Colombia and the Netherlands at a glance
- Stamp
- Apostille, Hague Convention in force for Colombia since 30 January 2001
- Issued by
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Cancillería), entirely online
- Language
- Spanish, sworn translation
- Register
- Chamber of Commerce (Cámara de Comercio)
- Tax treaty
- Colombia and the Netherlands signed a tax treaty in 2022. It awaits entry into force; until then Dutch domestic rules apply: 15% Dutch dividend withholding tax, zero standard withholding on interest and royalties (Rijksoverheid, 1 October 2026)
- EU trade
- Trade Agreement with Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, 2013
- Moving here
- Residence permit needed
Documents from Colombia
Passport copy, certified by a notary in Colombia.
Proof of address in Colombia, at most three months old.
Power of attorney. Sign the power of attorney at a Colombian notaría and say it is for an apostille. The notary registers the signature and gives you the code for the online request.
Ownership statement, one page from us.
The apostille. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Cancillería), entirely online. A Colombian notary sends the document digitally with a 21-character code. You then request the apostille on the Cancillería website, from anywhere in the world.
Official page: https://www.cancilleria.gov.co/tramites_servicios/apostilla_legalizacion_en_linea
Good to know. Tell the notary that the document is for an apostille. The notary only issues the code if you do. The chamber certificate leaves out the shareholders. Add the shareholder composition, certified by the legal representative.
If a company from Colombia becomes a shareholder
Register extract, at most three months old: Chamber of Commerce (Cámara de Comercio). Order the certificado de existencia y representación legal, which shows the legal representative and capital. This certificate can be apostilled online. Plus articles, signing authority and ownership chart.
Trade between Colombia and the EU
Colombia and the European Union (EU) traded goods worth €14.6 billion in 2025: €8.5 billion of EU exports and €6.1 billion of EU imports. The EU was Colombia's third-largest trading partner in 2025, with 13.6% of Colombian trade.
Vegetable products made up 46% of EU imports from Colombia in 2025, mineral products 20.6% and pearls and precious metals 9.9%. Chemical products (28.8%), machinery and appliances (18.6%) and transport equipment (10.9%) were the largest EU exports to Colombia that year.
Colombia and Peru signed their trade agreement with the EU in June 2012. It has applied with Colombia since 1 August 2013, and Ecuador joined it on 1 January 2017.
Colombia is the EU's largest trading partner in the Andean Community, and the EU is the second-largest source of foreign direct investment in Colombia.
Import duties: Access2Markets.
Your next step from Colombia
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