With solid and steady growth over the last 10 years, Colombia’s economy is quite diversified. As the 4th largest economy in the region, the country has significant resources of energy raw materials. The peace agreement and the fiscal and structural reforms adopted should ensure that Colombia can grow and improve its image on international markets.

Good to know :

Languages Spoken : French, Dutch, German
Local Currency : Colombian Peso
Capital : Bogota

The conditions for undertaking a Business France V.I.E in Colombia

Do you already meet the International Young Talent Program criteria ?
Doubts about your eligibility ? Feel free to contact us

The conditions for undertaking a Business France V.I.E in Colombia

To go to Colombia as a V.I.A, you must fulfil the access conditions to the V.I.A.
The administration that is recruiting you is responsible for your residence permit.

Cultural work codes in Colombia

In the professional context, Colombians are very accessible, even at high managerial levels, courteous and welcoming. This great sociability and open-mindedness are characteristic of human relations in both the private and business spheres. Colombians pass in a few minutes from using ‘usted’ to using ‘tu’ ! Don't see this as a lack of respect but rather a proof of friendliness. Nevertheless, there is a certain formality in Colombian business circles. It is, for example, preferable to call your counterparts by their titles such as doctor, professor, engineer.   

Be flexible - Colombians like to have some room for manoeuvre in their timetables. You can therefore forget about proposals or programmes that are too rigid ! In discussions, avoid mentioning issues relating to security, drugs or guerilla warfare and prefer lighter topics of conversation. As Colombians are openly religious, don't be surprised if a colleague blesses a contract or makes a sign of the cross in the street. Refrain from commenting on these beliefs as that may offend the person.  Finally, you should know that you will always be offered a coffee at the beginning of an appointment or meeting and that refusing it is considered very rude.

Things that may surprise you in Colombia

- What wins people over in Colombia is, more than anything else, its inhabitants. Despite circumstances that have been difficult for a long time, Colombians are cheerful, friendly and warm. Marked by the peace accords, recent years have seen a significant drop-off in tensions and insecurity.  This is why they say that the only risk in Colombia is that you may want to stay.

- So, if you are afraid that, as soon as you arrive at the airport, the taxi driver will kidnap you and demand a ransom in exchange for your release, there's no need to worry. The reality is that you are more likely to spend a pleasant trip discussing everything - politics, the latest agricultural strike or trendy places to go out in Bogotá.

- Although Colombian workers are only entitled to 15 days of paid holiday a year, they get lots of public holidays : 18 days. This makes Colombia the country with the most public holidays in the world !

- Whether the national football team wins or loses, whether the weather is good or bad, whether it's Barranquilla Carnival time or just another Monday, in Colombia any occasion is a cause for celebration. And all pretexts are good to gorumbear, as they say around here, to the variedrhythms of local music. This is what makes Colombia the land of a thousand rhythms.

- Have you just ordered dinner in a restaurant ? Don't be surprised if the answer is "a laorden" i.e. at your disposal. It is the norm to address you as if you were a captain and they were your crew. It's not unpleasant to be treated with kid gloves !

- Colombia is a relatively cheap country when you take into consideration European purchasing power. Transport and food are, for example, quite affordable. Keep in mind that despite constant progress, there are still enormous social differences.

- Still need to be convinced ? Colombia is also - a nation of magical realism, a country with extremely diverse climates and landscapes, a destination with a rich biodiversity, the world's largest exporter of roses, one of the world's largest producers of coffee and a country with many must-see places of culture, including the monuments of Cartagena deIndiasand the Barranquilla carnival, declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.