Healthcare in Colombia
Who is covered, from what date, and what insurance you need
Colombia operates a mandatory health insurance system with a contributory scheme for those with income and a subsidised scheme for those without. Legal residents can, and in most cases are required to, affiliate with an EPS insurer, at a contribution set as a percentage of declared income. Private care in Bogotá and Medellín is of a standard that attracts medical tourism.
| System | Sistema General de Seguridad Social en Salud, EPS insurers source |
| Contributory scheme | Contribution commonly around 12.5% of declared income |
| Coverage | Defined benefit package, with dependents commonly included |
| Private insurance | Prepaid medicine and complementary plans sold alongside EPS |
How affiliation works
Health cover is delivered by EPS entities that administer the statutory benefit package. Employees are enrolled by their employer with the contribution split between employer and worker; independent workers and residents living on their own income affiliate directly and pay the whole contribution themselves, calculated on declared income subject to a floor at the minimum wage.
Affiliation is generally treated as an obligation of residence rather than an option, and proof of it is requested in several administrative contexts. The cédula de extranjería is normally required to enrol.
What it costs and what it covers
- The contribution is a percentage of declared income rather than a flat premium, so the same cover costs a low earner very little and a high earner considerably more.
- Dependents — spouse or permanent partner, children, and in some circumstances parents — can commonly be added without a separate contribution.
- The statutory package is broad and includes hospital treatment, medication and maternity care, with defined co-payments.
- Waiting times for specialist appointments within the EPS network are the usual complaint, which is why many households add a prepaid private plan.
Private care
Bogotá and Medellín host hospitals that rank among the strongest in Latin America and receive patients from across the region for cardiac, orthopaedic and oncological treatment. Prices for private consultations and procedures are a fraction of United States equivalents.
Prepaid medicine plans and complementary policies are sold on top of EPS affiliation rather than instead of it, and give faster access and a wider choice of specialist. Visitors and digital nomad visa holders who are not affiliated to an EPS are normally required to hold private insurance valid in Colombia for the duration of their stay.
Free: the Colombia visa checklist
A one-page PDF listing every document each route asks for, so you can see what you are missing before you spend anything. No spam, unsubscribe in one click.
The list is not open yet, so nothing was sent and your address was not stored. The guides on this site are free and need no sign-up.
We email a short course on how the Colombia routes work, then the report offer. Your address is never sold.
Official sources
Checked against these pages in September 2026. Fees and processing times change without notice — confirm before you act.