James Patterson
James Patterson

(edited) 🇨🇴 Colombia

183-day rule and US tax residency — practical implications

For Americans considering moving here long-term: the 183-day rule (becoming a Colombian tax resident) is the big inflection point. Once you're a Colombian tax resident, you owe Colombian tax on worldwide income (with US-Colombia treaty offsetting some).

Real implications:

  • First-year visitors who exit before 183 days: no Colombian tax exposure
  • Long-term arrivals: plan for tax residency in year 2 onward
  • Crypto/investment income: gets complicated, get a real accountant

This is the thing nobody talks about until year 1.5 and then everyone panics.


3 upvotes 76 views
Comments (2)
Greg Sullivan
Greg Sullivan
This is the post that should be pinned. Welcome to my world for the last year.
Alix Llovera
Alix Llovera

I'm panicking right now and I'm only 3-months old in Colombia.

As a digital nomad, I have no idea if I should get a RUT or if I should beg an accountant to spoon-feed to me the "tax on worldwide income" part.