Mailing Packages to Colombia: 4-72 and Customs

A quiet shipment in Colombia is not always lost. International mail enters through 4-72 (Servicios Postales Nacionales), the national postal operator. 4-72 delivers a shipment with customs taxes due after the recipient pays those taxes. This guide gives the official rules first. It then gives what residents report.

Who handles incoming shipments

Small shipments enter by a simplified customs route. The route is called postal and express shipments (tráfico postal y envíos urgentes). Decree 1165 of 2019 (article 255) says who handles them. 4-72 and the companies it authorizes receive and deliver mail. Courier companies receive and deliver express shipments. Each courier holds a license from the Ministry of Information Technology and Communications. Each courier is also registered with DIAN, Colombia's tax and customs authority. DIAN's guide for shipments to Colombia summarizes the requirements.

Limits for this route

Article 254 of the same decree sets the main limits:

Maximum value: USD 2,000 per shipment.
Maximum weight: 50 kg per shipment.
Mail through 4-72: no side longer than 1.5 m.
Maximum of six units of the same item. More than six units count as a commercial shipment.

Taxes: what is owed and when

Duty (arancel). A shipment with an FOB (free on board) value of USD 200 or less pays no duty. Delivery costs do not count (Decree 1165 of 2019, article 261, confirmed in DIAN ruling (concepto) 1470 of 2026).
Value-added sales tax (impuesto sobre las ventas, IVA). The tax statute excludes IVA on postal and express shipments up to USD 200. This applies when a free trade agreement with the country of origin provides for it. DIAN's guide adds that the shipment must not be commercial.
The 2026 change that did not last. A December 2025 emergency decree (Legislative Decree 1474) lowered the IVA threshold to USD 50 for 2026. DIAN says the decree stopped having effect on 29 January 2026. The Constitutional Court struck it down in ruling C-079 of 2026. In ruling 7820 of 2026, DIAN said it will refund IVA paid under that decree between 30 December 2025 and 28 January 2026.
How taxes are calculated. The base is the price paid plus international freight and insurance. The base is not the insured value. The invoice, the declared value and the shipping document should match.
Invoice. DIAN says a shipment should arrive with an invoice or equivalent document. If someone questions the value, a person can submit the invoice within 2 days of the request.

When taxes are due, the carrier (4-72 or the courier) calculates them on the shipping document. The carrier pays them to DIAN (Decree 1165 of 2019, articles 262 and 263). The duty rate depends on the product's tariff classification.

How to release a 4-72 shipment with taxes due

The 4-72 tax payment page gives these steps:

Open the 4-72 home page.
Enter the tracking number under Sigue tu envío ("track your shipment").
See or download the tax letter (carta de liquidación).
Pay online through PSE (the online bank-payment system), or by bank transfer or deposit.
Skip delivery scheduling after a PSE payment.
After any other payment, email three items to the scheduling address on that page: the DIAN letter, a copy of both sides of the recipient's ID card (cédula), and the proof of payment.

4-72 says payment applies to all incoming postal shipments. The exception is a shipment under USD 200 from the United States. The contact lines of 4-72 are on the same page. Couriers use their own release procedures.

What cannot come by mail

DIAN's guide lists goods that cannot enter by the postal route. They include weapons, cash and bearer instruments, gold, jewelry and other valuables, and live animals. The guide also lists others such as food, alcoholic drinks, medicines, cosmetics, seeds, plants, medical equipment, batteries with chemical contents and used clothing. It says not to send products that need health-authority approval.

Mobile phones

Under Decree 2142 of 2016, a postal or express shipment can carry one mobile phone. The shipping document must show the phone's IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity). It must also show the special tariff subheading for mobile phones. The rules do not allow split shipments that get around the limit. The rules do not allow import of a phone whose IMEI is in Colombia's negative (blocked) or positive databases, with narrow exceptions. A phone that does not meet these conditions cannot enter by this route. It must change to another import route.

