How do you hire a Colombian employee in 2026?
Colombia has no minimum notice period for indefinite employment contracts. Instead of a notice obligation, the law requires mandatory cesantias (a severance fund deposit) that accrues from day one. Probation is capped at 2 months. And from 15 July 2026, the maximum working week drops to 42 hours.
· Colombia guide
Illustration · Bogota, Colombia
The Colombia hire process has five steps. Offer letter, work-authorisation check, written employment contract, onboarding registrations, first payday.
Colombia has no minimum notice period for indefinite contracts. Instead, an employer who ends the contract without just cause must pay an indemnity. Cesantias (a severance fund) accrues from day one and must be deposited annually.
Probation is capped at 2 months. Either party can end employment during probation without giving notice. The working week drops to 42 hours from 15 July 2026.
What does the end-to-end Colombia hire process look like?
Five steps take you from accepted offer to first payslip: offer letter, work-authorisation check, written contract, social-security and parafiscal registrations, first payday.
The written contract must be signed before or on day one. Social-security registrations must be completed before the first payroll.
| Step | What happens | Owner | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Offer letter | Written offer with role, salary, start date, and key terms including probation period | Client / Teamed drafts | Same day after verbal accept |
| 2. Work-authorisation check | Verify Colombian citizenship, permanent residency, or valid work visa before the employee starts | Teamed | Before the employee starts |
| 3. Written employment contract | Signed written contract under the Codigo Sustantivo del Trabajo, setting out role, salary, probation, working hours, and leave | Teamed (legal employer) | On or before day one |
| 4. Onboarding registrations | Affiliate the employee with an EPS (health insurer), AFP (pension fund), ARL (occupational risk insurer), and parafiscal contributions (SENA, ICBF, family compensation fund) | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| 5. First payday | First payslip issued, social-security and parafiscal contributions remitted | Teamed | End of first monthly pay period |
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Issue the offer letter
Send a written offer the same day as verbal acceptance. Include role, salary, start date, probation of up to 2 months, and any conditions such as work-authorisation or references.
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Complete the work-authorisation check
Verify the national ID card for Colombian nationals and permanent residents, or confirm a valid work visa for foreign nationals, before the employee starts. Record the document details and retain a copy.
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Issue the written employment contract
The signed contract must be in place on or before day one. Teamed's standard Colombian contract covers all required terms including probation, working hours, and annual leave. Clients choose commercial terms; Teamed signs as the legal employer.
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Complete social-security and parafiscal registrations
Affiliate the employee with their chosen EPS (health insurer) and AFP (pension fund), select and register with an ARL (occupational risk insurer), and set up parafiscal contributions. This runs across days one to seven.
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Issue the first payslip
Run the first payroll at the end of the first calendar month. Remit all social-security and parafiscal contributions by the agreed payment dates. The employee receives their payslip and is on the payroll record.
What must a Colombian offer letter include?
The offer letter is not the binding contract. It is the document the candidate uses to decide.
Include role title, reporting line, start date, gross monthly salary, working hours, work location, probation period of up to 2 months, benefits summary, and any conditions such as work-authorisation or reference checks.
Three traps to avoid in Colombian offer letters:
- Quoting net salary. Colombian employees often ask about net pay. Committing to a net figure in writing creates exposure when social-security contribution rates or tax brackets change. Quote gross only.
- Misquoting the probation period. If the offer letter states a probation period longer than 2 months, the excess is not valid. The written contract governs; align them before day one.
- Omitting the working-hours change. From 15 July 2026, the maximum weekly hours drop to 42 hours under Law 2101 of 2021. Offers issued before that date should reflect the incoming limit if the employee starts on or after it.
Teamed's standard Colombian offer letter covers all required ground without overcommitting. Clients choose commercial elements. Teamed holds the legal-employer position and signs as the employer of record.
Colombia work-authorisation checks
Every employer must confirm the employee has the right to work in Colombia before they start.
Colombian nationals and holders of permanent-residency visas may work without restriction. Foreign nationals need a valid work visa or a migration permit that authorises employment.
Colombian nationals and permanent residents
Colombian citizens present their national ID card (Cedula de Ciudadania). Permanent residents present their Cedula de Extranjeria. The employer takes a copy and retains it in the personnel file. No government portal check is required for these categories.
Foreign nationals
Non-resident foreign nationals must hold a valid Colombian visa that authorises work. The most common categories for employed workers are the Migrante visa (type M, work subcategory) and the Residente visa for those with longer-term ties. The employer records the visa type, number, and expiry date before the start date, and must run a follow-up check before the visa expires.
Some nationalities may enter under short-stay arrangements but cannot start employment without a work-authorising visa. Teamed confirms the applicable category for each hire before drafting the contract.
Employers in Colombia must verify that each foreign worker holds a visa that explicitly authorises work activity before employment begins. The Migrante (type M) visa with a work subcategory is the standard route for most employed foreign workers.
Source: Cancilleria de Colombia: Visa information and requirements
Follow-up checks for time-limited visas
For employees on time-limited visas, Teamed tracks expiry dates and triggers a reminder ahead of renewal. An expired work visa means the employee cannot legally continue working. Teamed manages the calendar so no renewal is missed.
The Colombian employment contract: what must it contain?
A written employment contract is not required by the Codigo Sustantivo del Trabajo for all contracts. But it is essential in practice.
Without a written contract, the relationship is treated as an indefinite oral contract. That is harder to manage and leaves both parties with less certainty. Teamed always issues a written contract before day one.
