Crypto Taxes Colombia: What You Need to Know About Reporting Crypto in 2025

When you buy, sell, or earn cryptocurrency, a digital asset tracked on a blockchain that can be exchanged for goods, services, or other currencies. Also known as digital currency, it’s not just a investment — in Colombia, it’s taxable income. The Colombian tax authority, DIAN, treats crypto like property, not money. That means every trade, swap, or airdrop could trigger a tax event — even if you didn’t cash out to pesos.

Many people think if they never sold crypto for fiat, they don’t owe taxes. That’s wrong. Selling Bitcoin for Ethereum? Taxable. Getting rewarded in USDC for staking? Taxable. Receiving crypto as payment for freelance work? Also taxable. DIAN, Colombia’s Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales, the national tax and customs authority responsible for enforcing tax laws and collecting revenue requires you to report all crypto transactions in your annual income tax return. They’ve been auditing exchanges and matching wallet addresses since 2023. If you held crypto on Binance, Kraken, or even a local platform like Bitso, DIAN can see it.

There’s no blanket exemption for long-term holds like in Portugal or Singapore. Even if you held Bitcoin for five years, selling it in Colombia means you owe capital gains tax. The rate? It’s tied to your total annual income — between 10% and 39%. Miners and stakers must report earnings as ordinary income, valued at the peso equivalent on the day they received it. No receipts? No problem — DIAN accepts exchange records, wallet transaction histories, and even screenshots of your portfolio on CoinGecko or CoinMarketCap.

What about crypto airdrops? They’re income. DeFi rewards? Income. NFT sales? Capital gains. There’s no gray area anymore. The government doesn’t care if you didn’t know the rules — ignorance isn’t a defense. And if you’re a freelancer paid in crypto? You’re a business. You need to track every payment, even if it’s $5 in SOL. You’ll need to file Form 210 or 110, depending on your income level, and keep records for at least five years.

There’s no official crypto tax software approved in Colombia, so most people use Excel or free tools like Koinly or CoinTracker to calculate gains. But here’s the catch: you have to convert every transaction to Colombian pesos using the DIAN-approved exchange rate — not the rate you saw on your app. The DIAN publishes daily rates for USD, EUR, and major stablecoins. Use the wrong one? You risk penalties.

People in Medellín, Bogotá, and Cali are starting to hire local tax advisors who specialize in crypto. It’s not expensive — a basic consultation runs under $100. That’s cheaper than a DIAN fine, which can hit 50% of the unpaid tax plus interest. The message is clear: if you’re active in crypto in Colombia, you’re in the system. The question isn’t whether you owe taxes — it’s whether you’ve filed them correctly.

Below, you’ll find real breakdowns of how crypto transactions are taxed in Colombia, what records to keep, and how to avoid common mistakes that trap even experienced users. No fluff. No theory. Just what you need to stay compliant — and keep more of your crypto.