A visa running out, an apartment you're ready to buy, a company you want to form, a marriage at the notaría — tell us what you're facing, and we connect you with a bilingual lawyer in Medellín who handles exactly that. No hidden fees, and an answer within one business day.
Living in Colombia as a foreigner brings a predictable set of legal moments. These are the ones where an English-speaking lawyer makes the biggest difference.
Visa applications and renewals, cédula de extranjería, Migración Colombia procedures and overstay situations. If you want to read up on the visa categories first, our sister site ColombiaVisa.co has full guides in English.
Ask about visas
Title studies, promesa de compraventa, closing at the notaría and registering your foreign investment so you can move money out again later. Before you sign for that apartment in El Poblado, let a lawyer read what you're signing.
Ask about property
Setting up a Colombian SAS — bylaws, commercial registration, RUT and bank account — with 100% foreign ownership allowed. Step-by-step guides for foreign founders live on our sister site ColombiaLLC.co.
Ask about companies
Marrying a Colombian partner, apostilled and translated documents, prenuptial agreements (capitulaciones), notarial marriage and divorce. Binational relationships come with paperwork — done right, it's painless.
Ask about marriageColombian authorities only accept foreign documents that are apostilled and officially translated. We help you get the chain right the first time.
Spend enough of the year in Colombia and you may become a tax resident. RUT registration, DIAN filings and knowing where you stand — before it's decided for you.
Lease agreements, contract review before you sign, broken agreements and consumer disputes — with someone who can argue your side in Spanish.
Write to us through the form or WhatsApp — in English. Two or three sentences are enough to start.
We identify the legal area, the urgency, and which documents you'll want to have ready.
We introduce you to a bilingual lawyer in Medellín who handles exactly this type of matter.
You agree on fees directly with the lawyer and move forward, informed in plain English at every step.
We handle matters in Medellín and the metropolitan area's municipalities, with in-person or virtual meetings — whichever suits you.
The Colombian legal system runs entirely in Spanish — every contract, deed, court filing and notarial act. A bilingual lawyer means you understand what you're signing before you sign it, and misunderstandings in legal Spanish are exactly the kind of mistake that gets expensive. You'll still sign documents in Spanish; the difference is that someone has explained them to you first.
Yes — foreigners have the same property rights as Colombians, and you don't need residency to buy. The two things that matter are a proper title study (the certificado de tradición y libertad reveals the real owner, mortgages, liens and lawsuits) and correctly registering your foreign investment when you bring money in, which is what lets you legally take proceeds out of the country later.
Most nationalities receive a 90-day tourist permission on arrival, extendable to a maximum of 180 days per calendar year. Staying beyond that requires a visa. If you're approaching your limit and want to stay, that's a visa conversation — our sister site ColombiaVisa.co covers each category in English, and we can connect you with a lawyer to handle the application.
Notarías in Colombia are far more central than notaries in the US or UK. Property deeds, marriages, mutual-consent divorces, powers of attorney and document authentications all run through them. A notary here is a legal officer who gives acts formal validity — which is why "sign it at the notaría" is the final step of so many processes.
Generally, spending more than 183 days in Colombia within any 365-day period makes you a tax resident — which means Colombia can tax your worldwide income, not just what you earn here. The rule counts days across a rolling window, not the calendar year, and it catches people by surprise. If you're spending serious time here, get advice before you cross the line, not after.
Usually, yes. With an apostilled power of attorney, a lawyer in Medellín can act on your behalf — buy or sell property, form a company, file paperwork, represent you at the notaría — without you setting foot in Colombia. Getting the POA drafted, apostilled and translated correctly is the key step, and it's one we help with often.
Claro que sí. Somos parte de la red ColombiaLegal y atendemos en español e inglés. Visite nuestro sitio hermano AbogadoMedellin.co para leer todo en español, o escríbanos en el idioma que le quede más cómodo.
Write to us today, and by tomorrow you'll know your options — and who you should be talking to.
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