What a Colombian written employment contract must or should include:
- Names and identification of both parties (employer and employee)
- Start date and, for fixed-term contracts, the end date
- Place and location of work
- Job title and description of main duties
- Gross monthly salary and payment intervals (monthly is standard under Art. 134 of the Codigo Sustantivo del Trabajo)
- Working hours per day and per week (maximum 42 hours from 15 July 2026 under Law 2101 of 2021)
- Probation period, if agreed, up to a maximum of 2 months
- Annual leave entitlement of 15 days per year
- Reference to the applicable internal work regulations (reglamento interno de trabajo) if the employer has more than ten workers
- Confidentiality, non-disclosure, or intellectual-property clauses where relevant
- For fixed-term contracts: the specific term and the notice requirement of 30 days before expiry to avoid automatic renewal
The 2025 Labour Reform (Law 2466 of 2025) introduced changes to fixed-term contracts and night-work definitions effective from 25 June 2025. Teamed's standard Colombian contract is updated to reflect these changes.
Key source: Codigo Sustantivo del Trabajo (Colombian Substantive Labour Code).
Onboarding admin in the first week
Days 1 to 7: written contract signed, health-insurer choice confirmed, social-security and parafiscal affiliations completed, bank details collected.
Teamed handles the compliance and registration side. The client handles the cultural and operational side.
| Onboarding task | Who does it | Day |
|---|---|---|
| Written employment contract signed | Employee and Teamed | Day 0 or 1 |
| Work-authorisation check completed | Teamed | Day 0 (before start) |
| EPS (health insurer) choice confirmed and affiliation submitted | Employee selects EPS; Teamed submits | Day 1 |
| AFP (pension fund) choice confirmed and affiliation submitted | Employee selects AFP; Teamed submits | Day 1 |
| ARL (occupational risk insurer) affiliation | Teamed (employer selects ARL) | Day 1 |
| Parafiscal contributions set up (SENA, ICBF, family compensation fund) | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| Bank account details collected for payroll transfer | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| Benefits enrolment (if applicable) | Teamed (admin) and Client (decision) | Days 1 to 7 |
| Equipment and system access | Client | Days 0 to 1 |
| Manager introduction and first-week plan | Client | Days 0 to 7 |
| 30-60-90 day plan documented | Client (manager) | Days 1 to 14 |
How does Teamed handle Colombian employment for you?
Teamed becomes your legal employer of record in Colombia for from $599 per employee per month, with zero FX mark-up in any currency.
Payroll, social-security affiliations, the written contract, and the full Colombian employment law stack run on one platform.
Real HR and legal experts handle your Colombian hires, from the first offer letter through every monthly social-security remittance and annual cesantias deposit. An actual person, not a chatbot or a pooled queue. There is no setup fee and no exit fee. Employer cost passes through at cost, itemised on every invoice.
EOR payroll, contractor onboarding, and entity setup all live on one platform. A Colombian contractor who converts to full employment keeps their record. Run the Crossover Calculator to see the month your Colombian hire is ready to graduate to your own entity. Start from the Colombia hiring overview; each guide here takes one layer of Colombian employment law.
Key sources: Ministerio del Trabajo Colombia, Codigo Sustantivo del Trabajo, and Law 2466 of 2025 (Labour Reform).
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to hire someone in Colombia through Teamed?
Teamed can onboard a Colombian employee within a few business days for Colombian nationals. The critical path is the written contract, EPS and AFP affiliation, and ARL registration, all of which must be in place before the first payroll. Foreign nationals who need a work visa will take longer, as the visa must be in place before the start date.
What is the probation period in Colombia and what notice applies during it?
The probation period (periodo de prueba) is capped at 2 months under Article 78 of the Codigo Sustantivo del Trabajo. It must be agreed in writing. During probation, either party can end the employment without giving notice. After probation ends, different rules apply depending on the contract type and whether there is just cause for termination.
Does Colombia require a notice period when ending an indefinite employment contract?
No. Colombia does not require minimum notice for indefinite-contract termination. An employer may end the contract at any time with immediate effect. Without just cause, the employer must pay an unjust-dismissal indemnity (indemnizacion por despido injusto) calculated on length of service and salary level. The employee also retains the right to their accrued cesantias fund balance.
What is the annual leave entitlement for a Colombian employee?
The minimum paid annual leave (vacaciones) is 15 days of remunerated rest per year under Article 186 of the Codigo Sustantivo del Trabajo. Colombia also has 19 public holidays (festivos) per year. Leave accrues from day one and is typically taken after the first year of service, though parties can agree earlier use.
What are cesantias and when must they be deposited?
Cesantias are a mandatory severance savings fund. The employer deposits the equivalent of one month's salary for each year of service into a designated fund (Fondo de Cesantias) on behalf of the employee. The deposit for each calendar year must be made by 14 February of the following year. The employee can access cesantias for approved purposes (housing, education) during employment and receives the full balance on termination.
Colombia's hire process catches companies out at the social-security affiliation step. Five separate bodies need notifying before the first payroll: the EPS, AFP, ARL, and the parafiscal funds. Get the affiliations wrong and the first payslip is non-compliant. We run all five registrations in parallel with the contract so day one is clean.
Colombia replaces notice with a day-one accrual. Cesantias start accumulating from the first month of employment.
The working week drops to 42 hours from 15 July 2026. Contracts written before that date need to reflect the new limit.
Five registrations, one platform, no missed deadlines.
