Closing Costs for Property in Colombia

When you budget for an apartment in Colombia, the price in the promesa de compraventa is not the whole bill. Closing a purchase involves at least four separate charges, paid to different parties: the notary, the public property registry, the department (state) where the property sits and, on the seller's side, DIAN, the national tax authority. Knowing which is which, and who normally pays each one, makes it much easier to read the liquidation the notary gives you on signing day.

The four main closing charges

In a typical resale purchase with an escritura pública (public deed), you will see these items:

Notary fees (derechos notariales), charged by the notary for preparing and executing the deed.
Departmental registration tax (impuesto de registro). It is a departmental tax charged when the deed is registered.
Registry fees (derechos de registro), charged by the Oficina de Registro de Instrumentos Públicos for recording the deed on the property's folio de matrícula inmobiliaria.
Withholding tax (retención en la fuente), which applies to many sellers and is collected through the notary before the deed is signed.

The registration tax and the registry fees are two different things, even though both are paid at the registration stage: one is a tax that goes to the department, the other is the price of the registry service.

Notary fees (derechos notariales)

Notary fees are set nationally each year by the Superintendencia de Notariado y Registro (SNR). For 2026, the SNR announced that the new notarial tariffs are in force for the year and that the increase does not exceed 2025 inflation (IPC), which it put at 5.10% (see the SNR announcement of the 2026 notarial tariffs). The same announcement gives some fixed amounts, such as $90,600 pesos for acts without a stated value (actos sin cuantía), and notes that IVA (VAT) and the cost of notarial paper and copies are added on top of the notarial fees. It also says notaries must post the tariffs in a visible place and issue an itemized electronic invoice for each payment.

A sale is an act with a value (acto con cuantía), so the notarial fee depends on the price in the deed. The exact formula is in the SNR's annual tariff resolution, which the SNR links from its procedures and services page. We have not reproduced the compraventa rate here; ask your notary for a written liquidation before signing day so there are no surprises. If you finance the purchase, a mortgage deed is a separate act with its own notarial charges.

Departmental registration tax (impuesto de registro)

This tax is created by Law 223 of 1995 (articles 226 onward), available on DIAN's legal compilation. The key points from the text of the law:

What triggers it: registering a document that records an act, contract or legal transaction at the property registry (art. 226).
Who owes it: the private parties to the contract, who pay it in equal shares unless they agree otherwise (art. 227).
No payment, no registration: the registrar cannot record the deed without proof that the tax was paid (art. 228).
Base: the value in the document, but for real estate it cannot be lower than the cadastral appraisal (avalúo catastral) or certain other reference values (art. 229).
Rate: for acts with a value recorded at the property registry, the law (as amended by Law 2069 of 2020) sets a range of 0.5% to 1%, and each departmental assembly sets its own rate within that range (art. 230). Antioquia, Bolívar and other departments can therefore charge different rates.
Where: it is paid in the department where the property is located (art. 232).
Deadline: where no special deadline applies, registration must be requested within two months of signing the deed in Colombia, or three months if the document was signed abroad; after that, late-payment interest accrues (art. 231).

Confirm the current rate for your department with the notary or the departmental tax office. Some departments also add other charges, so the final figure on your receipt may not be a single round percentage.

Registry fees (derechos de registro)

Registry fees pay for the registry office to record the deed. The SNR updates them every year. For 2026, the SNR said the new registry tariffs apply from 2 February 2026, calculated from the Unidad de Valor Básico (UVB), which is $12,110 pesos for 2026, and 2025 inflation of 5.10% (SNR announcement of the 2026 registry tariffs). The same announcement lists, for example, $23,000 pesos for an electronic certificado de tradición y libertad and $24,300 for a paper one, and says special rates reduced by up to 50% and exemptions remain for social-interest housing (VIS/VIP).

As with notary fees, the fee for registering a sale depends on the value of the act and is set out in the annual registry tariff resolution. Ask the notary or your lawyer to include it in the closing estimate. Once registration is done, request a fresh certificado de tradición y libertad to confirm you appear as owner.

