With a capital city of Bogotá, Colombia is situated along the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean in the north western region of South America. With border countries that include Peru, Venezuela, Brazil and Ecuador, Colombia has a population of over 46 million.

If you are interested in shipping cargo to Colombia, the country is home to several different shipping ports including the Port of Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Buenaventura, the Port of Tumaco, the Port of Turbo, the Port of Cartagena and the Port of Barranquilla, to name a few.

If you are interested in sea shipping to Colombia, there is some helpful information to learn in advance. For people cargo shipping to Colombia, there is some important paperwork you will need. This includes the following:

• Original passport
• Visa
• Residence or work visa for Colombia

If you are moving to Colombia and you are not a citizen of the country, you will need to apply for a work or residence permit. The Certificate of Residence is issued by the Colombian Consulate, certifying that the owner has lived outside of Colombia for at least two continuous years or more.

Make sure that you have a detailed shipping inventory documented in Spanish if you are shipping to Colombia. Your inventory should provide information about any major appliances and electronic equipment that you are shipping to Colombia. This includes items like microwaves, toaster ovens, televisions, stereos, personal computers, vacuum cleaners and other household appliances. Please be sure to document the make and model of your equipment, along with the serial number.

As a packing tip if you are shipping cargo by sea to Colombia, it is particularly helpful if you can pack all of your electronic appliances together in the same container. Your transmittal documents should provide detail about the actual weight and/or volume of your cargo shipment along with delivery details, etc.

Attention foreign diplomats moving overseas and shipping to Colombia, make sure you have your Diplomatic Entry Form. This document can be obtained from the Foreign Ministry by Diplomatic Mission.

If you are shipping by sea to Colombia and your household goods and/or commercial cargo is packed in wooden crates, make sure that the wooden crates you use have a seal that certifies that the shipment has received the required treatment. If you do not provide this information, your cargo shipment will likely be delayed, cost additional money, and may even be destroyed. Cargo shipments arriving in non-certified wooden crates also typically undergo fumigation.

Families shipping to Colombia are only allowed one household goods shipment from one country per family. Household goods shipped to Colombia should arrive within 30 days prior or 120 days after you arrive in the country. It is also important to note that the owner of the cargo shipment should have lived outside of Colombia for at least two consecutive years. In addition, it is expected that the owner of the cargo shipment has not imported any household goods to the country in the last seven years.

All cargo shipments to Colombia are subject to duty fees, import taxes and sales tax. Warehouse fees, if applicable, are generally charged to a customer’s account as well. The duties or taxes on cargo items shipped to Colombia is on the assessed C.I.F. value of household goods. Sometimes the Customs Authorities in Colombia may ask for a Bank Guarantee that your shipped goods will not be sold for at least one year.

All cargo shipments arriving in Colombia are subject to inspection. You are allowed to ship alcoholic beverages and tobacco products to Colombia in small amounts. These products are subject to duty fees and sales taxes. Please note that an Import License may be required by Colombian authorities.

Each family is allowed to ship one sporting weapon to Colombia. In addition, each family is allowed to ship one of each type of major appliance, except air conditioners. A family can ship up to three air conditioners to Colombia. If you are shipping bedroom furniture to Colombia, it is important that the amount corresponds to the number of people in your family.

Some items are prohibited from shipment to Colombia. Please note that the following items are not allowed to be shipped:

• Weapons, ammunition or explosives
• Drugs and narcotics
• Pornographic material
• Uniforms or equipment relating to the Police or Armed Forces

Shipping a Car or other Vehicle to Colombia

If you are interested in shipping a car to Colombia, motorcycle or some other type of vehicle to Colombia, please note that you are not allowed to ship used automobiles to Colombia.

You must have an import license in order to ship a vehicle to Colombia and you should also have all of the other necessary documents ready before vehicle shipping to Colombia. Some of the required documents for shipping a vehicle to Colombia include the following:

• Original commercial invoice (with information provided in US dollars)
• Vehicle Title
• Vehicle Registration
• Copy of the Bill of Sale

All of the documents should be in agreement with the Vehicle Import License you are seeking to obtain.

Please note that it is essential that your import license is obtained before your car shipment arrives in Colombia. In addition, if you are moving overseas to Colombia and shipping household goods and other personal items to the country, it is not recommended that you include your vehicle as part of your household goods shipment. If you do not comply with Colombian rules about cargo shipping to the country, it could result in seizure and/or storage of your shipment along with sizeable additional expense.

Bringing a Pet to Colombia

If you are moving to Colombia for the first time or returning to the country after having been away for a while, you are allowed to bring your pet with you provided that you obtain the correct paperwork and following the outlined rules.

If you are bringing a pet to Colombia, you should plan to have your animal’s vaccination certificate and import license. You will also need a notarized health certificate from a qualified veterinarian for your animal.

When you bring a cat or dog to Colombia, quarantine is not required. Your destination agent should be contacted prior to forwarding if you plan to bring an animal with you to Colombia.

There is a lot to think about before shipping cargo to Colombia or another destination in South America or worldwide. A professional cargo shipping company with experience shipping to Colombia and other countries in South America will help you navigate all of the rules and regulations, paperwork and logistics for cargo shipping to Colombia. Choosing the right international sea shipping agency can help make your experience with overseas moving and international shipping to Colombia positive.