Colombia Baggage Allowance: Goods, Phones and Resale

Colombia's traveller baggage allowance does not cover iPhones, laptops or AirPods brought to sell to stores. Goods brought for resale need another applicable import procedure, even below the value or unit limits (Decree 1165, articles 266–267).

What it is

Personal effects (efectos personales) are new or used items a traveller may need for personal use during the trip. The circumstances of the trip matter. Commercial goods are excluded. This is the definition in article 3, as amended by Decree 360 of 2021, article 1. Personal effects do not use the tax-free goods allowance (article 268).

Other baggage goods must meet article 266. It excludes from a commercial shipment up to 10 units of the same class per traveller, subject to all its conditions. Entry must be occasional. The goods must be only for personal or family use, or gifts. Neither their nature nor their quantity may show commercial intent. The phrase commercial quantities (cantidades comerciales) does not mean that every smaller batch qualifies.

Who it applies to

These general rules cover travellers arriving from abroad, including returning residents and visitors. Transit travellers and crew have separate rules (articles 277–278). Nationality does not turn shop inventory into personal baggage. Frequent trips to supply stores have a resale purpose. In general, that purpose rules out this allowance.

Passports and immigration checks are separate: see Colombia entry requirements. A household move follows household goods rules. Parcels follow postal and courier rules.

Mobile phones, laptops and earphones

Decree 2025, article 3, paragraph 1, as amended by Decree 2142 of 2016, permits up to 3 mobile phones. The traveller must carry them on arrival as personal effects. This is not permission to bring 3 phones for resale. The decree lets DIAN specify when IMEI reporting is required. DIAN's traveller guidance says to declare the phones on Form 530 with their IMEI and USD value. IMEI is the phone's equipment identifier.

A laptop or earphones needed during the trip may meet the personal-effects definition. New items do not qualify just because they fit in a suitcase. Other non-commercial goods must meet the category limits below. This guide gives no separate brand-based allowance for laptops or AirPods.

Steps

For general preparation under Resolution 46, articles 286–290:

1. Separate personal effects from gifts, other purchases and goods for resale in an item list.
2. Ask DIAN or an authorised customs agency (agencia de aduanas) about the import procedure for commercial goods before travel.
3. Keep invoices that show the goods and their value.
4. Get Form 530 from DIAN or the international carrier when a declaration is required.
5. Complete the traveller and trip details.
6. Answer each declaration question, including commercial goods and baggage arriving separately.
7. List the goods with brand, model, serial number or IMEI, quantity and USD value, as applicable.
8. Complete the separate money section if the cash or monetary-instrument rules require it.
9. Sign the declaration.
10. Present the completed declaration at the DIAN control point before baggage inspection.
11. Pay any assessed single tax through the authorised collection channel.
12. Keep the declaration copy and payment record.

Resolution 54 of 2019 prescribes Form 530 in English and Spanish. DIAN provides the paper form free. Its instructions identify carriers, customs posts, ports and border crossings as sources of the form. A family travelling together may file together; each person's allowance stays personal. The linked sample PDF is marked “No diligenciable”. It is a reference copy, not the form to complete.

When Form 530 is required

Article 286 requires it for taxable baggage, commercial quantities and goods needing another import procedure. It also covers baggage arriving separately, certain temporary imports, accredited medical missions and goods subject to special reporting rules. Animals, plants, regulated agricultural goods, cultural property and certain environmental goods also trigger declaration.

Article 267 exempts qualifying tax-free baggage from the form, subject to other declaration triggers. All travellers must still present baggage to customs. Cash has a separate trigger on the same form. See cash and monetary-instrument declarations; a cash declaration does not replace the goods section.

Costs

In 2026, articles 268–274 set these limits. Checked October 26, 2026.

Goods	Value and tax	Conditions
Tax-free accompanied baggage	Up to USD 2,000. No single tax.	Goods arrive with the traveller. Article 266's non-commercial test applies, including its 10-unit limit. Personal effects do not count toward this value. Article 268 sets no minimum time abroad.
Additional baggage allowance	Up to USD 3,000. Single tax (tributo único): 15% of the value of goods subject to this tax.	At least 5 calendar days abroad. Accompanied or unaccompanied baggage. Up to 3 of each household or sports item, or item for the traveller's profession, art or trade. Up to 10 units of the same class of other personal or family goods. Non-commercial use only. Once each year per person (article 269).
Minors	50% of each value allowance.	Article 274 reduces the values; the other conditions still apply.

Article 269 preserves the separate tax-free allowance. The additional allowance is not wholly tax-free when goods arrive with the traveller: articles 269–270 require the single tax. A general DIAN web table says otherwise for one category; this guide follows the decree. Duty-free shop purchases count toward the goods allowance (article 268).

These amounts do not set the taxes or costs for commercial imports. An authorised customs agency can explain classification, documents and charges for a proposed shipment. Ask a Colombian lawyer or accountant for your case.

