Employee Relocation Within Colombia: A Guide for HR

A move within Colombia doesn’t involve immigration, but it involves almost everything else: agreeing on terms with the employee, finding housing in the new city, securing a school place for the children, coordinating the move and supporting the family through the first weeks. When the company requests the change of city, the law makes it responsible for the reasonable costs of the move and the return, so it pays to budget for them from the start.

What the law says about relocating an employee

Colombia’s Labor Code (Código Sustantivo del Trabajo) states that if the employer asks the worker to change residence to perform the job, it must pay the reasonable costs of the move there and back. The change of city also cannot worsen the worker’s conditions. That’s why it’s best to agree on it in writing, detailing what the company covers and for how long. Each specific case should be reviewed by the company’s legal team.

What to include in your internal relocation policy

A written policy keeps every move from being negotiated from scratch. This table lists the most common items and who usually covers them.

Item	What it includes	Who usually covers it
Look-see trip	A visit to the new city to explore neighborhoods and schools	The company
Household move	Packing, transport and insurance of household goods	The company, up to a cap
Temporary housing	Hotel or furnished apartment for the first weeks	The company, for a set period
Home search	Shortlisting options, viewings and help with the lease	The company, through a provider
School	Finding a place and support with admission	The company, or shared with the employee
Return	Costs of moving back to the city of origin when the assignment ends	The company, when it requested the move

Housing and schools in the new city

Bogotá, Medellín, Cali and Barranquilla have different housing markets in terms of price, neighborhoods and requirements. Schools vary in a similar way: many private bilingual schools follow calendar B, from August to June, while public schools follow calendar A, from February to November. If the family moves mid-year, the availability of a school place can end up setting the date of the move. Our guide to corporate housing in Colombia covers neighborhoods and rental requirements in detail.

Moves within the same city

Not every move involves a new city. In Bogotá, moving a team to a new office or assigning people to a client’s operation can completely change their daily commute. Some companies, outsourcing firms for example, offer support so the employee can move closer to the new workplace: home search, a change of school and orientation in the new neighborhood.

When the destination is a regional operation

If the destination is an energy or mining operation, the move adds rotations, a base city and on-site accommodation. For those cases, our playbook for relocating employees to oil and mining operations in Colombia explains how to plan each arrangement. Holistic supports moves within the country using the same process it uses for international relocations, and you’ll find the details on our corporate relocation in Colombia page.

Frequently asked questions

• Does a move within Colombia require any immigration paperwork? Not if the employee is Colombian. If they’re a foreign national, check that their visa is still valid and tied to the same employer.

  
  

• Who pays for the move when the company requests the relocation? Generally the company, which also covers the reasonable costs of the return. It’s best to put the details in writing.

  
  

• How much notice should the employee get? Enough time for the family to find housing and a school. With school-age children, the school calendar usually sets the date.

  
  

• What are calendar A and calendar B? They are Colombia’s two school calendars. Calendar A runs from February to November and calendar B from August to June.

  
  

• Can you hire a relocation provider for domestic moves? Yes. A provider handles housing, schools, the move and orientation in the new city, and gives HR a single progress report.

  
  

Does your company need to relocate employees between cities in Colombia? Get in touch to schedule a call and we’ll walk you through how we support the employee and their family from day one.