Colombian Buyers Financing a Miami Home: What to Know on Both Sides
Yes, Colombian citizens living in Colombia can seek a mortgage on a Miami property, usually through a foreign-national loan. Colombia has its own rules too: Banco de la República administers registration of Colombian investments abroad [1][2], DIAN requires an annual foreign-asset declaration from certain taxpayers [3], and the IRS does not list Colombia among U.S. income tax treaty partners [4].
Can I get a mortgage on a Miami property while living in Colombia?
Often the path is a foreign-national loan: a category of mortgage for buyers who are not U.S. citizens and may have no Social Security number. These loans are offered by lenders and investors under their own program terms, so there is no single national standard we can quote. Our foreign national loan page explains the concept in more detail.
Even without agency rules, federal law still requires a lender making consumer credit secured by a dwelling to make a reasonable, good-faith determination that you can repay a covered home loan, considering, among other factors, your current or reasonably expected income or assets [5]. That rule does not reach credit extended primarily for a business, commercial or agricultural purpose, so a business-purpose investment-property loan (a DSCR loan, for example) can fall outside it [6]. So expect to be asked to document where your money comes from. We tell you which documents our lending partners request for your file; we do not publish minimums or ratios here because those vary by lender.
Do I have to register the purchase with Banco de la República?
Banco de la República publishes the Compendio de la Resolución Externa 1 de 2018, which it describes as the text that compiles and modifies Colombia's international exchange regime, and its site lists an international-investment regime under exchange regulation [1]. The Bank's guide to its registration system defines Colombian investment abroad as an investment made by a resident in shares, quotas, rights or other participations in the capital of a company domiciled abroad, and says registration is completed online in its Nuevo Sistema de Información Cambiaria [2].
Whether your purchase triggers a registration depends on how you hold the property (in your own name or through a company) and how the money leaves Colombia. The guide we read describes the company-investment case; it does not tell us how a direct personal purchase is treated. That question is for a Colombian exchange-regime lawyer or advisor, ideally before you wire funds.
Do I have to declare a Miami property to the DIAN?
DIAN's page on the declaración de activos en el exterior says the declaration is required of income tax taxpayers who hold assets abroad of any nature whose equity value on January 1 of each year exceeds 2,000 UVT, citing article 607 of the Estatuto Tributario, as the official page read on 30 September 2026 [3]. It says the declaration is filed on Formulario 160, and that the filing deadlines are set each year by DIAN's deadlines decree [3].
The UVT is a unit that Colombia updates, so check the current value with your advisor rather than converting it yourself. Whether the threshold applies to you depends on your tax residency and the total value of all your foreign assets, not only the Miami home. A contador in Colombia should make that call.
Is there a U.S.-Colombia income tax treaty?
The IRS page "United States income tax treaties - A to Z" lists the treaty partners alphabetically; among countries starting with C it lists Canada, Chile, China, Cyprus and the Czech Republic, and Colombia does not appear [4]. So a treaty-based reduction or exemption should not be assumed for income from a Miami property, such as rent, and how each country taxes it is a question for a cross-border tax professional.
We do not give tax advice or estimate any tax. Bring this point to a tax advisor in Colombia and, if needed, one who handles U.S. tax for nonresidents.
What should I line up before I apply?
Decide whether you will buy personally or through an entity, because that choice changes the Colombian-side analysis [2][3]. Talk to a Colombian tax and exchange-regime professional first, then to us about financing. Tell us how you plan to use the property, since a home you live in, a second home and a rental are different occupancy plans for a lender.
When you are ready, use the questions below and our get-started form, which asks about your Social Security number status up front. Nothing here is a commitment to lend.
Frequently asked questions
What is Resolución Externa 1 de 2018?
Banco de la República titles it the Compendio de la Resolución Externa 1 de 2018, which compiles and modifies Colombia's international exchange regime. Its site lists an international-investment regime within exchange regulation [1].
What does Banco de la República count as Colombian investment abroad?
Its registration guide defines it as an investment by a resident in shares, quotas, rights and other participations in the capital of a company domiciled abroad, registered online through the Nuevo Sistema de Información Cambiaria [2]. Ask a Colombian exchange-regime advisor how your specific purchase is treated.
Who must file Formulario 160?
DIAN says the declaration of assets abroad is required of income tax taxpayers who hold assets abroad of any nature whose equity value on January 1 exceeds 2,000 UVT, under article 607 of the Estatuto Tributario, filed on Formulario 160, as the official page read on 30 September 2026 [3].
Sources: Declaración de activos en el exterior (Formulario 160; art. 607 Estatuto Tributario)
Does the U.S. have an income tax treaty with Colombia?
The IRS treaty list we read, United States income tax treaties - A to Z, does not include Colombia [4]. Ask a cross-border tax professional how rental income or a sale would be taxed in each country.
Do lenders look at my ability to repay even on a foreign-national loan?
For consumer credit secured by a dwelling, federal rules require a creditor to make a reasonable, good-faith determination of ability to repay a covered home loan, considering among other things current or reasonably expected income or assets [5]. Credit extended primarily for a business, commercial or agricultural purpose is outside Regulation Z, so a business-purpose investment loan can fall outside that rule [6]. We tell you which documents our lending partners ask for, because those vary by lender.
Sources: 12 CFR 1026.43, Minimum standards for transactions secured by a dwelling (ability to repay); 12 CFR 1026.3(a), Exempt transactions: business, commercial, agricultural, or organizational credit
Can Global G Home Loans tell me whether I must register or declare?
No. We are a mortgage broker and do not give tax or exchange-regime advice. Banco de la República and DIAN are the authorities [1][3], and a Colombian tax and exchange-regime professional can apply their rules to your facts.
Sources: Compendio de la Resolución Externa 1 de 2018; Declaración de activos en el exterior (Formulario 160; art. 607 Estatuto Tributario)
Sources
- Compendio de la Resolución Externa 1 de 2018. Banco de la República (Colombia). Accessed .
- Guía para diligenciar el Registro de Inversiones Internacionales en el Sistema de Información Cambiaria. Banco de la República (Colombia). Accessed .
- Declaración de activos en el exterior (Formulario 160; art. 607 Estatuto Tributario). DIAN (Colombia). Accessed .
- United States income tax treaties - A to Z. Internal Revenue Service. Accessed .
- 12 CFR 1026.43, Minimum standards for transactions secured by a dwelling (ability to repay). Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Regulation Z). (c)(1) and (c)(2). Accessed .
- 12 CFR 1026.3(a), Exempt transactions: business, commercial, agricultural, or organizational credit. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Regulation Z). (a) An extension of credit primarily for a business, commercial or agricultural purpose is exempt; 12 CFR 1026.43(a): the ability-to-repay section applies to any consumer credit transaction secured by a dwelling. Accessed .