Buying Property in Colombia from Australia

If you are an Australian resident buying in Colombia, the purchase follows Colombian rules, while the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has its own view of a foreign property. This guide separates the two. It is educational, not legal or tax advice.

What stays the same in Colombia, whatever your passport?

The paperwork is an escritura signed before a notary and registered with the Oficina de Registro de Instrumentos Públicos, under the Superintendencia de Notariado y Registro. The steps are the same for Australian buyers; see the step-by-step buying guide.

Foreign investment in Colombian real estate must be channeled through the exchange market. Banco de la República lists foreign investment in Colombia, and its yields, among the operations that must be channeled; its own example is a non-resident buying an apartment in Cartagena. Channel the transfer through the exchange market, and ask your bank what the wire must show. Registering the foreign investment has its own guide. A Colombian contador can confirm how Colombia taxes that rent; see Colombian tax on rental income.

How does Australia tax a Colombian property?

As an Australian resident for tax purposes, you must declare income you earn anywhere in the world, and the ATO lists rental income from real estate among the examples. It also says that if you own an overseas asset, you may have to pay Australian capital gains tax when you sell it.

Question 20 of the 2026 supplementary tax return is where foreign source income and foreign assets or property are declared. Rent is one of the foreign-source amounts, and you show assessable foreign income there even if you paid tax on it in the foreign country. The same question asks whether, at any time in 2025–26, you owned or had an interest in assets outside Australia with a total value of A$50,000 or more. A foreign capital gain is not shown at question 20; question 18 deals with it. We found no separate foreign-asset information return described by the ATO.

Is there an Australia–Colombia tax treaty?

There is no income-tax treaty with Australia on DIAN's list, and Colombia is not among the countries named on the ATO's list of treaty countries. Relief from double tax therefore depends on Australian rules.

One such rule is the foreign income tax offset (FITO), which the ATO describes as relief from double taxation for foreign tax paid on income included in your Australian assessable income. If you claim a FITO of $1,000 or less, you only record the actual foreign tax that counts (up to $1,000); above $1,000, you first work out the offset limit. Keep proof of the Colombian tax you pay, and confirm with an adviser how this applies.

Can you sign from Australia? Apostilles and powers of attorney

Australia and Colombia are both parties to the Apostille Convention. The HCCH status table shows entry into force on 16 March 1995 for Australia and 30 January 2001 for Colombia. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), through the Australian Passport Office in your capital city, certifies that a signature, stamp or seal on an official Australian public document is genuine and attaches an Authentication or an Apostille (DFAT). Ask your notary which route applies to your document, and read the power-of-attorney guide.

Sending money from Australia

On the Colombian side, the money must go through the exchange market. Ask your bank what the wire must show. Banks may ask for source-of-funds documents; ask your bank what it needs.

On the Australian side, AUSTRAC says that if an international funds transfer instruction is sent out of or received into Australia, an IFTI report must be submitted within 10 business days (AUSTRAC). That page states no dollar threshold, so ask your bank how it applies to your transfer.

Banks and information exchange: where does CRS stand?

Under CRS, Australian banks and other financial institutions report the accounts of foreign tax residents to the ATO, which exchanges that information with participating foreign tax authorities, and the ATO receives information on Australian residents from other countries (ATO). The OECD activated-relationships table, last updated 1 October 2026, lists Australia to Colombia as "CRS MCAA activated". DIAN says every jurisdiction except the United States is reportable under CRS. Ask your bank what it reports.

Visa basics for Australian passports

Under Cancillería Resolución 5488 de 2022, article 3, literal A includes Australia: holders of those passports need no visa for airport transit or short stay, provided the activities do not generate payment for services or a salary in Colombia. The resolution defines short stay as under 90 days, extendable up to 180 days in the cases the rule determines.

Separately, the M Inversionista visa in the real-estate case requires title solely in the foreigner's name for at least 350 salarios mínimos mensuales legales vigentes (SMLMV) at the application date, plus Banco de la República extracts registering the investment (Cancillería). See the visa guide.

Questions to take to your advisers

Take our free one-page due-diligence checklist to your first meeting. The Colombian-side parts of the Colombia Owner Kit (calendar, checklists, Spanish-language letters, BanRep records pack and question lists) apply to you, but its home-country sheet today is the United States sheet, and Australia would be covered by the general international sheet scheduled for March 2027, so for home-country rules today use your own adviser.

• Colombian lawyer or contador: Which taxes and registrations apply to my purchase and rent, and how do I document the exchange-market channeling?
• Australian tax adviser: How do I report Colombian rent at question 20, how does a FITO work for Colombian tax, and what happens on a sale?
• Your bank: What does it need for an international transfer, and what does it report?
• Notary or DFAT: How do I get my power of attorney apostilled?

This guide is educational, not legal or tax advice.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an income-tax treaty between Australia and Colombia?

There is no income-tax treaty with Australia on DIAN’s list, and Colombia is not among the countries named on the ATO’s list of treaty countries. Relief from double tax therefore depends on Australian rules.

Where do I declare Colombian rent in my Australian return?

Question 20 of the 2026 supplementary tax return is where foreign source income and foreign assets or property are declared. Rent is one of the foreign-source amounts, and you show assessable foreign income there even if you paid tax on it in the foreign country.

Does Australia have a separate foreign-asset return?

We found no separate foreign-asset information return described by the ATO. Question 20 asks whether, at any time in 2025–26, you owned or had an interest in assets outside Australia with a total value of A$50,000 or more.

Do Australians need a visa to visit Colombia?

Australian passport holders are exempt from a visa for short stays that do not generate pay in Colombia. The resolution defines short stay as under 90 days, extendable up to 180 days in the cases the rule determines.

Not sure where you stand? Take the quiz. The Colombia Owner Kit (US$79, pre-order) turns this guide into a checklist, a calendar entry and a question list: see what’s included. Or start with the free sample: K19, the one-page due-diligence checklist.