Living in Colombia as a French National: Cities, Budget, Visas, Safety and Schooling

Colombia is a Spanish-speaking country whose geography, stepped between Caribbean coasts, Andean valleys and high plateaus, offers very varied living environments. The French community is supported by an embassy in Bogotá, a network of seven consular agencies run by honorary consuls and five accredited French lycées.

• Strengths: a variety of cities and climates depending on altitude, a French school network in four cities, a French-speaking community organised around the embassy and the honorary consuls, and a minimum wage and cost of many services that are accessible on a euro income.
• Points of caution: safety advice to follow area by area, Bogotá’s altitude, which takes a few days to adjust to, immigration procedures that rely on precise supporting documents, and health cover to organise before departure.

The expat health insurance in Colombia page gathers the insurance requirements, and the guide to the Colombian healthcare system details access to care.

The choice of city determines the climate, the budget, working life and how close French services are. Here are the benchmarks published by official sources for the most requested destinations.

• Bogotá: a capital perched at about 2,700 metres, where some travellers feel altitude sickness (headaches, insomnia, shortness of breath), according to France Diplomatie. It is home to the French embassy and the Louis-Pasteur lycée. In the affluent residential districts of the north (Chapinero, Parque de la 93, Zona T, Usaquén), France Diplomatie reports bag snatching.
• Medellín: a city with a French lycée and a consular agency. France Diplomatie advises against going to the communes on the hillsides around the city: this advice should be read before choosing a neighbourhood.
• Cali: the Paul-Valéry French lycée and a consular agency. France Diplomatie describes an acceptable situation except in the outlying districts on the east side of the urban area.
• Cartagena: a consular agency on the Caribbean coast. The situation varies by neighbourhood and is satisfactory inside the city walls, according to France Diplomatie.
• Santa Marta: a consular agency, close to Tayrona park, whose neighbourhood France Diplomatie considers safe.
• Eje Cafetero (Pereira, Manizales, Armenia): Pereira has a French lycée and a consular agency. The region was hit by the earthquake of 10 August 2026: France Diplomatie recommends increased vigilance in Pereira, Manizales, Armenia and Cali, to be checked before any trip.

For a family, proximity to a French lycée often weighs more than the rent; for a retiree, proximity to a full-service health facility matters more than the city centre. The guide to retiring in Colombia compares the cities from that angle.

The cost of living varies greatly from one city and neighbourhood to another. The official sources consulted do not publish an average rent by city; they do, however, provide solid benchmarks for building a budget.

• Minimum wage: COP 1,750,905 a month since 1 January 2026, or about €471 at the rate applied by the CLEISS. This reference is the basis for many thresholds (visas, contributions, benefits). The peso floats: a budget in euros moves with the exchange rate.
• Urban housing lease: Law 820 of 2003 prohibits demanding a cash deposit or other real guarantee (article 16), caps the annual rent increase at 100% of the change in the consumer price index (article 20) and lets the tenant terminate with at least three months’ written notice (article 22).

Colombia’s inflation, growth and exchange-rate benchmarks appear in the block above. The guide to budgeting for health abroad helps you include health cover in your settling-in budget.

A French national travels to Colombia with a passport that is valid for the whole stay and has at least two blank pages, and presents an exit ticket (to France or a third country). They stay 90 days without a visa; this period is extended once by 90 days through the temporary stay permit (PTP), within a limit of 180 consecutive days and 180 days per calendar year (French embassy). The online Check-Mig form eases immigration control on arrival and departure.

Beyond six months, the Cancillería issues a visa that must be requested before departure, then Migración Colombia issues the cédula de extranjería. Resolution 5477 of 2022 organises visas into three families:

• V visa (visitor): tourism, studies, digital nomadism, rentier (income from capital or property), the working holiday programme and many temporary categories. The digital nomad visa and the rentier visa do not allow work for a Colombian employer.
• M visa (migrant): salaried work, partner or owner of a company, self-employment, pensioner, spouse of a Colombian. It lasts up to three years and lets you build up time towards residence.
• R visa (resident): available after five years on an M visa as a worker, pensioner, self-employed person, partner or investor, with a shorter period for family ties to a Colombian; seniority does not guarantee that the visa is granted automatically.

The resolution defines travel insurance covering health as a particular policy valid across the national territory against all risks: accident, illness, maternity, disability, hospitalisation, death or repatriation. It is required for several V visas and for the M visas of pensioners and the self-employed. The guide to visas for digital nomads completes this overview.

• Cédula de extranjería: an identity document issued by Migración Colombia to foreigners over 7 years old who hold, or are beneficiaries of, a visa of more than three months. The application is filed within 15 calendar days of entering Colombia or of the visa being issued locally. The 2026 fee is COP 294,000 (about €79) and the indicative processing time is 10 working days after payment. Holders of a V visa for tourism, business, crew members or events are exempt.
• Tax number: the DIAN’s single tax register (RUT) assigns a NIT to foreigners, on presentation of the cédula de extranjería or the passport, useful for tax procedures.
• Register of French nationals living abroad: free registration, strongly recommended for a stay of more than six months. The embassy runs a security plan by blocks: twelve sectors in Bogotá, plus Chía, with block leaders, and the honorary consuls play this role outside the capital.

The checklist for the first 90 days helps you put these formalities in order.

Five establishments accredited by the AEFE educate more than 4,000 pupils in Colombia (French embassy): the Louis-Pasteur French lycée in Bogotá, the Paul-Valéry French lycée in Cali, the French lycée in Pereira, the French lycée in Medellín and the Liceo Francés Internacional in La Calera, near Bogotá. This network covers the main host cities for French families, from the capital to the Eje Cafetero.

Studies in a Colombian establishment fall under the V student visa, valid for a maximum of two years, which requires an admission certificate and a health policy. The guide to children’s health cover abroad and the expat family insurance page present the family options.

France Diplomatie updates its advice continuously (last update consulted: 21/09/2026). The advice should be read with the official map before every trip.

• Areas formally advised against: the country’s borders and the Pacific coast (Chocó, Cauca, Valle del Cauca), with the exception of Nuquí and Bahía Solano.
• Areas advised against unless essential: the east of the country (Vichada, Guainía, Guaviare, Vaupés) and the south (Amazonas, Caquetá, Putumayo).
• Crime: France Diplomatie reports a surge in scopolamine attacks, a drug that causes hallucinations, amnesia and loss of consciousness. A drink should never be left unattended.
• Roads: the road network is in poor condition; France Diplomatie recommends travelling only by day and on main routes.
• Natural hazards: several dozen earthquakes of magnitude above 4 are recorded each year and several volcanoes in the central cordillera are active. The earthquake of 10 August 2026 triggered an increased-vigilance alert for the Eje Cafetero and for Cali.

The number 123 is the single national emergency line: free and open 24 hours a day, it covers police, fire and health services. The French embassy in Bogotá centralises assistance to French nationals.