Shipping Household Goods to Colombia
From the USA
Which Rule Applies
to Your Goods in Colombia
# 
Whether your household goods pay tax in Colombia depends on which of two rules you qualify for. Under Decreto 1165 de 2019, anyone who has lived abroad at least 24 of the 36 months before arriving and is moving to Colombia to live pays a single 15% tax on the goods' value, whatever their nationality. Under Ley 1565 de 2012, a Colombian adult with at least 3 years abroad who registers in the Registro Único de Retorno (RUR) is exempt from taxes and import duties up to a cap, unless serving a prison sentence or convicted of crimes against the public administration.
The 15% route is not an exemption: household goods that come in under it pay the single 15% tax.
| Rule detail | The 15% route (Decreto 1165 de 2019) | The returnee exemption (Ley Retorno, Ley 1565 de 2012) |
|---|---|---|
| Who can use it | Anyone moving to Colombia to live, with the household goods of their family unit; the decree names no nationality | Colombian adults living abroad |
| Time abroad | At least 24 months, continuous or not, in the 3 years before you arrive | At least 3 years |
| What you pay | A single tax of 15% of the goods' value (ad valorem) | No taxes or import duties up to the cap; taxes on the value above it |
| Cap | No value cap named in the decree; furniture and appliances in line with the size of the family unit | 2,400 UVT (Unidad de Valor Tributario): COP 125,697,600 in 2026 |
| How often | One shipment per family unit, through one customs office; again only 5 years after the first shipment's release | Once only |
| Registration | No import registration or licence | Registration in the RUR |
| Date checked | 10 November 2026 | 10 November 2026 |
The 15% route (Decreto 1165 de 2019)
- Who can use it
- Anyone moving to Colombia to live, with the household goods of their family unit; the decree names no nationality
- Time abroad
- At least 24 months, continuous or not, in the 3 years before you arrive
- What you pay
- A single tax of 15% of the goods' value (ad valorem)
- Cap
- No value cap named in the decree; furniture and appliances in line with the size of the family unit
- How often
- One shipment per family unit, through one customs office; again only 5 years after the first shipment's release
- Registration
- No import registration or licence
- Date checked
- 10 November 2026
The returnee exemption (Ley Retorno, Ley 1565 de 2012)
- Who can use it
- Colombian adults living abroad
- Time abroad
- At least 3 years
- What you pay
- No taxes or import duties up to the cap; taxes on the value above it
- Cap
- 2,400 UVT (Unidad de Valor Tributario): COP 125,697,600 in 2026
- How often
- Once only
- Registration
- Registration in the RUR
- Date checked
- 10 November 2026
If you qualify for neither rule, the goods go through ordinary import, according to DIAN's Abecé on household goods. On the decree and the law as written, a returning Colombian who meets both rules may choose the exemption or the 15% route.
Checked on 10 November 2026 against Decreto 1165 de 2019, Resolución DIAN 46 de 2019, Ley 1565 de 2012 as modified by Ley 2136 de 2021, and Resolución DIAN 238 de 2025.
What Counts as Household Goods,
and What Stays Behind
# Furniture, appliances, personal effects you did not carry as baggage, sports gear up to six of a kind and decorative pieces and certified art count as household goods if you acquired them while living abroad and they ship from the country you lived in, under Decreto 1165 de 2019 (art. 280) and DIAN's Resolución 46 de 2019 (art. 293).
Counts as household goods:
- Furniture: what you need to furnish a home, in keeping with the size of your family
- Appliances: household appliances, desktop and laptop computers included, in keeping with the size of your family
- Personal effects: those you did not bring as baggage
- Sports articles: up to six of the same kind, in keeping with the size of your family
- Decorative articles and certified works of art: those that are not national cultural heritage
Stays behind or goes another way:
- Vehicles: a car or motorbike is not household goods (Decreto 1165, art. 281)
- Goods shipped from a country you did not live in: they do not qualify (Decreto 1165, art. 280), unless an appliance cannot be used in Colombia because of its voltage or transmission system and you show that
- Anything outside the list: it enters as an ordinary import, according to DIAN
What households say: In public conversations, some US households moving to Colombia say they sell the car or motorbike rather than take it.
Sources: Resolución DIAN 46 de 2019, art. 293 (as modified by Resolución 39 de 2021); Decreto 1165 de 2019, arts. 280-281; DIAN, Beneficios de la Ley de Retorno and Abecé para la Importación Menaje Doméstico. Accessed 10 November 2026.
When Your Goods Should Arrive
#Your household goods must land in Colombia between 1 month before and 4 months after you arrive (Decreto 1165 de 2019, art. 282). They cannot be declared before you arrive, and they must be shipped in your name. Once they land, they may stay in customs storage for up to 1 month while their release is arranged, and for up to 1 more month only where customs authorizes it (art. 171). If your goods need storage or run up charges nobody planned for, you generally pay them, and we tell you as early as possible.
