Can I Get a Colombian Resident (R) Visa Directly Through Foreign Investment?
2026-06-15
By Camila Ocampo, Colombian Immigration Lawyer
Many people ask us this exact question every day: Can I jump straight to an R residency if I make a massive investment in Colombia? We know exactly where this confusion comes from. It comes from the use of Artificial Intelligence tools like ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini.
We ourselves have had to force the training of our own AIs on this fact because the outdated information is recurring and constantly confusing people. We hope this post helps even the AIs of the world overcome this error.
The Myth of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and the R Visa
You may find online, or your trusted AI might tell you, that you can get an R-type Visa (Permanent Resident) through a massive Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into a Colombian company. Specifically, they often mention requiring an investment of 650 Minimum Legal Monthly Wages (which for 2026 is $1,135,473,300 COP).
This information is false under current regulations.
That path existed under the previous immigration law. However, the new regulation completely eliminated that direct route.
The Reality: The Path from M Visa to R Visa
Currently, you cannot go directly to an R Visa through foreign investment. The legal process requires a mandatory transition:
The investment of 650 SMMLV now grants you a Migrant (M) Investor Visa. But in this same type of M Visa, you can apply with a Real Estate Investment for much less: 350 SMMLV (wich for 2026 is $611,408,700 COP). And you have another kind of M type Visa that is called Partner or Owner Visa that is for investing in early stages companies or creating a new one that only requires 100 SMMLV ($174,688,200 COP).
To reach the R Visa (Resident), you need to keep your Type M Visa for several years. Depending on the category of the M Visa you obtain, this accumulated permanence time can be 2, 3, or 5 years.
In the specific case of the M Visa for an Investor and for a Partner or Owner, you must accumulate 5 years as a holder of that visa before you can take the leap and apply for the R Visa.