Colombia ties its investor visa thresholds to the SMMLV — the country's legal monthly minimum wage — which the government resets every January. Because the peso figure moves with it, the dollar-equivalent threshold shifts every year, and 2026 saw an unusually large jump: the minimum wage rose roughly 24% for 2026, pulling both investor-visa thresholds up with it.
With the 2026 SMMLV set at COP 1,750,905, here's where the two main investment routes land.
Route 1: Property Investor Visa (M-10)
Requires a real estate purchase valued at 350 times the SMMLV. For 2026, that's COP 612,816,750 — roughly $153,000–$165,000 USD, depending on the exchange rate at the time you convert. The number the government checks is whatever value is stated on the deed (escritura), not what you actually paid if the two differ — declaring a lower value to save on transfer taxes will also disqualify you from the visa threshold, on top of being tax evasion.
This visa is valid for up to three years, requires the property to be maintained for the visa's duration, and lapses if you're outside Colombia more than 180 consecutive days in a year.
Route 2: Business Investor Visa (M-6 / Socio o Propietario)
Requires an investment of 100 times the SMMLV in a Colombian company — roughly COP 175,090,500, or about $35,000–$48,000 USD depending on the exchange rate. This is typically the route used by people forming a SAS and investing paid-in capital, rather than buying real estate.
What the government actually verifies
In both cases, officers check for "paid and registered" investment — actual capital that moved through the banking system and was registered as foreign investment with the Banco de la República — not a letter of intent, an unsigned capitalization plan, or an informal transfer that doesn't appear in formal records. For the property route, that means the Certificado de Tradición y Libertad and the escritura need to show you as owner, matching your passport. For the business route, it means paid-in capital backed by formal corporate and accounting records, not a promise to invest later.
Path to permanent residency
Time on either investor visa counts toward Colombia's Resident (R) visa after five continuous years, provided the visa is renewed on time and the underlying investment is maintained throughout. Neither route grants permanent residency immediately — that's a separate application once the holding period is met.
Budget above the minimum
Because these thresholds are pegged to a minimum wage that resets every year, buying or investing at exactly the minimum creates renewal risk: if the SMMLV jumps again before your renewal, a property or investment that qualified last cycle can fall short of the new threshold. Most immigration attorneys in this space recommend budgeting meaningfully above the stated minimum for exactly this reason.