What it costs to buy property in Colombia
A foreign buyer should budget roughly 2.4%–3.4% of the purchase price on top of the price itself. No licence or permit is required.
What you pay
- Registration tax (registro y beneficencia)1.7% of the price$8,350
- Legal fees0.5%–1.5% of the price$2,500–$7,500
- Notaría fees — your share0.2% of the price$900
| On a purchase of | $250,000 | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration tax (registro y beneficencia) | $4,175 | $8,350 | $16,700 |
| Notaría feesyour share of a split fee | $450 | $900 | $1,800 |
| Legal fees | $1,250 – $3,750 | $2,500 – $7,500 | $5,000 – $15,000 |
| Total on top of the price | 2.4%–3.4% | 2.4%–3.4% | 2.4%–3.4% |
Who carries the taxes and fees
What the seller pays — not you
- Notaría fees — 0.36%0.3% of the deed price plus 19% IVA, split evenly with the seller by custom. The whole fee is shown; the split is negotiable.
Guides that add every tax together and present the total as a buyer's bill overstate the cost. These are the seller's.
Can you buy as a foreigner?
No licence required
No restriction and no permit: foreigners buy on the same terms as Colombians, and the same rates apply. The purchase is formalised as an escritura pública before a notaría and then registered.
No approval to wait for
With no permission to obtain, the timeline is set by conveyancing rather than by a government queue.
Take it with you
These figures as a PDF, worked out at the price you enter, with every source and the date it was checked.
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Nearby markets compared
What a foreign buyer pays on top of a $500,000 price, here and in the markets around it nearest in cost.
- VenezuelaNo licence0.9%–2.6%
- ColombiaNo licence2.4%–3.4%
- GuyanaNo licence4.3%–5.3%
- French GuianaNo licence7.5%–8.3%
- SurinameLicence needed8.1%–8.2%
An estimate for budgeting, not legal or tax advice. These rates are traced to published sources but have not been reviewed by a practitioner in this jurisdiction. Confirm the current position with an attorney before you commit.
The retención en la fuente of 1% is withheld by the buyer at closing but is an advance against the seller's tax, not a cost to the buyer — so it is deliberately not totalled here even though it appears on the closing statement.