- 1 month before you arrive: the earliest your goods may land in Colombia (Decreto 1165, art. 282).
- 4 months after you arrive: the latest your goods may land (Decreto 1165, art. 282).
- Up to 1 month from landing: customs storage while the release is arranged (Decreto 1165, art. 171).
- Up to 1 more month: only if customs authorizes it (Decreto 1165, art. 171).
Ruby International generally recommends shipping once you have your visa or residence permit, because they can be essential for customs clearance. You do not need a permanent address before you ship.
If you are a Colombian coming home under the Ley Retorno, your beneficiary certificate must be in hand before your goods are declared (see Coming Home Under the Ley Retorno). Reading the law's order of steps, it makes sense to apply for it before your goods sail, because storage runs from the day they land.
Coming Home Under the Ley Retorno
#To bring your household goods home under the Ley Retorno (the return law, Ley 1565 de 2012) as a Colombian adult who has lived abroad at least 3 years, register in the Registro Único de Retorno (RUR, the single return register) and have your beneficiary certificate in hand before your goods are declared in Colombia. The law (art. 5) then exempts them from all taxes and import duties up to 2,400 UVT (DIAN's tax value unit, reset every year): COP 125,697,600 in 2026, at DIAN's 2026 UVT of COP 52,374 (Resolución DIAN 238 de 2025). Above that, you pay the taxes on the difference. Moving back after years abroad brings its own paperwork, and the order of these five steps matters:
- Qualify: you are a Colombian adult who has lived abroad at least 3 years (art. 2, as modified by Ley 2136 de 2021). Your immigration status abroad does not count. People serving sentences in Colombia or abroad, and people convicted of crimes against the public administration, are excluded. The Comisión Intersectorial para el Retorno (CIR, the return commission) may waive the 3 years in forced returns, for example for humanitarian causes, serious emergencies or natural disasters.
- Register: sign up in the RUR, as art. 2 requires.
- Get the certificate: DIAN requires the CIR's beneficiary certificate before your import declaration is filed and accepted. Storage runs from the day your goods land (Decreto 1165 de 2019, art. 171), so, reading the law's order of steps, it makes sense to apply before they sail; the law asks for the certificate before the declaration, not before sailing.
- Declare: your goods are declared as exempt household goods under DIAN's modality C702, or C703 if their value is above 2,400 UVT, in which case you pay the taxes on the value above it (art. 5).
- Keep: DIAN requires you to keep the original certificate for 5 years, and if you sell, give or otherwise transfer the goods to someone else within 3 years of your return, you and the buyer owe the taxes and interest (art. 6).
The exemption also has these limits:
- Vehicles: DIAN states that vehicles are not covered.
- Costs: DIAN states that transport, storage and other import costs stay yours.
In public conversations, returning Colombians and US-Colombian couples say they are unsure who the exemption covers and whether it is worth using. Once you book, our Colombian agents explain the household-goods import papers that apply to you and help with customs clearance.
Who Clears Your Goods in Colombia,
and Which Charges Apply There
# With Ruby International your move runs door to door, so you are not left to find a customs agent at the port. Our destination agents in Colombia help with the import papers and customs clearance, then deliver to your home, and you keep one point of contact with us throughout.
| Who | What they do |
|---|---|
| You | Arrive in Colombia before your goods are declared, with the goods shipped in your name, as Decreto 1165 de 2019 art. 283 requires. |
| Ruby International | Once you book, we coordinate with our Colombian agents. Where a shuttle (a smaller truck where a large one can't reach your home) or difficult access is common, we check with our agent before you book and tell you the likely cost. |
| Our destination agent in Colombia | Explains the import papers your route needs, reviews them before your shipment leaves and again after it departs, helps with customs clearance and delivers to your home. |
| Colombian customs (DIAN) | Accepts the import declaration. |
Sources: Decreto 1165 de 2019, arts. 283-284 and Ley 1565 de 2012, art. 5, as compiled by DIAN, accessed 10 November 2026.
We list customs inspections, duties and taxes, destination terminal handling and certain port charges, storage, difficult access and a shuttle as exclusions in your proposal, and bill them on the final invoice if they apply.
Before you choose any mover, get these in writing:
- Delivery point: whether the quote ends at the Colombian port or at your home.
- Colombian charges: which ones are exclusions billed on the final invoice.
What households report: People who shipped to Colombia, and reviewers of movers on this route, describe port and inspection fees at the Colombian end that the quote did not show, and goods held until an invoice was paid.
