 2 to 2.5 years, and the structure is open to discussion — talk to us and we'll tailor it to your cash-flow.

Question 8

Which banks finance foreigners in Colombia?

Accepted Answer

Bancolombia, Banco Davivienda and Banco de Bogotá all offer mortgages to non-resident foreigners, typically up to 50–60% LTV in COP, with rates indexed to UVR or fixed in USD via international banking partners.

Question 9

What taxes apply at acquisition?

Accepted Answer

Notary fees and registration tax together total roughly 2.5–3% of the deed value. There is no separate transfer tax beyond this for new-build purchases from a developer.

Question 10

What taxes apply during ownership?

Accepted Answer

Annual property tax (Impuesto Predial) is approximately 0.5–1.0% of the cadastral value — typically 30–50% lower than the market value. There is no national wealth tax for non-residents on a single property below ~COP 3 billion (~€700k) of net Colombian assets.

Question 11

How is rental income taxed?

Accepted Answer

Rental income earned in Colombia is taxed at a flat 35% on net income for non-residents (gross rents minus deductible expenses including depreciation, management, maintenance and financing costs). Most jurisdictions credit Colombian tax against your home-country liability under double-taxation treaties — Colombia has DTAs with Spain, the UK, France, Switzerland, Italy and others.

Question 12

How are capital gains taxed on sale?

Accepted Answer

Capital gains held more than 2 years are taxed at a flat 15% on the gain (sale price minus indexed acquisition cost). Held under 2 years they are taxed as ordinary income.

Question 13

What is the minimum ticket size?

Accepted Answer

Phase 1 of Villa Mediterráneo starts at €285,000 for a fully-finished, furnished beachfront apartment. Alto Lago entry tickets start at €165,000.

Question 14

What returns can I expect?

Accepted Answer

Pre-construction to delivery capital appreciation has historically been 35–55% on comparable Caribbean projects over a 24–36 month build cycle. Stabilised gross rental yields on the Cartagena–Barranquilla corridor are running 7–9% on premium short-term-rental product.

Question 15

Who manages the property after delivery?

Accepted Answer

Villa Mediterráneo is operated as a managed resort — owners can opt into the rental pool with full management (booking, maintenance, cleaning, accounting, distribution) handled by the on-site operator, or self-manage.

Question 16

¿Qué es una fiducia inmobiliaria en Colombia y cómo protege al inversionista extranjero?

Accepted Answer

La fiducia mercantil inmobiliaria es un patrimonio autónomo administrado por una sociedad fiduciaria regulada por la Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia (Fiduciaria Bancolombia, Alianza Fiduciaria, entre otras). Cada pago del comprador entra a la fiducia a su nombre y solo se libera al constructor cuando se cumplen los hitos legales y de obra. Si el proyecto no alcanza el punto de equilibrio o no obtiene licencias, la fiduciaria devuelve el capital. Es el mecanismo estándar y obligatorio para compras sobre planos en Colombia.

Question 17

¿Puede un extranjero comprar propiedad en Colombia?

Accepted Answer

Sí. La ley colombiana otorga a los extranjeros los mismos derechos de propiedad que a los nacionales — sin necesidad de visa, residencia ni socio local. La escritura se registra a nombre del inversionista en la Oficina de Registro de Instrumentos Públicos y todo el proceso puede hacerse de forma remota mediante poder especial apostillado.

Question 18

¿Qué impuestos paga un extranjero al comprar y poseer un inmueble en Colombia?

Accepted Answer

Al comprar: notariado y registro suman aproximadamente 2.5–3% del valor de escritura. Anualmente: impuesto predial entre 0.5% y 1% del avalúo catastral. Sobre rentas de alquiler: 35% sobre la utilidad neta para no residentes (con deducciones). Ganancia ocasional al vender: 15% si la propiedad se tuvo más de 2 años. Colombia tiene tratados de doble tributación con España, Reino Unido, Francia, Suiza e Italia.

Question 19

¿Cómo se repatría el capital y las rentas desde Colombia?

Accepted Answer

El capital invertido debe registrarse en el Banco de la República mediante el Formulario 4 (Declaración de Cambio por Inversiones Internacionales) a través de un Intermediario del Mercado Cambiario. Una vez registrado, el inversionista puede repatriar el 100% del capital, la valorización y las rentas en cualquier divisa, sin tope anual.

Question 20

Kan een buitenlander vastgoed kopen in Colombia?

Accepted Answer

Ja. Colombiaanse wetgeving geeft buitenlanders dezelfde eigendomsrechten als Colombiaanse staatsburgers — er is geen visum, verblijfsvergunning of lokale partner nodig. De akte wordt in uw naam geregistreerd bij het Oficina de Registro de Instrumentos Públicos en het volledige proces kan op afstand worden afgehandeld via een geapostilleerde volmacht.

Question 21

Wat is een fiducia en hoe beschermt het mijn investering?

Accepted Answer

Een fiducia mercantil is een gereguleerd trust-vermogen beheerd door een Colombiaanse fiduciaire vennootschap onder toezicht van de Superintendencia Financiera. Elke betaling gaat in het trust op uw naam en wordt pas vrijgegeven aan de ontwikkelaar wanneer bouw- en juridische mijlpalen zijn behaald. Voldoet het project niet, dan wordt uw kapitaal teruggestort. Dit is de standaard, verplichte bescherming voor off-plan vastgoedaankopen in Colombia.

Question 22

Welke belastingen gelden voor buitenlandse vastgoedeigenaren in Colombia?

Accepted Answer

Bij aankoop: ca. 2,5–3% notaris- en registratiekosten. Jaarlijks: 0,5–1% onroerendgoedbelasting (Impuesto Predial) op de kadastrale waarde. Huurinkomsten: 35% op netto inkomen voor niet-ingezetenen, met aftrekposten. Vermogenswinst bij verkoop: 15% bij bezit langer dan 2 jaar. Colombia heeft een belastingverdrag met Nederland in voorbereiding; tot dan geldt de gewone Nederlandse regeling met buitenlandse belastingverrekening.

Straight answers for international investors.

Legal structure & buying as a foreigner

Capital flow, payment & repatriation

Taxes

The investment

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