{"id":18670,"date":"2026-09-22T15:36:53","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T20:36:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nexo.legal\/bank-account-company-colombia-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T15:56:32","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T20:56:32","slug":"bank-account-company-colombia-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nexo.legal\/es\/bank-account-company-colombia-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Cuenta Bancaria para una Empresa en Colombia: Lo que los Fundadores Extranjeros Deben Saber en 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reviewed by Santiago Arroyave, Director of Legal Affairs at Nexo Legal. Corporate & Financial Law Expert | Global Client Relations | Legal Strategist.<\/em><\/p>\n

Quick answer:<\/strong> Getting a bank account for a company in Colombia<\/strong> requires your SAS to already have its NIT and RUT from the DIAN, a recent Certificate of Existence and Legal Representation from the Chamber of Commerce, and the legal representative’s ID \u2014 plus two forms every major bank will ask for: “Conocimiento del Cliente Persona Jur\u00eddica” (know-your-client) and “Conocimiento de Socios o Accionistas” (know-your-shareholders). Foreign ownership doesn’t block you from opening an account, and Colombian regulators have been explicit that nationality or immigration status alone can’t be grounds for refusal \u2014 but banks apply real anti-money-laundering scrutiny (SARLAFT, not SAGRILAFT) to companies with foreign shareholders, which is where most delays actually come from. Most traditional banks still expect the legal representative to appear in person; a newer 100% digital option, Lulo Empresas, launched in September 2026 without that requirement.<\/p>\n

\"bank<\/p>\n

\n

Table of Contents<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Opening a Bank Account for a Company in Colombia: What Documents You Need<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. SARLAFT, not SAGRILAFT: what your bank is really checking<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Do you have to be in Colombia in person?<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. How long it really takes<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Why foreign-owned companies get delayed or rejected<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Bancolombia vs. Davivienda vs. BBVA vs. Banco de Bogot\u00e1<\/a><\/li>\n
  7. Lulo Empresas and other digital alternatives<\/a><\/li>\n
  8. Step-by-step: from NIT to your first transaction<\/a><\/li>\n
  9. FAQ<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    Opening a Bank Account for a Company in Colombia: What Documents You Need<\/h2>\n

    Before you can even request a bank account for a company in Colombia<\/strong>, the company itself has to exist on paper \u2014 which means you’ve already gone through incorporating the SAS<\/a> and completed the obligations that follow it, covered in detail in our full compliance checklist for an S.A.S. in Colombia<\/a>. Banks won’t start the account-opening process without the documents that prove that.<\/p>\n

    Based on the official requirements published directly by Bancolombia, BBVA Colombia, and Banco de Bogot\u00e1, the core document set is consistent across the major banks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Document<\/th>\nWhy the bank asks for it<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    NIT (Tax ID) and RUT<\/td>\nIssued by the DIAN once the Chamber of Commerce forwards your incorporation filing; confirms the company is registered and tax-active<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Certificado de Existencia y Representaci\u00f3n Legal<\/td>\nIssued by the Chamber of Commerce, generally accepted only if recently issued (commonly no more than 30 days old); proves the company exists and who can legally represent it<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Legal representative’s ID<\/td>\nC\u00e9dula de ciudadan\u00eda, c\u00e9dula de extranjer\u00eda, or passport, depending on the representative’s status<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Company bylaws (estatutos)<\/td>\nConfirms share structure, corporate purpose, and who holds signing authority<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    “Conocimiento del Cliente Persona Jur\u00eddica” form<\/td>\nThe bank’s own KYC form for the legal entity itself<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    “Conocimiento de Socios o Accionistas” form<\/td>\nA separate form identifying each shareholder \u2014 this is the one that specifically captures foreign ownership<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    Banco de Bogot\u00e1 formalizes this through its own downloadable “Solicitud de Vinculaci\u00f3n Persona Jur\u00eddica,” and gives applicants roughly 15 days to complete outstanding documentation before restricting transactions on the account for “incomplete documentation” \u2014 a detail worth knowing before you assume the account is fully usable the day it opens.<\/p>\n

    One point we could not<\/strong> verify with an official, dated source: a specific minimum-capital threshold (sometimes cited informally by corporate-services advisors) tied to which account tier a company qualifies for. Minimum deposits and account tiers vary by bank and by account type, and none of the four major banks publish a single universal figure \u2014 confirm the exact number directly with the bank once you’ve chosen an account type.<\/p>\n

    \n

    SARLAFT, not SAGRILAFT: what your bank is really checking<\/h2>\n

    Foreign founders researching this topic often run into the term “SAGRILAFT” and assume it’s what a bank checks before opening a corporate bank account in Colombia<\/strong>. It isn’t \u2014 and the distinction matters enough to get right.<\/p>\n