The Migrant (M) Pensionado visa is aimed at retirees with a pension of at least three Colombian minimum wages (roughly US$1,380 a month) and can be held for up to three years before moving to a Resident (R) visa.
A few things to line up early:
Visa rules change often — treat this as a starting point and confirm the latest official requirements before you plan.
Remember: buying a home and gaining the right to live there are usually separate steps. See how ownership works in Colombia, and what it costs to live there in our cost-of-retiring guide.
A tax resident (183-plus days) must report worldwide income, and a foreign pension is taxable above a generous monthly allowance of around 1,000 UVT, with rates rising progressively to 39%. Whether that pension relief fully applies to foreign pensions is debated, so take advice.
Colombia's healthcare is well rated and affordable: residents can join the public EPS system, and private prepaid plans (medicina prepagada) and top hospitals in Medellin and Bogota cost far less than in the UK. Good cover is inexpensive at most ages. Much improved and welcoming, though city street-smarts still pay; Spanish is essential with limited English, and driving is on the right.
Medellin (El Poblado, Envigado, Laureles) for its spring climate and large expat scene, the coffee region around Pereira and Armenia, the Caribbean coast at Santa Marta and Cartagena, and cooler Bogota.
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