Each week, there is news from around the world of countries opening their borders hoping to entice remote workers to bring their businesses, and wallets, to their countries. New laws are being enacted seemingly daily to entice digital nomads to come and work within their borders and in turn help boost the economy with capital expenditures.
While some countries make it difficult to work and live remotely, one country makes it so easy that you barely need to think about the move. Instead of placing restrictions on the type of worker or how much money he/she makes yearly, Colombia is a haven for digital nomads.
Firstly, anyone who earns over $684 USD per month and doesn’t require a visa, can stay for up to six months. You are not allowed to work for a company in Colombia, but are allowed to stay within its borders for half the year, drama free.
Per the Colombian Government, Resolution 5488 of 2022 states that, “Digital nomads, remote workers and digital entrepreneurs of nationalities that do not require a short-stay visa” and that they “may enter without a visa and remain in Colombia with an Entry Permit granted by the immigration authority, in accordance with the current norm; provided that their stay in the country does not generate payments from Colombian companies and their period of stay does not exceed 90 days, which may be extended up to a maximum of 180 continuous or discontinuous calendar year days.”
The beautiful and highly affordable country is steeped with cultural history, while major cities like Medellin and Bogota along with coastal gems of Santa Marta and Cartagena, draw in the most tourists. The average monthly living costs is as low as $881 per month in some areas and even include rent.
You don’t need a digital nomad visa if you plan to stay less than six months in a year, but if you plan to stay longer, you will need the following:
- a Passport from a visa-free country for entry into Colombia
- a letter from a foreign employer stating your position; or a summary of roles and incomes for entrepreneurs or contractors.
- three months of bank statements showing at least $684 per month