To send money from Colombia to the USA, you use an international SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) transfer from a Colombian bank account or an online transfer service like Global66. At Colombia Desk, we help buyers and movers coordinate the bank process and paperwork so funds clear properly on both sides. You give your Colombian bank the exchange declaration data for the transfer. The debit from your account is generally subject to Colombia’s 4-per-thousand financial tax (the 4x1000) unless the monthly exemption covers it.
Remitly and Wise cannot move pesos out of a Colombian bank account. On the US side, a Colombian account can trigger a Foreign Bank Account Report (FBAR) or Form 8938, and a gift from a foreign person can require Form 3520.
How to Send Money From Colombia to the US
You send money from Colombia to the United States through an international bank wire, a digital transfer platform, or an in-person money transmitter. To execute a wire from a Colombian bank, you follow four core steps:
- Confirm your bank channel and gather the recipient’s United States banking details, including their full legal name, physical address, bank code (such as a SWIFT code), and account number.
- Select the transfer channel in your banking portal or visit a physical branch, then choose the transaction purpose and provide your foreign exchange declaration data.
- Review and accept the commercial exchange rate, select who covers the wire charges, and confirm the Colombian account debit.
- Keep all transfer receipts, confirmation numbers, and bank filings for your exchange records and tax reporting.
| Route | How it works | Published fees and limits (as listed in October 2026) | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bancolombia online wire | Send via Sucursal Virtual Personas using your online login | 4.5% of the USD amount + USD 5 (min USD 12, max USD 29 + IVA, Colombia’s value-added tax) on the SVP help page, which gives a general limit of USD 10,000 a day; the transfers page cites up to USD 249,999 through SVP | Account holders moving funds to a United States checking or savings account |
| Bancolombia physical branch | Present original identification and fill out forms F-569 and F-691 in person | Limits and fees are not published on the branch FAQ page | Senders who prefer in-person verification or need assistance from branch staff |
| Davivienda mobile app | Send through the Davivienda mobile app to a foreign bank account | USD 25 + IVA for dollars in digital channels; up to USD 50,000 per operation per day | Existing Davivienda account holders transferring money on business days |
| Davivienda cash via RIA | Send from the Davivienda app for cash pickup in the United States | USD 6 + IVA for USD 50 to USD 300, rising to USD 55 + IVA above USD 2,500; cap of USD 3,000 | Senders transmitting funds to a recipient without a United States bank account |
| Global66 | Register in the app, add the recipient’s details, and pay | Delivery takes minutes up to 24 business hours; fees and limits are not listed on the landing page | Senders seeking an online app alternative to traditional bank desks |
| Western Union Colombia | Register online, verify identity in person at an agency, then send online | Fees, limits, and corridor-specific terms are not published on the main site | Senders willing to complete in-person agency identity verification |
| PayPal Colombia | Send an international personal payment from your PayPal balance; PayPal lists personal payments as limited availability | USD 4.99 personal fee; 3.50% fee for withdrawals to a United States bank account | Small personal transfers between individuals with existing PayPal accounts |
Several popular services do not work for this corridor. Remitly operates as an inbound service to Colombia and does not list Colombia among its 33 sending countries. Wise classifies Colombian pesos as a send-to-only currency, and Wise help documentation clarifies that you cannot load pesos from an external Colombian bank account. Zelle requires both parties to hold United States bank accounts and cannot connect to Colombian financial institutions.
Bank Information and Exchange Declarations
Your Colombian bank requires specific beneficiary data and regulatory paperwork before it releases an international wire to the United States. Under Bancolombia outbound rules, you must supply the beneficiary’s full name, account number, and destination bank identifier, such as a SWIFT code. When sending at a physical branch, Bancolombia’s help center notes that you must bring your original identity document, state the recipient’s phone number and full address, and complete forms F-569 and F-691.
Outbound bank transfers also require an exchange declaration (declaración de cambio). Colombian financial entities act as Intermediarios del Mercado Cambiario (IMCs). Under Banco de la República Circular DCIP-83 Capítulo 1, both residents and non-residents must provide truthful and complete minimum data to the intermediary, which transmits the details directly to the central bank.
