Considering retiring in Colombia

I have made several trips to Cartagena and 1 to Santa Marta. I have a 3 bedroom apartment in Funza, just outside of Bogota for 250.00 USD a month, includes security. The coast is hotter than shit, all ok to go back to the AC in the hotel and pool or lay on the beach with a breeze. Rents in Cartagena in a safe place for a 2 bedroom will be around 5-600 usd. You will need AC and good security. I like Colombia but I think the security situation is getting worse. Am thinking about checking out Ecuador. You really have to pay attention to where you are there, I watch how my in laws take care of their security in Sincelejo, they leave nothing to chance, all their houses have barred windows, and a complete barred enclosure for the whole property. Have to watch out for the 2nd guy on the motorcycle, I only carry a copy of my passport and the cash for the day when I am on the street. My wife is a nurse and has been robbed 4 times in going to Bogota to work.

I have actually visited Medellin for 10 days. That is how I fell in love with the country.
i was staying in San Diego. Clean and safe area and close to everything.

Much like you, the dUSA is making less and less sense for my lifestyles and mental health. I felt it was time to try something else. I researched Vietnam, Canada, Thailand, Panama, Colombia, and Brazil. After factoring in all the variables important to me, and considering that most other borders are closed due to the pandemic, I picked Colombia.

I started learning Spanish on July 1st. Then I visited Cartagena, Colombia for the first time on July 22nd, and stayed 2 weeks. It was such an amazing experience, I decided I want to go back and live in CO for at least 6 months, maybe indefinitely if the stars align in my favor.

I also plan to stay on the coast, for several reasons - one being I prefer being near the sea and breeze if at all possible. So either back to Cartagena, or be budget-smart and stay in Barranquilla (I chose the latter).

If things go well, I might be able to sell my house in the USA and retire early in Colombia.

My target relocation month is mid-January, just before Barranquilla rent rates spike due to the upcoming festivities.

Good luck in your journey!

PS: If you can navigate the cesspool of misinformation and filth that is Facebook, consider joining 1 or 2 expat groups on there, and gleaning as much information as you can as part of your research. That's what I'm doing.

I will be traveling to Cali next month and bringing my fiancee back to the U.S. for a few months so that she can experience life here. Our plan will be to sell my home here in the U.S. next spring and relocate to Panama. We will settle in Boquete or Cerro Punta which are located in western portion of the country, up in the Andes mountains. From that location we can reach the Pacific coast or the Caribbean coast within a couple of hours as well as drive to Cali Colombia within a day. Best of luck with your endeavors, Sir.

thanks for the comment/reply
As a matter of fact while in airplane on my way to Medellin, just like the media depicts anywhere that is not USA, i was picturing in how many ways I would be jumped, attacked, rubbed, ripped off etc....

After one week only of stay, walking around in all kind of places, riding taxis ( not only Uber) and talking to locals, I re-discover that I was right all along about the media: they just make you scare of everything and anything...
I was welcomed by every single locale i met. I felt safe! all the time!

JL's choice of an Andean location in Panama is a good one -- most of the rest of Panama is stiflingly hot.

He won't be able to drive straight through from Panama to Cali, Colombia, due to the danger-filled Darien Gap.  Could get his car across via ferry if the ferries are running.

cccmedia

Thanks for the info concerning the ferry crossing! Very much appreciated!

No ferry service.

You have to ship it.  But keep in mind you cannot keep your Colombian plated car, or any other country plated car, in Panama more than 90 days.

We shipped from Panama to Colombia to drive the entire PanAmerican Hwy from Alaska to Ushuaia.  But couldn't keep in Colombia either, so sold it to an American and had it shipped to Houston.

Also: be careful bringing your wife back to the US...she just may want to stay! 

Thanks! I have considered the possibility that my fiancee may wish to remain in the US for an extended period of time. Personally, I have had enough of Texas heat and humidity and am looking forward to the cool climate of the Andes mountains.

I would also like to know how to obtain a permanent residence or whatever we want to call it so i can stay in Colombia legally without having to worry about extending the visa or requesting a new visa..Being a US citizen what should i do ?

archmsm wrote:

I would also like to know how to obtain a permanent residence or whatever we want to call it so i can stay in Colombia legally without having to worry about extending the visa or requesting a new visa..Being a US citizen what should i do ?

Pre-covid, perhaps 95 percent of Expats would have been better off hiring a visa specialist or immigration attorney to guide this process. That percentage is even higher during The Situation.

The process starts with getting your first visa.

The specialist/attorney can steer the Expat toward the correct initial visa, with investment visas, visas based on government income and non-governmental income rentista visas being popular.

Later on, an agent associated with the specialist/attorney can do the Bogotá part of the process which involves processing of the visa applicant's passport.

Along the way, the attorney will enable the Expat to avoid/overcome/address any curveballs that get pitched .. and help plan out the path to future visa(s) and eventual residency.

For more details about getting the first visa and moving along toward residency, research via the search box at expat.com's Colombia forum welcome page.  And/or access the resources at the Medellín Guru website.  Visa rules changed considerably several years ago, so don't rely on older posts.

As is usual with government processes, patience and persistence are key.

cccmedia

Find out about taxes.

Any Expat considering a move to Colombia needs to figure out whether taxes will get in the way.

It has been widely reported that Colombia taxes the worldwide income of anyone who stays in-country more than half the time in any 12 month period.

For some Expats, this is not a problem.  For others, this can be a deal-breaker.

Sussing out the impact of taxes on any individual Expat can be complicated by the facts that the tax laws are complex, have changed a lot, are subject to change for any new tax year, in some years have included a wealth tax imposed on the assets-rich .. and are interpreted differently from one tax "expert" to another.

Personally, I make sure to limit my days in-country to fewer than 180 per 12 months in order to stay off La DIAN's radar and 'esquivar' the dreaded designation as a Colombia tax resident.

cccmedia

Medellín Guru has published an article on investment visas -- dated today, September 16, 2021 -- at medellinguru.com, titled How to Obtain a Colombia Investment Visa.

The article reports the minimum investments required for the various investment visas that Colombia issues .. and the document requirements needed to apply for all Colombia visas.  The lowest of the investment minimums is about $24,000 US.

cccmedia

You are talking about an attorney in Colombia obviously. Correct ?

Not at this time maybe in 6 months