Customs Clearance in Colombia
Import entries into Colombia are administered by DIAN — Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales. Cargo typically sits 4–10 days at the gateway before release, and most of that window is documentation rather than physical inspection. We handle the entry itself — classification, valuation, duty and tax settlement, and the release — either as part of a delivered duty-paid movement or as a standalone brokerage service on cargo somebody else is shipping.
Clearance profile — Colombia
| Customs authority | DIAN — Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales |
|---|---|
| Duty and tax | IVA 19%; duty 0–20%, with a 10–40% tariff applied to some textile and footwear imports |
| De-minimis | USD 200 for courier consignments |
| Certification | INVIMA registration for food, cosmetics and medical devices; conformity certificates for regulated electricals |
| Typical port dwell | 4–10 days |
| Sea gateways | Cartagena, Buenaventura, Barranquilla, Santa Marta |
| Air gateways | BOG (Bogotá), MDE (Medellín), CLO (Cali) |
Compiled from the destination customs authority and port operators as a buyer-planning reference. It is not a customs ruling — the binding position depends on your HS heading and the consignee's status.
What we do on the entry
- Classification. We agree the HS heading before the cargo sails, not after it lands. A heading argued at the border costs storage every day it runs.
- Valuation. We build the customs value the way Colombia expects it — including or excluding freight and insurance according to the local rule, with the supporting evidence attached.
- Entry filing and duty settlement. Lodged in the consignee's name or, where the market allows it, under our own importer arrangement.
- Release and onward delivery. Terminal release, any inspection attendance, and delivery to the door if you want the movement quoted duty-paid.
What actually holds shipments here
Textile and footwear tariffs are set to discourage undervaluation — customs valuation challenges are common. INVIMA registration must be held by the consignee before arrival for regulated goods.
None of that is unusual, but all of it is easier to resolve before the container sails than after it arrives.
How the lane behaves
Cartagena on the Caribbean coast is the fastest and best-connected gateway, and it is the natural choice for Bogotá and Medellín despite the inland trucking. Buenaventura on the Pacific is closer to Cali but has a heavier congestion history. Textile and footwear imports carry protective tariffs designed to slow low-priced Asian goods, so classify these carefully.
Documents we will ask for
- Commercial invoice and packing list matching the goods exactly
- Bill of lading or air waybill
- Certificate of origin where a preference is claimed
- Consignee registration or tax identifier for the market
- Product certification, permits or licences where the commodity requires them
Mismatches between the invoice and the transport document are the single most common reason an entry is queried. We check them before filing rather than after a query lands.
Clearing agents in Colombia
Our entries in Colombia are filed by licensed local brokers, not sub-contracted blind. If you hold a customs broker licence or AEO authorisation here, we are open to adding capacity — we send referred volume from an ocean freight book that already discharges at your gateways.
The network is vetted rather than open: licence verification with the issuing authority, insurance, two contactable references and supervised trial entries before any unsupervised volume.
Apply to become our Colombia clearance partner →Freight rates into Colombia
Clearance is quoted alongside the freight. These are the priced lanes we currently run into this market.
- Ningbo to Barranquilla Container Shipping — 40NOR Rates
- Qingdao–Buenaventura Sea Freight: Container Rates and Schedule
- Shanghai to Barranquilla Container Shipping — 40NOR Rates
- Shanghai to Cartagena Container Shipping — 40NOR Rates
- Ship Yantian to Buenaventura — FCL Container Cost from China
- Shipping a Container from Ningbo to Buenaventura: Cost & Transit
- Shipping a Container from Ningbo to Cartagena: Cost & Transit
- Shipping a Container from Shanghai to Buenaventura: Cost & Transit
Destination guide
Gateways, inland legs, port behaviour and seasonal pressure for Colombia — the background this clearance page assumes.
Colombia destination guide →Common questions
Who administers customs clearance in Colombia?
Import entries are administered by DIAN — Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales.
How long does clearance take in Colombia?
Cargo typically sits 4–10 days at the gateway. Complete paperwork lodged before arrival is what keeps a shipment at the short end of that range.
What duty and tax applies in Colombia?
IVA 19%; duty 0–20%, with a 10–40% tariff applied to some textile and footwear imports The rate that applies to your shipment depends on the HS heading — send the specification for a firm figure.
Can you clear cargo in Colombia that you did not ship?
Yes. Brokerage is available as a standalone service on cargo moved by another forwarder, as well as bundled into a duty-paid movement we carry ourselves.
Do you work with local brokers in Colombia?
Yes — our clearance network is built on vetted local licence holders. Brokers in this market can apply to join through our partner programme.