Retire in Colombia: visa, health insurance and taxes

For the retirement visa you need a lifetime pension of COP 5,252,715 a month or more in 2026 (about USD 1,590), which is 3 minimum wages. You also need a health policy with coverage in Colombia, from USD 435 a year up to age 75, and the official fees: USD 56 for the visa study, USD 279 for issuance and COP 294,000 for the foreign ID card (cédula de extranjería).
To live in Medellín, one person spends USD 1,200 to 1,800 a month on a basic but comfortable lifestyle, and USD 1,800 to 2,800 on a typical expat lifestyle, according to our 2026 estimate.

Withdrawals from a 401(k) or IRA, savings, dividends and rent do not count as a pension. Other routes depend on your case. Buying a home of the required value with money brought from abroad can qualify you for the investment visa. Steady passive income of 10 minimum wages or more a month may fit the rentista visa, which does not allow you to work. A lifetime annuity may also qualify, and we review it before you buy one.

The threshold is in Colombian pesos and is measured with the exchange rate of the day, so a pension paid in dollars or euros moves with it. A pension that cleared the line when you first checked can fall below it by the filing date. If yours is within about 10% of the threshold, we look at the conversion again right before filing.

No. Your days in Colombia do. Spending more than 183 days here, continuous or not, within any 365-day period makes you a Colombian tax resident, even on a tourist entry. The visa neither triggers it nor protects you from it.

As a tax resident you report your worldwide income in Colombia, including a foreign pension. Since the 2022 tax reform (Law 2277), a pension or lifetime annuity from abroad is treated like a Colombian one (Tax Statute, art. 206): it is exempt up to 1,000 UVT a month, about USD 15,860 (COP 52,374,000 in 2026). Only the part above that amount is taxed, and a credit for tax paid abroad may apply.

Not on a retirement visa. The visa does not allow affiliation with the social security system (Resolution 5477 of 2022, art. 77), and joining an EPS can lead to the cancellation of the visa. Your coverage is a health policy that meets the visa requirement.

Yes, if they depend on you financially: your spouse or permanent partner, and children up to age 25, or of any age with a disability. Each one applies for a beneficiary visa linked to yours. If your spouse is Colombian, the marriage visa is the usual route instead.

Cancillería has up to 30 calendar days to decide once the application is complete and the study fee is paid (Resolution 5477 of 2022, art. 13).
It can take longer if Cancillería consults other entities.

Yes, up to 180 calendar days in a row, about 6 months.
If you are away longer, within each 365-day period counted from the day your visa was issued, the visa ends on its own (Resolution 5477 of 2022, art. 65).