Colombia Business Owner / Entrepreneur Visa in 2026

Colombia's legally relevant founder and business-owner route is the M Socio o Propietario visa under Article 75 of Resolution 5477. It is for a foreigner who has formed a Colombian company or acquired qualifying participation in the paid capital of an operating commercial company.

The route is often marketed as a “Colombia entrepreneur visa” or “startup visa,” but the legal category is ownership/participation in a Colombian commercial company and it carries a specific capital threshold.

2026 capital benchmark: at least 100 SMLMV = COP 175,090,500 in qualifying paid capital, ownership/participation or registered foreign investment.

Who can qualify?

The category is designed for a foreigner who:

  • has constituted a Colombian commercial company; or
  • has acquired qualifying participation in the capital of an operating commercial company;
  • can prove qualifying paid capital or registered investment of at least 100 SMLMV;
  • can identify the company, its NIT, main activity and direct employment generated; and
  • complies with any separate professional or sector-specific regulation relevant to the company's activity.

For second and subsequent visas, the company must demonstrate continuing commercial activity and solvency through the evidence listed by Article 75.

Capital requirement

Article 75 requires qualifying capital/participation or registered foreign investment of at least 100 SMLMV at the date of application.

For 2026:

COP 1,750,905 × 100 = COP 175,090,500

For companies with shares, the applicant's registered and paid capital/asset ownership is documented through a share-composition certificate signed by an accountant, and the applicant's qualifying amount cannot fall below the 100-SMLMV floor.

The SMLMV-linked amount must be recalculated for future years.

Secondary-market shares do not qualify

The regulation expressly states that acquisition of shares on the secondary market does not give rise to this visa.

That distinction matters for investors who buy listed/secondary shares without making the type of qualifying company-capital contribution contemplated by Article 75.

Is this Colombia's startup visa?

Colombia does not list a separate general “startup visa” among the current V/M/R categories.

A founder building a Colombian operating company should normally analyze the M Partner/Owner category. By contrast, the V Digital Nomad category contains a narrow concept for digital-content or information-technology entrepreneurship of interest to Colombia, but that visitor route has foreign-remuneration and nationality constraints and should not be conflated with local company ownership.

For founders seeking permanent-settlement potential through an operating Colombian company, the M Partner/Owner route is usually the more relevant immigration category to analyze.

Documents and company evidence

Core route-specific evidence includes:

  • request letter identifying the company's legal name, domicile, NIT, principal activity and direct jobs generated;
  • evidence of company formation, participation, acquisition in paid capital or registered foreign investment meeting the 100-SMLMV minimum;
  • bank statements supporting the investment/capital evidence;
  • for share companies, the accountant-signed share composition certificate showing the applicant's qualifying paid capital/asset amount; and
  • where the company is in the mining-energy sector, the corresponding mining title.

For second/subsequent visas, Article 75 also calls for evidence that the company remains economically active and solvent, such as bank statements, tax return, social-security contributions, lease and/or local industry-and-commerce tax payment evidence as applicable.

Application process

  1. Establish or acquire the qualifying ownership interest in the Colombian commercial company.
  2. Ensure the qualifying paid capital/investment meets the current 100-SMLMV threshold.
  3. Prepare corporate, accounting, banking and foreign-investment evidence.
  4. File the electronic M visa application and pay the study charge.
  5. Respond to any request for documents, verification or interview.
  6. If approved, pay the issuance charge within the permitted period and receive the e-visa.
  7. Complete applicable Migración Colombia registration/Cédula de Extranjería requirements.
  8. Maintain the qualifying ownership/capital conditions during visa validity and report material changes when required.

Fees in 2026

Resolution 3969 of 2026 sets the general M visa tariff under the dollar schedule at US$56 study + US$204 issuance = US$260. The general euro-zone/Cuba total is €200.

Nationality-specific exemptions/special rates exist, and stamp tax is not included in the general visa tariff.

Processing time

A complete visa application with the study fee paid is subject to Cancillería's general up to 30 calendar days period for a pronouncement. Additional verification, interview or consultation can extend the timeline.

Following approval, issuance must generally be paid within 10 calendar days, after which Cancillería states the e-visa is issued/sent within the next 10 business days.

Validity

The M Partner/Owner visa can be valid for up to three years. Its validity is conditioned on maintaining the qualifying share/capital participation during the visa period.

The visa should not be treated as a passive status that survives disposal of the qualifying ownership interest without consequences.

Work rights

For the entrepreneur/company-owner case, the work authorization is exclusively applicable to the company in which the foreigner is a partner, shareholder or owner. The holder must also comply with rules governing any regulated profession or activity.

This is not an unrestricted open-work permit.

Family

The principal holder may request beneficiary visas under the beneficiary rules. Relationship and support evidence remain necessary, and beneficiary work rights should be checked separately rather than assumed from the principal holder's company authorization.

Absence and continuity

General M visa rules state that a Migrant visa terminates automatically when the holder is outside Colombia for more than 180 continuous calendar days within each 365-day period counted from visa issuance.

That rule is critical for founders who divide their time among several countries.

Resident (R) pathway

Article 90 lists M Partner/Owner as a qualifying category for the Resident-by-accumulated-time route after five years of qualifying M-visa permanence, subject to continuity and the current R requirements.

The five-year point is an R-visa eligibility milestone, not automatic nationality.

Citizenship

Cancillería states that nationality-by-adoption domicile is counted from issuance of a Resident (R) visa. The ordinary domicile period after R issuance depends on nationality and defined family circumstances.

A founder should therefore model the sequence as M status → possible R eligibility after the required M period → nationality domicile period, rather than assuming the business-owner visa itself creates a five-year citizenship clock.

Tax and corporate compliance

Company ownership can create Colombian corporate, accounting, foreign-investment, payroll, tax and social-security obligations separate from immigration approval. A visa does not replace company-registration, tax-filing or professional compliance.

DIAN's personal tax-residence tests also operate independently, including the principal more-than-183-days physical-presence test.

Pros and limitations

Advantages

  • dedicated route for owners/shareholders of a Colombian commercial company;
  • up to three years of M status;
  • beneficiaries allowed; and
  • five-year qualifying M path toward the Resident visa.

Limitations

  • substantial 100-SMLMV capital threshold;
  • work is restricted to the qualifying company;
  • ownership/capital must be maintained;
  • secondary-market share purchases do not qualify; and
  • company compliance continues beyond immigration approval.

Alternatives

For foreign-only remote work, see the Digital Nomad Visa.

For independent professional practice, see the Independent Professional Visa.

For higher direct or real-estate investment, see the Investor Visa.

Return to the Colombia immigration hub.

Frequently asked questions

What is the 2026 business-owner capital requirement?

At least COP 175,090,500, equal to 100 × the 2026 SMLMV.

Can I qualify by buying shares on the secondary market?

No. Article 75 expressly excludes secondary-market share acquisitions as a basis for this visa.

Can I work for any Colombian company?

No. The entrepreneur/owner permission is limited to the company in which you are the qualifying partner, shareholder or owner.

How long can the visa be valid?

Up to three years, conditioned on maintenance of the qualifying participation.

Can it lead to a Resident visa?

Yes. Current Article 90 uses a five-year M Partner/Owner accumulation period for the R-by-time route.

Official and supporting sources

Related routes in Colombia