Colombia Citizenship By National Convenience – Article 22

Colombia does not operate a formal citizenship-by-investment program.

However, Colombian nationality legislation provides a distinct exceptional naturalisation mechanism through which the President of the Republic may partially exempt an applicant from the ordinary requirements for Colombian citizenship where granting nationality is considered convenient for Colombia.

This authority is established under Article 22 of Law 2332 of 2023 and forms part of a separate statutory chapter governing naturalisation through partial exemption from requirements.

Unlike ordinary Colombian naturalisation, the mechanism is not structured around completion of a prescribed period of residence before an application can be considered.

Instead, the applicant must be formally recommended and the case must establish why granting Colombian nationality would be relevant or convenient for the country.

The mechanism therefore operates as a presidential national-convenience naturalisation authority rather than a conventional residence-based citizenship pathway.

Legal Basis

Article 22 of Law 2332 of 2023 gives the President of the Republic the exclusive authority to partially exempt an applicant from the ordinary requirements for Colombian naturalisation where the Presidency determines that granting Colombian nationality would be convenient for the country.

The mechanism is expressly separated from the ordinary naturalisation framework.

An application must be supported by a presentation letter signed by:

• A minister
• An ambassador
• A member of Congress
• Or a person of recognised standing

The supporting letter must explain the convenience or relevance for Colombia of granting nationality to the person being recommended.

The applicant must also provide a reasoned request addressed to the President, identification documentation and a curriculum vitae.

Unlike ordinary naturalisation, Article 22 does not prescribe a qualifying period of Colombian residence, a standardised investment amount or a published economic contribution that creates eligibility for citizenship.

The central question is instead whether the Presidency considers the proposed naturalisation sufficiently relevant or convenient to Colombian interests to justify exemption from the ordinary requirements.

How The Presidential Approval Mechanism Operates

Colombia’s implementing framework provides considerably more procedural definition than exists in many exceptional-naturalisation jurisdictions.

The Presidency first considers whether granting nationality to the applicant would be convenient for Colombia.

Where the opinion is unfavourable, the exceptional application does not proceed.

Where the opinion is favourable, the case passes to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for preparation of the presidential decree granting the relevant exemption from ordinary naturalisation requirements.

The decree is subsequently submitted for presidential signature.

Following completion of the presidential process, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues the Carta de Naturaleza through which Colombian nationality is granted, subject to completion of the required oath.

The current administrative framework also provides for successful applicants domiciled outside Colombia to complete the oath before a Colombian ambassador or consul.

This is an important structural feature of Article 22:

The exceptional mechanism is capable of operating for an applicant domiciled abroad rather than requiring completion of an ordinary Colombian residence-to-naturalisation sequence.

Family Inclusion

Law 2332 of 2023 also allows an Article 22 applicant to request the relevant exemption for a spouse or permanent partner and minor children subject to parental authority.

The administrative framework distinguishes between their resulting citizenship documentation.

Minor children may be included in the principal applicant’s Carta de Naturaleza, while a qualifying spouse or permanent partner receives a separate Carta de Naturaleza.

Family inclusion nevertheless remains part of the exceptional presidential framework and should not be interpreted as creating an automatic family entitlement independent of the underlying approval.

Does Colombia Have A Citizenship By Investment Program In 2026?

No. Colombia does not presently operate a formal citizenship-by-investment (CBI) program.

There is no published investment amount, prescribed investment product, or statutory entitlement to Colombian citizenship in exchange for making an investment.

Colombia does, however, have the unusually explicit exceptional naturalisation mechanism established by Article 22 of Law 2332 of 2023.

The relevant statutory test is whether granting nationality is considered convenient for Colombia.

An applicant capable of demonstrating substantial economic, professional, strategic or other relevance to Colombia could therefore potentially have circumstances capable of engaging that assessment. But economic contribution should not be confused with a conventional investment qualification.

The practical structure is fundamentally different from citizenship by investment:

Relevant contribution or standing → qualified recommendation → case for convenience to Colombia → presidential assessment → exemption decree → Carta de Naturaleza.

The President retains discretion over whether the exceptional mechanism should be used.

For prospective applicants in 2026, Colombia should therefore be assessed as a presidential national-convenience citizenship jurisdiction rather than a conventional citizenship-by-investment jurisdiction.

DirectCitizenship.com Focuses On Executable Sovereign Discretion Structures

DirectCitizenship.com does not operate as a public directory of discretionary citizenship programs.

Instead, the platform focuses on a limited number of lower-visibility sovereign discretion environments where the following remains intact:

• Political tolerance
• Administrative continuity
• Economic contribution alignment
• And practical execution viability

These structures are typically:

• Highly selective
• Relationship-driven
• Politically sensitive
• And intentionally capacity-constrained.

As a result, most are neither publicly marketed at scale nor discussed openly in detail.

Interested parties seeking further information regarding discretionary naturalisation environments discussed on this platform may get in touch where appropriate.

Structured Enquiry

DirectCitizenship.com monitors a limited number of lower-visibility discretionary citizenship structures operating through:

• National interest
• Executive authority
• Exceptional contribution
• Merit-based naturalization
• Presidential decree
• And other legally enshrined sovereign discretion mechanisms.

Some environments may support practical implementation under highly specific conditions.

Structured enquiries may be submitted for further discussion.

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