Documents Landlords Ask Foreigners For: Passport, Stamp, Income

Expect to be asked for a copy of your passport, proof that you are legally in Colombia, proof of income, and contact details. A formal 12-month lease adds a guarantee file on top. A furnished monthly stay usually asks for less. What a landlord wants depends on the contract type and who is processing your file.

Our lease guide covers the clauses. This article covers the packet you assemble before anyone sends you a contract, and which parts are set by law.

First: Which Kind of Rental Is This?

The paperwork changes with the contract. The hospedaje versus arrendamiento guide explains the split in detail; here is the short version for document purposes.

The Core Packet

Build one folder, digital and printed:

1. Passport. The photo page, plus the page or record that shows your Colombian entry permit. Keep the original with you and give out copies.
2. Proof of your permitted stay. This is the entry stamp, electronic record or visa that shows you are in the country legally and for how long. A landlord offering a long lease will compare that period to the lease term.
3. Visa and foreigner ID card. If you hold a cédula de extranjería, show it. Our 12-month lease walkthrough explains how it affects the agency’s study.
4. Proof of income. Recent bank statements, an employment letter, client contracts or invoices, or tax returns, depending on how you earn.
5. References. A previous landlord, employer or professional contact who can answer a message.
6. Guarantee documents for a formal lease: an insurance policy application, a co-signer’s papers or a bank certificate. See what a landlord can legally require.
7. Contact and occupant details. A phone number that works in Colombia, an email and the names of everyone who will live there.

Entry Permit, Extension and Cédula: What Migración Says

Under Resolución 5477 de 2022 of the foreign ministry, foreigners need authorization to enter and stay in Colombia, either a visa or an entry permit that Migración Colombia grants to nationals who may travel without a visa. Your stamp or electronic record shows how many days you were given, which is what a landlord compares to the lease term.

If you came on an entry permit (Permiso de Ingreso y Permanencia, PIP) and want longer, Migración’s Permiso Temporal de Permanencia (PTP) page describes the extension. As of October 2026 it says:

• The PIP must still be valid when you apply, and you should apply at least 5 business days before it expires.
• You submit the online form (FUT), a passport PDF and the documents that supported the original permit.
• The listed 2026 fee is COP 150,000, with exceptions by nationality. Migración’s home page showed COP 143,000 for the same item, so trust the amount on the application.
• Total stay is capped at 180 calendar days, continuous or not, within the same calendar year, and filing does not guarantee approval.

The cédula de extranjería is a different thing. Migración describes it as the main ID for foreigners over 7 who hold a visa, or are its beneficiaries, valid for more than three months. The first application is due within 15 calendar days of arriving in Colombia, or of the visa issue date if granted inside the country. The 2026 general fee listed is COP 294,000, and you bring your original passport to the appointment. A visitor on a PIP and no visa generally does not qualify, so a landlord who insists on one from a tourist is asking for something you cannot get. See how to extend your stay.

Proof of Income When You Are Paid Abroad

Colombian agencies are built around local pay slips and credit histories, so remote workers need to translate their situation. What tends to help:

• Several months of statements showing regular deposits, rather than a single balance screenshot.
• An employer letter on company letterhead that states your role and pay, or client contracts if you freelance.
• Spanish versions of key documents when you can arrange them.
• Redacted copies. Hide account numbers and unrelated transactions.

The income multiple an agency wants is its own or its insurer’s policy. We found no statutory multiple, and it differs between agencies, so ask for the number early. On apostilles, Colombia’s foreign ministry says a document issued in a Hague Apostille Convention country must be presented apostilled by the issuing country, but that concerns foreign public documents. Whether an agency wants more than plain copies and Spanish versions of your statements is its decision, so ask in writing before paying for legalization. Couples can sometimes combine incomes. See renting as a couple.

Guarantees: What the Lease Law Limits

Ley 820 de 2003, which governs urban housing leases, sets limits you can use:

• No cash deposit. Article 16 says cash deposits and other real collateral cannot be required to secure a residential lease, including versions arranged through third parties, in separate documents or under another name.
• Utility guarantees only. Article 15 lets the landlord ask for guarantees or sureties to cover utility bills, limited to two billing periods, and not for rent.
• Co-debtors and guarantors. Article 12 requires landlord, tenant, co-debtor and guarantor each to give a notification address in the contract.
• A signed copy. A written lease must be copied to you and any co-debtor with original signatures within 10 days of signing (article 8).

If someone asks for a cash “deposit” against a residential lease, read our guarantees guide and ask a Colombian lawyer before paying. A furnished monthly stay is not necessarily a residential lease, which is why the contract type comes first.

Sharing Your Documents Without Oversharing

Passport and bank statement copies are valuable to identity thieves. Before you send them:

• Verify who you are sending them to. Our guide to checking the owner or agent comes first.
• Write the purpose on the copy (“for rental application, [address], [date]”). It makes reuse harder.
• Ask how the data will be stored. Ley 1581 de 2012 generally requires your prior, informed authorization (article 9), limits processing to a legitimate purpose you were told about (article 4), and lets you know, update and correct your data, ask for proof of the authorization and complain to the Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio (article 8).
• Never hand over the original passport to hold as security. Give a copy, show the original at the desk, and take it back.
• Never share banking logins or a full card number. A statement or bank letter is enough.

Why do hosts want a passport copy? Migración’s SIRE page calls SIRE its official, free online tool for reporting foreigners, and says reporting is a legal obligation for those responsible for foreigners in listed situations, including lodging (alojamiento, hospedaje). The report includes the foreigner’s passport or cédula number, so a copy is routine. That explains the request; it does not entitle anyone to keep your original.

What to Prepare Before You Land

If You Do Not Meet the Bar

Missing documents rarely end your search. They change your format. A furnished monthly contract needs less paperwork, and an insurance policy can stand in for a co-signer. Keep every receipt and read the contract carefully. Start with the easier format, build local history, then upgrade. The test-drive stay guide shows how to sequence that.