Setting Up a Business in Colombia

An in-depth guide for foreign entrepreneurs and companies looking to enter the Colombian market — one of Latin America’s largest and most diversified economies, and a genuine nearshoring and BPO powerhouse for the region.
This guide covers legal structures (the SAS, with near-zero minimum capital, 100% sole foreign founder ownership, and no government approval required), business taxation — a 35% standard corporate rate versus 20% in free zones, with an explicit warning that Colombia’s free-zone regime, unlike Costa Rica’s, was historically built for goods and does not automatically cover all service activity — plus the distinctive 0.4% financial transactions levy, company formation, the cost of labor, and immigration routes, including the M Investor visa (set at 100 times the minimum wage). Includes a dedicated chapter on Colombia’s established BPO/KPO sector, its growing tech and venture capital scene, the distinct profiles of Bogotá and Medellín, and its trade access via the Pacific Alliance and free trade agreements with the US and EU. An operational checklist and useful contacts round out the guide.
Available in English and Spanish.