What are the conditions for dispatching courier shipments in Colombia?

Courier or international courier service is a service that allows the transportation of documents or small packages between different countries, without the need for an importer or exporter registration. This means you can send or receive goods without having to go through customs procedures or pay taxes, as long as certain conditions are met.

Courier dispatch is an import modality that must meet certain conditions to be delivered to the recipient without a change in import modality to ordinary importation, which would have other requirements we will discuss at another time.

Some benefits of this service:  

• It reduces delivery time, as courier shipments usually take between 3 and 5 business days to reach Colombia, while shipments by sea or air can take between 15 and 30 days.
• It allows you to track the status of your shipment, as courier companies provide you with a tracking number that you can use to check online where your package is at any given time.
• It saves you money, as courier shipments do not have additional costs for transportation or customs brokerage, as is the case with ordinary imports. Additionally, the taxes you must pay are lower, depending on the value of the merchandise.

For receiving packages in Colombia, it is important to consider the following conditions:  

• The declared merchandise value must not exceed USD $2,000.
• The quantity of the same product per shipment must not exceed 6 units.
• Items such as cell phones, money, weapons, jewelry, toy weapons, among others, should not be sent.
• The maximum weight of the shipment must not exceed 50 kilograms.
• The dimensions of the merchandise must be less than 1.50 x 1.50 x 1.50 meters.

It is important to note that, in any case, the DIAN (Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales) may determine a change in modality for importation if it is detected that the declared value or the value on the purchase invoice does not correspond to the real value of the merchandise.

Finally, it is relevant to highlight that, in Colombia, for this import modality, taxes must be paid according to the value of the merchandise:

• For merchandise valued at less than USD $200: Tariff 0% - VAT 0%.
• For merchandise valued at more than USD $200: Tariff 10% - VAT 19%.
• These tax rates apply to shipments from the United States. For other origins, the taxes will be the same: Tariff 10% - VAT 19%.

As you can see, courier dispatch is a very convenient option for receiving packages from abroad, as long as you meet the conditions we have explained. If you have any doubts or questions about this topic, you can contact us and we will gladly assist you at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.    

We hope this article has been helpful to you and that you enjoy your package.