Car and driving licence in Colombia: a used car cannot come along, your licence only works for visitors
Importing a used passenger car into Colombia is not possible in practice: for used vehicles the Ministry of Trade only grants a licence for classic cars, diplomats and a few special vehicles. Your Dutch driving licence is valid only as a visitor, for at most six months. Anyone living in Colombia gets a Colombian licence with a theory and practical exam, because the Netherlands has no exchange agreement with Colombia.
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Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
Taking your car to Colombia is not a workable route for an ordinary used passenger car. Used goods need a licencia previa, a prior import licence, and for cars and motorcycles the Colombian Ministry of Trade only grants one in a few cases that do not apply to an emigrant. You may use your Dutch driving licence while you are in the country as a visitor, for at most six months. Anyone who lives there needs a Colombian licence, with exams.
| What | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Importing a used passenger car | prior licence compulsory; only granted for classic cars, returning Colombian diplomats and some special vehicles | Decreto 925 de 2013 |
| Car as part of your household goods | not allowed: means of transport fall outside household goods | Decreto 1165 de 2019, art. 281 |
| Bpm refund on export | only on registration in another EU country or in Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway | Dutch Tax Administration |
| Dutch driving licence | valid as a visitor, during the authorised stay, at most 6 months | Ministerio de Transporte |
| Exchange | only for people born in a treaty country: Chile, South Korea, Spain, Paraguay, Peru; not the Netherlands | Ministerio de Transporte |
| Colombian licence | theory and practical exam, course certificate from a driving school, medical examination | Ley 769 de 2002, art. 19 |
Why can your car not come along?
The import regime is set out in Decreto 925 of 2013. Article 14 places, among other things, used, overhauled and second-hand goods under the licencia previa. Article 16 then says for which cars and motorcycles such a licence is granted: a few kinds of special and off-road vehicles, antique and classic cars that meet the Ministry of Transport's requirements, and cars of Colombian diplomats returning after their mission. The Ministry of Trade's manual from 2024 repeats that the import committee only approves a licence in those cases.
An ordinary used car is not among them. It does not work through your household goods either. Article 281 of the customs decree excludes means of transport from the vehicles section of the customs tariff from the menaje doméstico, with an exception for things such as children's bicycles and wheelchairs. What may come along in your household goods is in household goods to Colombia.
What do you do with your car in the Netherlands?
Selling is the obvious choice. Do not ship a car to Colombia unless the import licence is settled in advance; for an ordinary used car that licence does not exist. If you export it anyway, for example to family elsewhere, watch the bpm. The Dutch Tax Administration only refunds bpm if the car is permanently registered in another EU country or in Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway, and taken there. So for Colombia you get no bpm back.
How long may you drive on your Dutch licence?
Article 25 of the Colombian traffic law, Ley 769 of 2002, accepts a valid foreign licence for tourists and people in transit, for as long as their stay is authorised. The Ministry of Transport wrote in May 2025 that this can in no case be longer than six months.
Those six months are for visitors. A foreigner living in Colombia must, according to the same ministry, meet the traffic law's requirements for a Colombian licence. If you come to live on an M visa, do not count on a transition period with your Dutch licence.
If you drive without carrying your licence, article 131 means you risk a fine of eight daily minimum wages.
Can you exchange your licence?
Only if you were born in a country with which Colombia has an agreement. In December 2022 the Ministry of Transport named Chile, South Korea, Spain, Paraguay and Peru, and then also signed with Portugal and Argentina. The Netherlands is not among them.
With an agreement it is a matter of recognition: you have your fingerprint registered in the RUNT, the national traffic register, with your cédula de extranjería, and the ministry decides within two months. A licence in a language other than Spanish goes along with an official translation.
What does a Colombian licence require?
For a private car, article 19 of the traffic law lists:
- being able to read and write, and being at least 16;
- passing a theory and practical exam, taken by a recognised institution, with the result in the RUNT;
- a certificate from a driving school listed in the RUNT;
- a medical certificate on your physical and mental fitness and your motor skills, from a healthcare institution or examination centre listed in the RUNT.
Start as soon as your cédula is ready; see registration and numbers. Where this falls in the order of departure and arrival is in the route to Colombia.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey, step 4.3: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Colombia or go straight to step 4.3 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- Decreto 925 de 2013, articles 14 and 16 — prior licence for used goods, and for which vehicles it is granted (DIAN) — normograma.dian.gov.co
- MinCIT/VUCE — manual for the prior licence (licencia previa), 2024 — vuce.gov.co
- Decreto 1165 de 2019, article 281 — means of transport are not part of household goods (DIAN) — normograma.dian.gov.co
- Dutch Tax Administration — bpm refund on export of a used car, only to the EU and the EEA — belastingdienst.nl
- Ministerio de Transporte — concept of 6 May 2025 on the foreign licence (at most six months) and the requirements for a Colombian licence — mintransporte.gov.co
- Ministerio de Transporte — the countries with which Colombia recognises or exchanges licences — mintransporte.gov.co
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