Almost every other country in this directory routes incorporation through a notary. Colombia's SAS skips that step entirely — a private document filed straight at the Chamber of Commerce is enough, which is part of why it's become the default structure for foreign founders here.
The Sociedad por Acciones Simplificada (SAS) needs just one shareholder, permits 100% foreign ownership, and has no minimum capital requirement — the default structure nearly every foreign founder uses in Colombia.
A Colombian-registered entity gives founders a genuine foothold in a large, growing Andean market with strong regional trade links.
While the company's fiscal address must be within Colombia for official correspondence, founders are otherwise free to operate the business virtually.
Registering at the Chamber of Commerce automatically triggers forwarding to DIAN, Colombia's tax authority, which issues the NIT (tax ID) and RUT (tax registry) needed before a corporate bank account can be opened.
The address requirement is simple. The legal representative rule is where founders need to actually plan ahead.
Every company must register a fiscal address within Colombia, used for official correspondence with authorities including DIAN. It must be a physical Colombian address — the specific location is stated directly in the company's founding bylaws (estatutos) filed at the Cámara de Comercio (Chamber of Commerce) for the relevant city.
Unlike almost every other entity type in this directory, a standard SAS is incorporated via a private document (documento privado) registered directly at the Chamber of Commerce, rather than requiring a public deed before a notary. This is a genuine cost and speed advantage — a notarized deed is only required if real estate is being contributed as capital.
| Legal representative (representante legal) | Shareholders |
|---|---|
| Must be resident in Colombia, though not necessarily a Colombian national | No residency requirement — can be entirely foreign, individual or corporate |
| Legally authorized to bind and sign for the company — bank accounts, contracts, tax filings | Own the company but don't need to be locally present |
| Can be the founder themselves if resident with a cédula, or appointed via power of attorney | Foreign shareholders provide apostilled passport copies or corporate documents |
Foreign shareholders must additionally register their investment with the Banco de la República (Colombia's central bank), on top of obtaining the company's NIT from DIAN — a separate compliance step specific to foreign-owned capital.
Bogotá's dominance reflects banking access and provider density more than any legal distinction between Colombian cities.
Colombia's capital and financial centre, the default choice for most foreign-founded companies given its concentration of Chamber of Commerce filing experience.
A strong alternative for tech and digital-nomad-adjacent businesses, with a well-established local corporate services market of its own.
We only list a provider once we have a confirmed partnership — no placeholder links.
We haven't finalized a partnership with a provider serving Colombia yet, so rather than point you to a dead link, we're leaving this section empty until one is confirmed. Providers with live, working links are currently on our United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, and Australia guides.
Wherever you end up incorporating, you'll eventually need a bank account — Dukascopy Bank accepts international clients for a multi-currency account without requiring you to be physically present in Switzerland.
Dukascopy Bank SA is regulated by FINMA (the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority), and deposits are protected under Swiss depositor protection up to CHF 100,000. This is a banking product, not a virtual address service — review account fees, minimums, and suitability for your situation independently before opening an account. vaddress.net may earn a referral commission if you sign up through this link.
Generally no — a standard SAS is incorporated via a private document filed at the Chamber of Commerce. A notarized public deed is only required if real estate is being contributed as capital.
No — the legal representative must be resident in Colombia. If you don't live there, you'll need to appoint a Colombia-resident representative, which can be arranged through a power of attorney.
There's no minimum capital requirement — you decide the capital amount, and a registration tax of roughly 0.7% of the subscribed capital is paid at registration.
Yes — foreign shareholders must register their investment with the Banco de la República in addition to obtaining the company's tax ID (NIT) from DIAN.
Typically 5–7 business days once documents are submitted at the Chamber of Commerce, though the full process including apostilled documents and bank account opening usually takes 4–6 weeks overall.