Documents

The Form 530 annex asks for identification, residence, travel and goods details. Article 268 allows DIAN to request invoices or other value evidence if it doubts the declared value. The additional allowance needs proof of time abroad. For unaccompanied baggage, Resolution 46, article 290, requires the arrival declaration, passport and invoices for new goods.

Deadlines

A required goods declaration must reach the customs control point before baggage inspection. For unaccompanied baggage, article 273 sets an arrival window from 1 month before the traveller to 3 months after. The traveller must declare that baggage on arrival. Article 290 exempts qualifying personal effects in unaccompanied baggage from the single tax. If the arrival declaration omits that baggage, only qualifying personal effects can be released under that provision. The additional allowance's once-a-year rule does not restart on each flight.

Common mistakes

• Splitting stock across travellers: article 272 makes allowances personal and non-transferable. A family declaration does not pool them. Splitting goods does not remove their resale purpose.
• Removing boxes: the personal-effects rule turns on use during the trip and excludes commercial goods. Removing packaging does not change a resale purpose.
• Assuming payment fixes everything: the single tax is for eligible traveller baggage. Paying it does not make commercial stock eligible.
• Confusing cash with goods: Form 530 has separate questions and sections for them.
• Ignoring US export rules: the US Census export guide sets export filing rules with exemptions. Its tools-of-trade exemption requires goods not to be for sale, among other conditions. Colombian admission does not settle US export obligations.

Undeclared goods and seizure

Article 267, paragraph 2 distinguishes undeclared baggage from declared goods that fail the traveller conditions. DIAN sends declared goods that fail those conditions to an authorised warehouse for ordinary import. Article 288 also permits another applicable import procedure if its legal requirements are met. The warehouse stay has a legal time limit. Failure to complete import within it causes legal abandonment under article 288. Filing Form 530 does not itself authorise release.

Law 2586 of 2026, article 26(12) sets grounds for seizure and confiscation (aprehensión y decomiso). Its arrival rule starts with failure to declare baggage subject to the single tax. In that situation, it covers taxable goods, excess value or quantity, goods outside the traveller rules, or an unmet minimum stay abroad. The declared-goods procedure above is separate. The law also provides for seizure when later checks find goods brought under the traveller regime destined for commerce. Under article 114, this law applies from its promulgation on 19 June 2026.

Law 1762 of 2015, article 4 sets separate criminal contraband rules with conduct and value thresholds. Exceeding a baggage allowance alone does not establish that crime. A Colombian lawyer must assess a specific case.

Exceptions

Articles 275–276 set separate rules based on residence. Residents returning to Colombia may reimport goods they temporarily exported while those goods were free of customs restrictions. They must have declared the goods on departure. The goods must return unchanged. That reimport is free of tax. Residents abroad may temporarily import items for personal or professional use during their stay. They must declare those items on arrival and re-export them. These exceptions do not create a resale allowance.

Article 269 has special rules for vehicle parts, specified transport goods, accredited medical missions and authorised metrology equipment. Disaster-relief goods follow other customs procedures. Special permits may apply even below the allowance. For animals, see pet entry documents.

Sources

Opened 26 October 2026. The linked consolidated legal texts control the figures and conditions.

• Decree 1165 of 2019, articles 3 and 266–278; Decree 360 of 2021, article 1.
• Resolution 46 of 2019, articles 286–291; Resolution 54 of 2019, with Spanish and English annexes.
• DIAN traveller page and Form 530 instructions.
• Decree 2025 of 2015, article 3, amended by Decree 2142 of 2016, article 1.
• Law 2586 of 2026, articles 26(12) and 114; Law 1762 of 2015, article 4.
• US Census Foreign Trade Regulations guide, April 2026, section 30.37(b).

Educational information, not legal or tax advice. Ask a Colombian lawyer or accountant for your case.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I bring iPhones, laptops or AirPods to sell in Colombia?

The traveller allowance excludes commercial goods. A small batch or low value does not remove a resale purpose. Ask DIAN or an authorised customs agency about the applicable commercial import procedure.

What is Colombia’s baggage allowance in 2026?

Article 268 allows up to USD 2,000 of qualifying accompanied goods without single tax, apart from personal effects. Article 269 adds up to USD 3,000 with 15% tax, at least 5 calendar days abroad, unit limits and use once each year. Minors have 50% of each value allowance. Commercial goods do not qualify.

How many phones can a traveller bring?

The special rule permits up to 3 mobile phones carried on arrival as personal effects. It is not a resale allowance. DIAN’s traveller guidance says to declare the phones with their IMEI and USD value on Form 530.

Can I use the 15% traveller tax for goods brought for resale?

No. The 15% rate applies to eligible traveller baggage. Goods brought for resale do not meet the non-commercial-use test. Law 2586 of 2026, article 26(12), also covers seizure when later checks find traveller goods destined for commerce.

Do I need Form 530 if I carry no cash?

Goods can require the form even without cash. Examples include taxable baggage, commercial goods, unaccompanied baggage and goods subject to special reporting rules. Cash and goods have separate sections.

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