Retención en la fuente (withholding on the seller)

Retención en la fuente is not a closing fee in the usual sense: it is an advance payment of the seller's income tax. DIAN's Concepto 11625 of 2025 explains the rule in article 398 of the Estatuto Tributario: when an individual (persona natural) sells a fixed asset, such as real estate held as a fixed asset, a withholding of 1% of the sale value applies, the notary acts as the withholding agent for real estate, and the withholding must be paid before the transfer (enajenación) of the property.

The rules differ when a company is involved. DIAN's Concepto 12002 of 2026 distinguishes article 398 (seller is an individual) from the paragraph of article 401, which applies when the buyer is a legal entity and requires the withholding to be paid before the deed is granted. If you are buying through a company, read buying in your own name vs. through an SAS and ask your accountant which rule applies. As a buyer, you normally do not bear the seller's withholding, but your closing date depends on it being paid.

If you later sell as a foreigner, the withholding becomes your concern. See selling Colombian property and repatriating the money.

Who customarily pays what

Separate what the law says from what is customary, and remember that the promesa de compraventa can change both:

Notary fees: by custom, buyer and seller split them. Confirm the split in your promesa.
Registration tax: the law says the parties share it equally unless they agree otherwise (Law 223 of 1995, art. 227). In practice, many contracts assign it to the buyer, because registration mainly protects the buyer. Check what your contract says.
Registry fees: commonly paid by the buyer, for the same reason.
Retención en la fuente: borne by the seller, since it is an advance on the seller's own income tax.
Mortgage-related costs: if you take a loan, the costs of the mortgage deed and its registration are usually the borrower's.

Before you sign, make sure the promesa states clearly who pays each item. See our guide to the promesa de compraventa, and the overall step-by-step buying process.

Practical tips for foreign buyers

Ask for the liquidation in advance. Notaries can usually estimate fees, taxes and registration once they have the price and the avalúo catastral.
Plan how you will pay. Notaries and registry offices are paid in pesos in Colombia. Get your money into the country through the regulated exchange market (see sending money from the US and registering your foreign investment).
Watch the registration deadline. Registration is what makes you the owner of record, and delays add interest to the registration tax.
Keep every receipt. For US tax purposes, IRS Publication 551 says your basis in a property includes the settlement fees and closing costs of buying it, such as recording fees and transfer taxes, but not the costs of getting a loan. See US tax reporting for Colombian property.
Budget for what comes next. Property tax starts once you own the property; see paying predial as a foreign owner.

This guide is educational, not legal or tax advice. Rates and tariffs change every year; confirm the figures for your transaction with your notary, lawyer or accountant.

Closing-costs checklist

Written liquidation from the notary showing notary fees, IVA, registration tax and registry fees.
Promesa de compraventa states who pays each item.
Departmental registration tax rate confirmed for the property's department.
Seller's retención en la fuente handled before signing.
Pesos available in Colombia through a properly declared transfer.
Deed submitted for registration within the legal deadline.
Receipts and invoices filed with your escritura and new certificado de tradición y libertad.

Frequently asked questions

What are the main closing costs when buying property in Colombia?

Notary fees (derechos notariales) plus IVA, the departmental registration tax (impuesto de registro), registry fees (derechos de registro) and, on the seller's side, retención en la fuente.

How much is the departmental registration tax?

Law 223 of 1995 sets a range of 0.5% to 1% for acts with a value recorded at the property registry, and each department sets its own rate within that range. Confirm your department's rate with the notary.

Who pays the registration tax?

By law the parties pay it in equal shares unless they agree otherwise. In practice many contracts assign it to the buyer, so check your promesa de compraventa.

Does the buyer pay the retención en la fuente?

Normally no. It is an advance on the seller's income tax; for an individual seller, DIAN describes a 1% withholding, with the notary as withholding agent, that must be paid before the transfer.

Is there a deadline to register the deed?

Where no special deadline applies, registration must be requested within two months of signing in Colombia (three months if signed abroad); after that, late-payment interest accrues.

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