Launching an online store in Colombia means sorting out tax registration first, then choosing the payment methods your customers actually use at checkout, and only then picking a platform and logistics. Colombia is one of Latin America's most dynamic ecommerce markets, but it has its own quirks — a different e-invoicing system, different digital wallets — that don't match Mexico or Argentina. Here's the order that actually avoids rework.
1. Register with the DIAN and, if needed, the Chamber of Commerce
To sell legally in Colombia you need a RUT (Registro Único Tributario) with the DIAN, the national tax authority; the process is free and done through its own online portal. If you operate as a sole individual (persona natural), the RUT alone is enough to start invoicing. If instead you set up a company, the SAS structure is by far the most common choice among Colombian startups and small businesses because it's quick to incorporate — you'll also need to register with your city's Chamber of Commerce and get a matrícula mercantil, which renews every year. Most ecommerce ventures start as a sole individual and move to an SAS once revenue grows or partners join.
2. VAT and e-invoicing: what the DIAN won't let you skip
Colombia's general VAT rate is 19%, applied to most goods and services sold online, with a reduced 5% rate and a 0% rate for a narrow list of essential goods and exports. Beyond the rate, the one thing you can't skip is electronic invoicing: the DIAN requires every business to invoice electronically, whether through its own free software, an authorized technology provider, or your own certified system. This isn't a minor detail — the DIAN can fine or even shut down a business that doesn't comply. If you sell through a platform, confirm from day one who issues the invoice on each sale.
3. Payment methods: what Colombian shoppers expect to see
Checkout in Colombia revolves around PSE (Pagos Seguros en Línea), the direct bank-transfer system connecting to more than 40 banks and the default choice for a large share of shoppers. The wallets Nequi and Daviplata (run by Bancolombia and Davivienda) grew fast and now count tens of millions of active users, so leaving them out means losing sales right at checkout. To wire this up without building each integration yourself, the usual approach is a gateway like Wompi, ePayco, PayU or Mercado Pago, bundling cards, PSE, wallets and sometimes cash payment at physical points into one integration.
4. Marketplace, your own store, or both
Mercado Libre is Colombia's highest-volume marketplace and, for a small business just starting out, the fastest way to validate a catalog without investing in your own store first. Your own store (Shopify and WooCommerce are the most widely used options) gives you full control over brand, margin and customer data, in exchange for having to generate your own traffic. Colombian brands that scale seriously tend to run both channels in parallel: the marketplace for immediate reach, the own store for margin and long-term loyalty.
5. Shipping: pick carriers based on where you sell
Servientrega, Coordinadora, Interrapidísimo and TCC are the most-used carriers for domestic shipping, with coverage reaching a large share of the country's municipalities, including areas other couriers don't serve. For fast delivery within major cities, urban last-mile services shorten delivery times; if you sell on Mercado Libre, Mercado Envíos simplifies that part by plugging straight into the marketplace. Decide upfront who absorbs the shipping cost, because it's one of the first things a Colombian buyer checks before confirming a purchase.
6. Planning to import for resale? Factor that into the plan
If your business model involves buying inventory abroad (China, for example) to resell in Colombia, you'll need to register as an importer and work out the applicable tariffs before setting your sale prices. Those tariffs vary by product, country of origin and the import regime you use, so it's worth checking with a customs broker or accountant before committing to margins — not after the price is already live on the store.
What this means for your business
None of these steps is complicated on its own, but the order matters: settling tax registration and e-invoicing before picking a platform avoids redoing that part later. If you want to launch your store in Colombia without solving this by trial and error, we can help you define the full setup, from platform to payments, shipping and invoicing integration.