Colombia - Customs

Arriving by Yacht:

Temporary Import of Vessel (TIP) within Colombian Territory: On arrival, if you plan (or contemplate) a stay of more than a week your agent will need to apply for a one-year Temporary Importation Permit issued by Customs together with a Permanent stay certificate/Cruising Permit (Certificado de Permanencia).

A vessel may be asked to leave if the application is not completed on time. This 1 year temporary importation permit can be extended for a further year in almost all cases For full details see the Documents section.

Other Items:

• Firearms must be declared.
• Vegetables, plants or plant material; meat and food products of animal origin are prohibited.

Importing Parts/Spares:

Yacht parts can, theoretically, be imported free of taxes if marked "Yacht in Transit" (‘Yate en transito’), but it seems, in practice, this sometimes does not happen and a duty of 28%, plus various fees, is charged. Anything with a value over US$1000 or 18 kilos of weight will be held in Bogota awaiting customs clearance involving a paper trail with your maritime agent and approx. US$150 in clearance/warehouse fees (plus a 2-week wait). Appointing a customs agent in advance will probably save you a lot of time and money.

DHL does not appear to recognize the "Yacht in Transit" status, however, FedEx does. FedEx are by far the best courier for urgent deliveries (getting credit cards etc.). See cruisers' comments for more details.

Last updated:  June 2023