Davivienda makes you pick an exchange classification (numeral cambiario) that matches the purpose of the money. The Davivienda App reglamento lists app purposes such as tourism, education, sending to a family member, and sending to your own account abroad. If no listed option fits your transfer, the reglamento states you must not proceed in the app and must use the website or Mesa de Dinero instead. As an intermediary, Davivienda must request supporting documents and will not process the outbound transfer until those documents are delivered.
Before you confirm the wire, Bancolombia shows the exchange rate and asks you to accept it. Bancolombia notes that you choose whether you or the recipient covers the transmission fees, and intermediary correspondent banks may deduct costs from the final amount that arrives in the United States.
Colombian Foreign Exchange Regulations
Colombia operates an exchange control regime overseen by the central bank. Under Banco de la República Resolución Externa 1 de 2018 artículo 41, specific transactions must strictly channel through the formal exchange market. These mandatory-channel operations include imports and exports of goods, external debt, foreign capital investments in Colombia, Colombian investments abroad, financial investments abroad, foreign currency guarantees, and financial derivatives.
Personal transfers, family support, and ordinary gifts are not included on that mandatory list. Reading article 41 alongside article 82 of the same resolution indicates that transactions outside the mandatory list belong to the free exchange market. Senders may still process them voluntarily through an exchange intermediary like a commercial bank.
Colombian rules also address foreign assets held by residents. Under Resolución Externa 1 de 2018 artículo 82, Colombian residents may freely hold foreign currency deposits in bank accounts abroad. Under artículo 9, banks must collect your exchange data and pass it to Banco de la República. Banks also report to authorities that include Colombia’s financial intelligence unit and the tax authority, the Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales (DIAN).
The 4x1000 Financial Transactions Tax
Money debited from a Colombian bank account to fund an outbound wire is generally subject to Colombia’s financial transactions tax. This levy is known as the Gravamen a los Movimientos Financieros (GMF) or the 4x1000. Under Estatuto Tributario artículo 871, the taxable event covers any transaction that disposes of funds in checking or savings accounts. Estatuto Tributario artículo 872 establishes the tax rate at four per thousand, which equals 0.4% of the debited amount.
Colombian law grants a monthly exemption on modest withdrawals. Under Estatuto Tributario artículo 879 numeral 1, withdrawals from savings accounts are exempt up to 350 Unidad de Valor Tributario (UVT) per month. For 2026, the DIAN set the UVT at COP 52,374. Multiplying 350 UVT by COP 52,374 results in a monthly exemption threshold of COP 18,330,900.
Earlier regulations required account holders to mark a single savings account as exempt. Estatuto Tributario artículo 881-1 changed that mechanism by ordering financial institutions to implement an integrated information system. In Oficio 010196 de 2025, the DIAN clarified that individuals are entitled to this 350 UVT monthly exemption across institutions without marking a single account, effective December 13, 2024. If a financial entity withholds the tax improperly, the DIAN notes that the account holder may request a written refund from the withholding bank.
Repatriating Funds From a Property Sale
If you sell real estate in Colombia that you originally acquired as a foreign investor, sending the proceeds to the United States requires clearing central bank investment records. Under Banco de la República Resolución Externa 1 de 2018 artículo 41 numeral 3, foreign direct capital investments and their returns must move through the formal exchange market. Our guide on sending money to buy property in Colombia explains how incoming funds are originally registered during the purchase.
When you liquidate that investment by selling the property, you must file a cancellation of the foreign direct investment registration. Under Circular DCIP-83 Capítulo 7 numeral 7.2.1.4, you or your legal representative register the cancellation in the central bank’s Sistema de Información Cambiaria. No supporting documents are filed with the cancellation.
