Rules for overlanding in Colombia

Our summary of the country advice published by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Viaggiare Sicuri) on 29 April 2026.

Which licence you need

All vehicles — An International Driving Permit is required, on the 1949 Geneva convention model.

An International Driving Permit states the categories it covers: check yours covers what you will actually drive. A car licence does not cover a motorcycle, and a heavy camper or a truck can need a higher category.

At the wheel

Insurance — Third-party liability cover is compulsory. Full comprehensive cover is strongly recommended on top of it.
Customs papers — A Carnet de Passage is required for vehicles imported temporarily.
Roads and landslides — Frequent rain and the landslides that follow often leave road surfaces and the links between big cities in a precarious state. Check road conditions and the weather with the national road agency INVIAS and the hydrology institute IDEAM before you set out.
No night driving — Do not drive at night outside the safer areas of the large cities.
Overland travel discouraged — The ministry advises against intercity overland transport and suggests using domestic commercial flights to cross the country. Air links with the local carriers are described as good.
Taxis and fake police — Do not flag down taxis in the street, especially at night; book through authorised companies or the well-known apps, widely used in every major city. Fake drivers with cloned taxi plates have forced passengers to withdraw cash at ATMs until the account was empty, a scam known as paseo millonario. There are also fraudsters dressed as police officers who, under the pretext of checking banknotes, make tourists hand over their foreign currency.

What catches travellers out

Overland into Ecuador — Ecuadorian border officers may still apply the January 2024 rule requiring foreigners entering overland from Colombia or Peru to show an apostilled criminal-record certificate in Spanish covering the last five years. Since 24 May 2024 they can instead run a check against the national SIMIEC database. The ministry asks for maximum caution on those land crossings and calls flying much safer.
Drugs — Trafficking is severely punished, and carrying, offering or buying all bring heavy prison terms. The 2016 prisoner-transfer agreement has not been ratified, so sentences, even for small quantities, are served only in Colombian prisons, which are overcrowded and violent. Never take charge of luggage that is not yours and never leave yours unattended: tourists have been arrested for carrying cocaine they agreed to transport.
Money and ATMs — Change money only at banks or authorised bureaux: elsewhere you risk fake or withdrawn notes and being treated as an accomplice in passing counterfeit currency. Use ATMs only inside banks and shopping centres, ideally with company, and take out small amounts. Sums above USD 10,000 must be declared to customs on arrival, or the excess is seized and only returned once its lawful origin is proven and a fine of 30% is paid.
Passport condition — Colombian officers refuse entry to travellers whose passport is damaged, including stains, tears or any alteration however slight. A return or onward ticket is also required, and carrying it on paper avoids being turned away at boarding or on arrival.

Before you rely on this

This is our summary of advice written by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Italian travellers, published on 29 April 2026. We summarise in good faith, but we cannot guarantee it is accurate, current or complete, and we take no responsibility for decisions made on the basis of it. Rules change without notice and are applied by officials at the border, not by websites. Always read the original source and the travel advice your own government publishes for Colombia before you travel. GuideMeet has no way of checking whether an individual guide meets any standard mentioned here — ask them directly.

Source: Viaggiare Sicuri — Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, updated 29 April 2026. Last checked by GuideMeet on 2026-09-20.