The decree text names subheading 8517.12.00.00. The current customs tariff (Decree 1881 of 2021) numbers phones under 8517.13 and 8517.14. The carrier or a customs agency (agencia de aduanas) can say which code to write.

If a shipment does not meet the rules

DIAN's guide describes four outcomes:

Value readjustment.
A change of import route, with storage costs and approvals.
Legal abandonment.
Seizure of prohibited or undeclared goods.

For courier shipments, abandonment starts one month after arrival. One further month follows to recover the goods. Recovery needs payment of the taxes plus a rescue amount. DIAN's guide puts the rescue amount at 10% of the customs value (Decree 1165 of 2019, article 260). Mail held by 4-72 follows 4-72's own rules.

Customs agencies

DIAN warns against informal fixers (tramitadores). It says only authorized customs agencies can do customs intermediation. Its guide links to the list of authorized agencies. To check other providers, see finding trusted services.

The 4-72 virtual mailbox

The 4-72 virtual mailbox (casillero virtual) gives an address in the Miami area and an address in Madrid. It has a pre-alert form, optional consolidation, and tracking by a routing number. 4-72 states a maximum of USD 2,000 and 50 kg per shipment, six units per item, and duty and IVA charges from USD 200. Private mailbox companies set their own terms.

What residents report

Reports from Colombia expat Facebook groups, October 2026; individual experiences, not official figures.

Members report that mail from the United States Postal Service (USPS) often takes about 2 to 3 months. Important documents have taken about 4 months. A few items came back to the sender or never arrived.
Members say 4-72 does not always notify the recipient. They found out that they owed money when they checked the tracking number on the 4-72 site for fees due.
Members report that they paid, then picked up the shipment at a 4-72 office or warehouse. They brought proof of payment.
Members report courier surprises. A courier quoted about USD 60 for shipping. The cost ended near USD 150 after duties. A phone stayed in a bonded warehouse. The reported release costs were above USD 1,000. The shipping document did not show the IMEI and the tariff code.
Some members say a foreigner cannot clear a DIAN-flagged shipment alone and must hire a customs agency. We could not confirm this in an official source.

Questions to ask before sending or collecting

Is the item allowed by mail, or does it need an approval?
Does the shipping document show the invoice value, and for a phone the IMEI and tariff subheading?
Which carrier will carry it, and where does tracking show fees due?
Does the free trade agreement exclusion apply to this origin, and is the shipment non-commercial?

Moving a whole household is a different process. It is covered in the guide to shipping a household. For documents and money, see opening a bank account and what Medellín expats wish they knew.

Educational information, not legal or tax advice. For a specific shipment, ask a licensed customs agency (agencia de aduanas) or a certified public accountant (contador público).

Frequently asked questions

Does USPS deliver to Colombia?

International mail enters Colombia through 4-72, the national postal operator. Licensed courier companies carry express shipments. There is no official delivery time. Members report waits of months.

My package is stuck in Colombian customs. What do I do?

For 4-72, its tax payment page gives these steps. Enter the tracking number on the home page. See or download the tax letter. Pay through PSE or by bank transfer. Couriers have their own procedures. DIAN says customs intermediation goes only through authorized customs agencies.

What is a casillero?

A casillero is a mailbox service with a foreign address. It receives purchases and forwards them to Colombia. 4-72 offers one with addresses in the Miami area and Madrid. Private companies set their own terms.

Can I ship a phone to Colombia?

Decree 2142 of 2016 allows one phone per postal or express shipment. The shipping document must show the IMEI and the mobile-phone tariff subheading. A phone that does not meet these conditions must go through another import route.

Is there tax on packages under USD 200?

No duty applies up to USD 200 FOB. IVA is excluded up to USD 200 when a free trade agreement with the origin country provides for it and the shipment is not commercial. A 2026 decree lowered this to USD 50. The Constitutional Court struck it down.

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