Buying Property in Colombia from Mexico
If you live in Mexico and want to buy in Colombia, Colombian rules govern the purchase. Mexico’s SAT has its own rules for income from abroad.
What it is
What stays the same in Colombia, whatever your passport?
The buyer signs a public deed (escritura) before a notary. The land registry office then registers the deed (Oficina de Registro de Instrumentos Públicos). The Superintendencia de Notariado y Registro oversees this office. The basic legal steps are the same for Mexican buyers. Some details may vary, such as the ID you use, an interpreter at signing or signing from abroad. See the step-by-step buying guide.
Foreign investment in Colombian real estate must pass through the exchange market. This means the money moves through an exchange-market intermediary, such as a bank, or through a compensation account. Banco de la República applies this requirement to foreign investment in Colombia and to the returns on it. Its own example is a person living in the United States who buys an apartment in Cartagena. Ask your bank how the transfer will be channeled and what it should show. Registering the foreign investment is covered in a separate guide.
A Colombian certified public accountant (contador público) can confirm how Colombia taxes rental income from the property. See Colombian tax on rental income.
Who it applies to
How does Mexico tax a property in Colombia?
Under Article 1, section I of the Ley del ISR, Mexican residents pay tax on all income, wherever it comes from. That includes rental income from a property abroad.
SAT does not give a foreign-property line for rental income. Its annual-return guide for leasing income (arrendamiento) asks whether the income came from leasing, subleasing (subarrendamiento) or both. It never names a foreign-property line. It asks whether you received income and paid tax abroad. The question also covers foreign tax still to credit. Article 90 of the same law leaves foreign-source income out of provisional payments, except the salary case in Article 96. Ask a certified public accountant (contador público certificado) or tax lawyer (abogado fiscalista) in Mexico how to report Colombian rental income and the Colombian tax you pay.
What is the REFIPRE return (form 63)?
We found no general foreign-account or foreign-asset form for individual taxpayers. We did find the REFIPRE informative return, forma oficial 63. SAT says Mexican residents file it during February for income of the prior year subject to a preferential tax regime. This covers income with no foreign tax or tax below 75 percent of the income tax that would be due and payable in Mexico. The SAT page states no peso threshold.
Article 178 also requires this return for income from territories in the law's transitory provisions. It also covers operations through fiscally transparent foreign entities or foreign legal figures. Bank CRS reporting is a different matter and does not use this form. A certified public accountant or tax lawyer in Mexico must assess whether REFIPRE applies to your Colombian income.
Visa basics for Mexican passports
Mexican passports are on Cancillería’s List A (Lista A). According to its visa page, holders may enter, stay and leave Colombia without a visa for short-stay activities. These include business, leisure, tourism and cultural interest. The activities must not generate payment for services or a salary in Colombia. Resolución 5488 de 2022 defines short stay as under 90 days. Extension up to 180 days applies only in the cases the rule sets.
The real-estate M investor visa (M Inversionista) requires title solely in the foreigner's name. The minimum value is 350 legal monthly minimum wages (salarios mínimos mensuales legales vigentes, SMLMV). That value applies at the application date. Banco de la República extracts must also record the investment (Cancillería). See the visa guide.
Steps
Sending money and bank reporting
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 Mexican side, we found no individual filing threshold for bank transfers sent abroad on Banxico or SAT pages. SAT does require a customs declaration for entry or exit with more than the equivalent of USD 10,000. This covers cash, checks, payment orders and similar instruments carried across the border. It does not cover wires.
For information exchange, consult the OECD activated-relationships table. Its last update was 1 October 2026. It lists Colombia to Mexico and Mexico to Colombia as "CRS MCAA activated". Ask your bank what it reports.
Questions for your Colombian lawyer, certified public accountant and Mexican tax professional
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. Its home-country sheet is the United States sheet. For Mexican rules, take those questions to a licensed tax professional in Mexico.
- Ask: Colombian lawyer or certified public accountant: Which taxes and registrations apply to my purchase and rental income, and how do I document the exchange-market channeling?
- Ask: Certified public accountant or tax lawyer (Mexico): How do I report Colombian rental income and the tax paid, how does the treaty apply, and does REFIPRE or form 63 touch my situation?
- Ask: Your bank: What does it need for an international transfer, and what does it report?
- Ask: Notary: Which authority apostilles my power of attorney?
Costs and taxes
Is there a Mexico–Colombia tax treaty?
Yes. DIAN's list shows an income-tax treaty with the United Mexican States (Estados Unidos Mexicanos), in force 11/07/2013, Ley 1568 de 2012. A later DIAN opinion says the treaty entered into force on 1 January 2014. We did not find SAT’s own treaty page naming Colombia. Ask a certified public accountant or tax lawyer in Mexico which date and which provisions matter for your rental income.
Documents
Can you sign from Mexico? Apostille and powers of attorney
Mexico and Colombia are both parties to the Apostille Convention. The HCCH status table shows entry into force on 14 August 1995 for Mexico and 30 January 2001 for Colombia. According to the HCCH, the Secretaría de Gobernación apostilles federal documents. State documents have 32 competent authorities. Ask your notary which authority handles your document, and read the power-of-attorney guide.
Sources
- Superintendencia de Notariado y Registro
- Banco de la República
- Ley del ISR
- annual-return guide for leasing income
- SAT
- Article 178
- DIAN's list
- DIAN opinion
- HCCH status table
- HCCH
- customs declaration
- OECD activated-relationships table
- visa page
- Resolución 5488 de 2022
- Cancillería
Educational information, not legal or tax advice.
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Frequently asked questions
Is there an income-tax treaty between Mexico and Colombia?
Yes. DIAN’s list shows the treaty in force from 11/07/2013. A later DIAN opinion gives 1 January 2014 as its entry-into-force date. Ask a certified public accountant or tax lawyer in Mexico which date and treaty provisions affect your rental income.
Does Mexico tax rent from a property in Colombia?
Mexican residents pay tax on worldwide income. SAT does not give a rental-income line specific to foreign property. Ask a certified public accountant or tax lawyer in Mexico how to report Colombian rent.
What is REFIPRE and form 63?
REFIPRE is an informative return, official form 63. Mexican residents file it during February for income subject to a preferential tax regime. Ask a certified public accountant or tax lawyer in Mexico whether it applies to your Colombian income.
Can I enter Colombia without a visa to look at property?
Cancillería’s List A includes Mexican passports. Holders may enter without a visa for short stays with no pay in Colombia. Resolución 5488 de 2022 defines short stay as under 90 days. Extension up to 180 days applies only in the cases the rule sets.
Not sure which topics to raise? Take the quiz. The Colombia Owner Kit (US$79, instant download) turns this guide into a checklist, a calendar entry and a question list: see what’s included. Or start with the free sample: Chapter 4, the due-diligence checklist.