Foreign capital investors must maintain a legal representative (apoderado) in Colombia under DCIP-83 Capítulo 7 numeral 7.1.2. Central bank registration does not validate the lawful origin of the capital, under numeral 7.1.1. Keep the documents that prove the amount and terms of the investment for the exchange-sanction limitation period. A licensed Colombian lawyer or accountant should file your cancellation in the central bank portal before moving sale proceeds abroad.
United States Tax and Transfer Reporting Rules
Moving money into the United States can trigger federal reporting if you are a United States person. A US tax adviser should confirm which of the forms below apply to you.
- Currency Transaction Reports. Under Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) customer guidance, federal law requires financial institutions to file Currency Transaction Reports (CTRs) only for physical cash or coin transactions exceeding $10,000. Because an international wire is funded electronically rather than through physical currency, it is not a cash transaction.
- Foreign Gifts on Form 3520. If you receive funds as a gift or bequest from a foreign person, reporting thresholds apply. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) page on gifts from foreign persons requires a United States person to file Form 3520 when gifts from a nonresident alien individual or foreign estate exceed $100,000 in the tax year. The form lists each gift over $5,000 separately. For gifts from foreign corporations or partnerships, the reporting threshold is $20,573 for 2026. If Form 3520 is late, incomplete or incorrect, the IRS may determine the income-tax consequences of the gift or bequest.
- Foreign Bank Account Reporting (FBAR). Holding the funds in Colombia before the wire may trigger annual account reporting. The IRS FBAR guidance covers any United States person with a financial interest in, or signature authority over, foreign accounts. You file FinCEN Form 114 if those accounts together exceeded $10,000 at any time in the calendar year. The form is filed electronically through the BSA E-Filing System by April 15, with an automatic extension to October 15.
- FATCA Reporting on Form 8938. High-value balances held abroad require additional disclosure. Under the IRS summary of Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) reporting, an unmarried taxpayer living in the United States files Form 8938 above $50,000 at year-end or $75,000 at any time. For married couples filing jointly in the United States, the thresholds rise to $100,000 at year-end or $150,000 during the year. Unmarried taxpayers living abroad file above $200,000 at year-end or $300,000 at any time. Married couples filing jointly abroad file above $400,000 at year-end or $600,000 at any time.
Carrying Physical Cash Across the Border
Carrying physical currency out of Colombia and into the United States is legal, but strict disclosure rules apply once you cross specific thresholds.
When departing Colombia, Banco de la República Resolución Externa 1 de 2018 artículo 87 mandates that any traveller carrying foreign currency or Colombian pesos exceeding US$10,000 (or its equivalent) must declare it to customs. This requirement applies to individual travellers and to family groups whose combined cash holdings exceed that figure. The declaration is DIAN Formulario 530, the Declaración de Equipaje, de Dinero en Efectivo y de Títulos Representativos de Dinero. You complete it after immigration at the airport, even if the trip does not happen.
Upon arrival in the United States, U.S. Customs and Border Protection requires anyone carrying currency or monetary instruments exceeding $10,000 to file FinCEN Form 105. For families travelling together, the threshold applies to the collective total. Customs guidance states that filing this declaration is not a tax, but failing to declare the currency can lead to seizure, forfeiture, and civil or criminal penalties.
Comparing Commercial Exchange Rates to the Official TRM
Colombia’s official reference rate, the Tasa de Cambio Representativa del Mercado (TRM), was COP 3,174.67 per USD for October 17 to 19, 2026, according to Superfinanciera records. The TRM was COP 3,170.46 on October 16 and COP 3,197.65 on October 15.
Your bank or transfer app sets its own rate, so compare the rate it shows you with the TRM before you confirm. If you still need a peso account to send from, see our guide to opening a bank account in Colombia. Senders transferring funds in the opposite direction can compare provider terms in our guide to sending money to Colombia from the USA.
To send money from Colombia to the USA efficiently, review your bank’s outbound wire fees, calculate the 4x1000 tax deduction, and get your recipient’s bank code and account number. If you need assistance setting up your local banking relationships or reviewing property repatriation requirements, contact us at Colombia Desk to connect with our concierge team.