Medellín & Bogotá · Guides + concierge
Buy, Move or Stay in Medellín and Bogotá
Straight guides to property, neighborhoods, visas and trips, and a concierge who handles the rest.
Colombia Desk helps foreigners buy property in, move to or plan a trip to Medellín and Bogotá. We work on your side of the table, for the buyer, the mover or the group. The guides set out the process, the real costs and the trade-offs with every figure sourced, and the concierge does the work with you on the ground.
Our concierge shortlists apartments, lines up the lawyer and the notary, finds the first rental, books the villa and the drivers, and stays reachable while you are here.
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Buying Property in Medellín or Bogotá
Foreigners can buy property in Colombia with a passport, and should plan to pay cash, because Colombian banks do not lend to non-residents on a passport alone. A purchase runs from the offer to a promise to buy (the promesa de compraventa), a title study, the deed at a notary and registration. The buying hub takes each step in order.
Closing costs add a few percent to the price. Take an apartment priced at 650 million Colombian pesos (COP) in Medellín. A buyer who pays the whole registration tax spends about COP 16.5 million, roughly 2.5%, on notary fees, tax and registry fees. The closing cost calculator runs the figures on your own price.
Moving to Colombia
Staying longer than the 180 days a year allowed to visitors from visa-exempt countries takes a visa. Retirees usually use the pensionado visa, remote workers the digital nomad visa and buyers the property investor visa, all compared in the visas hub. The living hub covers cost of living, safety and renting first, city by city.
Planning a Trip
A first Medellín trip fits well in five days, with Guatapé and the rock of El Peñol as the first day trip to add. The trips hub covers where to stay, trips with children, group trips and weddings, and the dates of the Feria de las Flores and the Christmas lights.
Why Work with Us
The guides tell you what to do. The concierge does it with you, in the right order.
We order the title study before anyone signs the promesa and check a building’s rules on short-term rentals before you make an offer. If you are moving, we book the cédula appointment in your first week. See how the concierge works, or tell us what you need on the contact form.
Frequently asked questions
Can foreigners buy property in Colombia?
Yes. Foreigners can buy on the same terms as Colombians, and a valid passport is enough to sign. You do not need a visa, but your money has to arrive through an authorised exchange intermediary, usually a Colombian bank, so the purchase is registered as foreign investment. Can foreigners buy property in Colombia covers the details.
Medellín or Bogotá: which city should I choose?
Medellín suits people who want warm weather year-round, at about 1,500 m with highs around 28 °C. Bogotá, at about 2,600 m with highs around 19 °C, suits people who like a cool climate and a capital of about 8 million people. Medellín vs Bogotá compares them on cost, safety and lifestyle.
What does the concierge cost?
We do not publish a fee. Tell us what you need on the contact form and we reply with how we would help and what happens next.
Can buying property get me a visa in Colombia?
It can. A property worth at least 350 monthly minimum wages, COP 612,816,750 in 2026, registered only in your name, qualifies you to apply for the migrant (M) investor visa. It is an M visa, so a Resident visa comes only after five years on it. Test a price with the investor visa checker.
Are you a real estate agency or a law firm?
Neither. We are a buyer-side concierge: we find properties and coordinate an independent Colombian lawyer, the notary and the bank for you. A lawyer gives the legal advice and a notary executes the deed.
Colombia Desk publishes general information about buying property, living in and visiting Colombia. It is not legal, tax, immigration or financial advice. Rules, fees and minimum amounts change, and prices and exchange rates move. Confirm anything you will rely on with a Colombian lawyer, notary, accountant or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before you sign or pay.