18–12 Months Out
Research & Scouting Trip
The most important phase. Do not skip this.
- Read everything on this site. Run the cost calculator with realistic numbers.
- Join 2-3 active Medellín expat Facebook groups. Lurk. Observe the real daily conversations — they're gold.
- Book a scouting trip of at least 10-14 days. Stay in 2-3 different neighborhoods via Airbnb to feel the difference.
- While in Medellín: visit hospitals you might use, ride the metro, eat in grocery stores, walk the neighborhoods morning, afternoon, and night. Take an Uber at 10 PM to feel how safe it actually is.
- Meet with at least one immigration attorney in person. Get a written quote.
- Start learning basic Spanish. Duolingo is fine to start; a tutor on italki is better.
12–9 Months Out
Financial & Tax Prep
Get your money situation clean before you cross a border.
- Open a Charles Schwab checking account (fee-free international ATM withdrawals) and a Wise account (for currency transfers). Both are standard for US expats.
- Consolidate or close accounts you won't need. Every account is a point of friction when you're overseas.
- Verify Social Security can be direct-deposited to your US bank while you're living abroad. (It can.)
- Consult a CPA with expat experience. Understand the 183-day tax residency rule, FBAR, and FATCA obligations before you become a Colombian tax resident.
- If you have a home to sell, list it now. Real estate transactions can take longer than you expect.
9–6 Months Out
Visa Application
Start the Colombian visa paperwork.
- Request your SSA benefits verification letter (the specific document Colombian consulates want) — must prove lifetime monthly income of at least 3× Colombia's minimum wage (~$1,430 USD/month in 2026).
- Get your documents apostilled through your state Secretary of State and/or the US State Department, including an apostilled criminal background check covering the last 3 years.
- Get certified Spanish translations of your documents.
- Submit your Migrant (M) visa application through the Cancillería online portal (form DP-FO-67), or work with your immigration attorney to submit.
- Line up Colombian-valid "all-risk" health insurance including repatriation coverage — this is required under Resolution 5477 and a standard US travel policy typically doesn't satisfy it. SURA and Colsanitas offer compliant plans.
- See our visa page for the full document checklist and 180-day rule details.
6–3 Months Out
Logistics & Goodbyes
The heavy lifting — literal and emotional.
- Decide: ship or sell? Most experienced expats sell 80-90% of their belongings and bring only what fits in checked luggage plus a few boxes. Furniture, appliances, and household goods are all available in Medellín, often cheaper than shipping.
- Pet logistics: vaccinations, health certificate, airline reservation. Start this 4+ months out if you're bringing a pet.
- Medical: get full physicals for everyone moving, update all vaccinations, get a 90-day prescription supply for the transition.
- Start telling friends and family your plan. This is harder than the paperwork.
- Book a medium-term Airbnb (1-3 months) in your target neighborhood for your first landing. Don't sign a year lease before you arrive.
3–1 Months Out
Final Countdown
- Finalize your Migrant visa (should be in hand by now).
- Book your one-way flight to MDE (José María Córdova, the main international airport for Medellín) or Bogotá with an onward connection.
- Notify Social Security of your move (you can still receive benefits living abroad, but you should notify them).
- Set up mail forwarding — a service like Traveling Mailbox gives you a US address that scans and forwards your mail digitally. Essential for taxes, banking, and government correspondence.
- Cancel subscriptions you won't need, update addresses on everything you will.
- Final goodbyes. Host a going-away party. Take pictures.
Day 1 — Arrival
Welcome to Medellín
- Land at MDE — José María Córdova International Airport in Rionegro, about 40 minutes from El Poblado through the mountains. Pre-book an airport transfer (~$15–$25 Uber) — don't take a random street taxi.
- Settle into your Airbnb. Sleep. Don't try to do errands the first day.
- Day 2: grocery run (Éxito or Carulla), SIM card (Claro, Movistar, or Tigo), register at a local café and become a regular.
- Within 15 calendar days: visit Migración Colombia (Medellín office: Calle 19 #80A-40, Barrio Belén) to register your visa and begin the process for your Cédula de Extranjería.
- Identify your nearest hospital. If you're in El Poblado or nearby, Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe (HPTU) is Medellín's JCI-accredited facility and has a dedicated international patient office.
Months 1–3
Getting Settled
- Receive your Cédula de Extranjería.
- Open a Colombian bank account (Bancolombia and Banco Davivienda both accept expats with a Cédula).
- Enroll in Colombian health insurance (private, EPS, or both).
- Explore neighborhoods deeply. Revisit the ones you toured on your scouting trip. See how they feel to live in, not just visit.
- Find your long-term apartment. Sign a one-year lease — do not buy property in your first year.
- Start Spanish classes in earnest. Three months of daily practice will transform your experience of the city.
- Build a community. Join an expat group, a salsa class, a hiking group, a book club. Loneliness is the #1 reason expats leave.
Month 6+
Living the Life
By month six, most retirees describe a distinct shift: Medellín stops being "the place they moved to" and starts being home. The cafés know your order. You have a favorite hairdresser, doctor, fruit vendor, Uber driver. You dream in a little bit of Spanish. You're lighter — physically, financially, emotionally.
This is what it was all for.
One last piece of advice: The retirees who thrive in Medellín are the ones who show up curious and flexible, not the ones who show up expecting Colombia to be Florida with cheaper rent. This is a different country with its own logic, its own rhythm, and its own dignity. Come to learn, not to complain. That mindset is worth more than any checklist we could give you.