Buying Property in Colombia from the UK

Buying an apartment or house in Colombia from the UK follows the same Colombian process as for any other foreigner. What changes is the UK side: how HMRC treats overseas rental income, and a double taxation convention that is in force. This guide separates the two sides and points to deeper guides.

Which Colombian rules stay the same for a UK buyer?

The steps to buy and register do not depend on your passport. The paperwork is an escritura signed before a notary and registered with the Oficina de Registro de Instrumentos Públicos, part of the Superintendencia de Notariado y Registro. The steps are in our step-by-step guide to buying as a foreigner.

Banco de la República lists foreign investment in Colombia, and its yields, among the operations that must be channeled through the exchange market. Its own example is a non-resident buying an apartment in Cartagena (Banrep, basic concepts). The page does not name a form number, so ask your bank which exchange declaration applies, and read how to register your foreign investment. A Colombian contador can confirm how Colombia taxes that rent.

How does the UK tax overseas property income?

HMRC says UK residents normally pay UK tax on all their income, whether from the UK or abroad (GOV.UK, residence). Rental income on overseas property is on HMRC's list of foreign income you may need to pay UK Income Tax on (GOV.UK, foreign income). HMRC says to use the SA106 supplementary pages with your SA100 Tax Return to declare foreign income and gains and to claim foreign tax credit relief (HMRC, SA106).

Three more points from HMRC:

• Since 6 April 2025, the 4-year foreign income and gains regime has replaced the remittance basis. It is open to UK tax residents within their first 4 years of UK residence after at least 10 years as non-residents. Profits of an overseas property business are eligible, but a claim means losing the tax-free allowances for Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax (GOV.UK, FIG regime).
• An individual UK resident who lets residential property in the UK or overseas is affected by the finance-cost restriction, and overseas property profits and losses are kept separate from UK property (GOV.UK, rental income).
• HMRC says UK residents pay tax on their UK and foreign gains. The page we reviewed does not specifically address overseas residential property, so ask about a future sale.

The sources we reviewed do not describe a separate foreign-asset information return for property; ask your UK adviser whether anything else applies.

Is there an income-tax treaty between the UK and Colombia?

Yes. The 2016 Double Taxation Convention was signed on 2 November 2016 and entered into force on 13 December 2019. In the UK it takes effect from 1 January 2020 for taxes withheld at source, 1 April 2020 for Corporation Tax and 6 April 2020 for Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax (GOV.UK, Colombia tax treaties). DIAN's list shows the same entry-into-force date (DIAN). Which income it covers for your case is a question for an adviser. See also Colombian income tax on rental income.

Can you sign from the UK?

The Apostille Convention took effect for the United Kingdom on 24 January 1965 and for Colombia on 30 January 2001 (HCCH status table). In the UK, the Legalisation Office legalises certain official UK documents by attaching an apostille, and documents issued outside the UK cannot be legalised through that service (GOV.UK, get a document legalised). For powers of attorney, see buying from abroad with a power of attorney.

How do you send the money from the UK?

On the Colombian side, funds enter through the exchange market, and ask your bank whether the name on the wire should match the exchange declaration and the escritura. Your bank may ask for source-of-funds documents, so ask it what it needs.

On the UK side, we found no GOV.UK, Bank of England or FCA page that states a general threshold for an individual sending money abroad. The £10,000 figure on GOV.UK applies to declaring cash you carry between Great Britain and a country outside the UK, not to bank transfers (GOV.UK, bringing cash into the UK).

What do tax authorities exchange about your accounts?

HMRC says it receives information from other countries about UK residents with financial accounts and investments overseas (GOV.UK, automatic exchange of information). The OECD's table of activated CRS relationships, last updated 1 October 2026, lists the United Kingdom and Colombia in both directions, each as "CRS MCAA activated" (OECD). Colombia is among the jurisdictions undertaking first exchanges in 2017 (OECD commitments).

Do you need a visa, and which visa fits an owner?

Cancillería's Lista A lists the Reino Unido de la Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte among passports exempt from a visa for a short stay (Cancillería, Lista A). That page does not state the number of days for British passport holders, so confirm it before you travel.

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

Questions to take to your advisers

The Colombia Owner Kit covers the Colombian side (calendar, checklists, letters in Spanish, BanRep records pack, question lists including questions for your home-country preparer), but its home-country sheet today is the United States sheet, and a United Kingdom sheet is scheduled for March 2027 within its 12 months of updates, so for UK rules today use your own adviser. You can also start with the free one-page due-diligence checklist.

• Colombian lawyer or contador: Which exchange declaration applies? How will my rent be taxed in Colombia?
• UK tax adviser: How do I report overseas rent on the SA106 pages? Can I claim the 4-year regime, and how does the treaty interact with foreign tax credit relief?
• Your bank: What source-of-funds documents do you need for this transfer?

This guide is educational, not legal or tax advice.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a tax treaty between the UK and Colombia?

Yes. The 2016 Double Taxation Convention entered into force on 13 December 2019. In the UK it takes effect from 6 April 2020 for Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax.

Do UK residents pay UK tax on Colombian rent?

HMRC lists rental income on overseas property as foreign income you may need to pay UK Income Tax on. The SA106 pages are used to declare foreign income and gains and to claim foreign tax credit relief.

What is the 4-year foreign income and gains regime?

Since 6 April 2025 it has replaced the remittance basis for qualifying UK tax residents in their first 4 years of residence. A claim means losing the tax-free allowances for Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax.

Who issues apostilles in the UK?

The Legalisation Office legalises certain official UK documents by attaching an apostille. Documents issued outside the UK cannot be legalised through that service.

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.