What Sets the Price of Your Move
#Your quote is based on the volume of your goods in cubic feet. The volume also decides how they travel: by air freight, in a shared container (consolidated cargo), where they travel with other shipments and you pay for the space you use, or in a full container. If the measured volume differs from the quote, we tell you. For a shared container, you get a revised invoice before your shipment goes on, so you can take items out. For a full container, we tell you during loading. Carrier surcharges such as fuel, war risk or congestion can be added after booking, and we tell you as early as we can.
| How it travels | Typical size | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Air freight | From one box | A few boxes |
| Shared container | From about 100 cubic feet | Boxes, personal effects or a few pieces of furniture |
| Full container | Set by your volume | Your whole home |
Any Colombian tax on your household goods is separate from the moving price, and you pay it at the Colombian end; under the returnee exemption, goods up to the cap pay none, and any value above the cap pays the difference.
Ship It, Sell It, or Send a Few Boxes
#Whether shipping is worth it depends on your budget and your goods; there is no universal size or value below which shipping stops making sense. For Latin America, Ruby International often recommends shipping your household goods, because replacing furniture and household items in many South American countries can be very expensive.
Moving From Colombia to the US
#To ship your household goods from Colombia to the US, you file a request for authorization to ship and an export declaration in Colombia under Decreto 1165 de 2019, and in the US your furnishings and effects can enter free of duty if they meet the conditions in 19 CFR 148.52.
Leaving Colombia
When you leave Colombia to settle abroad, you, or a person you authorize, sign and file a request for authorization to ship (solicitud de autorización de embarque) and the export declaration, as a single shipment. You can file the request from 30 calendar days before you leave until 120 calendar days after, under Decreto 1165 de 2019, arts. 402-403.
Entering the US
Household furnishings and effects you used abroad for at least 1 year, not necessarily in one stretch, may enter free of duty and tax if they are not for sale or for another person, under 19 CFR 148.52. You declare them on CBP Form 3299, and the port director may ask for other proof of use. Effects arriving more than 10 years after your last arrival from the country where you used them generally do not qualify unless they were unavoidably detained, and they never qualify after 25 years.
At the US end, Ruby International's destination agents clear your shipment through customs and deliver it to your new home.
Sources: Decreto 1165 de 2019, arts. 402-403 (DIAN normograma); 19 CFR 148.52 (eCFR). Both accessed 10 November 2026.
Insurance, Damage and Claims
#If something arrives broken or missing, your claim runs through transit insurance, and Ruby International helps you through it. What households report: households and reviewers on the US-Colombia lane describe missing boxes, broken furniture and long claims.
Your cover options:
- All-Risk transit insurance: optional, at 3.5% of your declared value (the value the insurance is calculated on), with a USD 500 deductible (the first USD 500 of a claim).
- Your own insurer: you may arrange your own insurance instead.
- Boxes you pack yourself: if we pack your home and you pack some boxes yourself, leave them open so our crew can check them before sealing. They can then be considered for All-Risk cover, subject to the insurer's terms.
- Total Loss cover: if you pack and load everything yourself, All-Risk isn't available, but Total Loss cover is. It pays only if the whole shipment is lost.
How to make a claim:
- Note visible damage on delivery.
- Report any damage within 30 days of delivery to start the claim.
- Deal with the insurance company directly: it assesses the claim, decides what is covered and settles it. We help you through the claim and answer your questions. We can't promise how long a claim takes.
Our transit insurance generally covers door to door, so damage during the final delivery by our destination agent goes through the same claim, subject to the policy.
Sources and Dates
#Every Colombian rule on this page comes from the decree, the resolutions and the law in DIAN's compilation, or from DIAN's own Ley Retorno and Abecé menaje pages. The US rule comes from 19 CFR 148.52. All were read on 10 November 2026.
- Decreto 1165 de 2019: the household-goods route, the 15% tax, timing, storage and export
- Resolución DIAN 46 de 2019: residence abroad and what counts as household goods
- Ley 1565 de 2012, as modified by Ley 2136 de 2021: the returnee exemption
- Resolución DIAN 238 de 2025: the 2026 UVT
- DIAN's Beneficios de la Ley de Retorno and Abecé menaje pages: the returnee certificate and declaration steps, and the household-goods subheading
- 19 CFR 148.52: duty-free entry of household effects into the US
Door to Door
Between the US and Colombia
# Ruby International runs door-to-door household moves between the US and Colombia, in either direction, from one box by air to a full container.
To get your options, send us your move details: where from, where to, and roughly what you want to bring. Here is what happens next:
- We reply within one business day. We review your details and follow with a brief call to make sure we have everything we need to prepare a quote designed for your move.
- Next comes a moving survey, free and with no obligation.
- Your proposal lists what it includes and what it leaves out.
A customer's review on our site, on the route from the United States to Medellín: a Colombian returning home was assisted by our adviser in Colombia, and the things arrived in a month and a week, well and complete.
Your card will not be charged without prior authorization.