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Many travelers get confused about whether they need to pay a hotel tax in Colombia, but the rules are actually straightforward.
Do I Have to Pay Hotel Tax in Colombia?
If you’re a foreign visitor in Colombia on a tourist visa (PIP5), you DO NOT need to pay IVA — the 19% value added tax — at ANY hotel in the country.
Tourists receive a PIP5 visa upon entering the country. Your stamp should look like this:
Foreign residents of Colombia and travelers on business visas are NOT EXEMPT from paying the tax. Other visa types, applied for in advance, may qualify for an exemption depending on the hotel’s policy. All hotels are required to make a copy or take a photo of your passport and stamp at check in.
My Experience with the Tax
In my experience, about half of the hotels I’ve stayed at automatically waive the IVA, while the other half try to charge it. When paying, check your bill carefully to ensure IVA isn’t included. If it is, politely point it out — the hotel should adjust the bill without hesitation.
It’s not always that simple, unfortunately. Some hotels may insist you pay the tax and offer a variety of excuses. If you’re on a tourist visa and the hotel is registered with the National Tourism Registry — a requirement for all Colombian hotels — they’re not supposed to charge you IVA.
Excuses I’ve heard include: “The law changed last week”, “You didn’t buy a vacation package with us, and the law only applies to vacation packages”, and “Our hotel is exempt from this law”. None of these statements are true. Don’t let them take advantage of you.
6 Comments
How do I know what my passport will be stamped with as a US tourist?
Why do hotels differ? In your example Hotel Dann does NOT accept TP-12, LTP 7, PIP3, PIP6, and PIP10 !
My hotel NH ROYAL URBAN CARTAGENA said, “To avoid the payment of the tax is required the stamp that puts migration in your passport when entering Colombia, this must be type PIP5 or PIP6”
Sorry I am just very confused and I don’t really want to have an argument with hotel…
Thanks for the question, I’ll have to clarify in my entry.
PIP5 is the visa that’s given to everyone entering the country for tourism purposes. On the stamp, there’s a line beginning with PIP and followed by several numbers. The agent will circle or put a line through the 5 and write “90” in the space to the right. Double check this is what was done to avoid problems with your hotel.
PIP6 is for those participating in business training or searching for business contacts.
All other visa types have to be applied for, so I wouldn’t worry about those.
Thanks, and enjoy your trip!
Hi, I am a German resident but will be traveling with a group of colombians. I will be paying the room for us (we are four) will I have to pay tax?
Thanks for getting in touch – that’s a good question. The only way to avoid taxes is to register the room under a foreign passport with a PIP5 stamp. If you’re a German resident with a Colombian passport, unfortunately it won’t work.
Hello, thank you for the information. What Colombian law addresses this?
Decreto 297 de 2016