The 2026 wage decree is in court. The visa line is not moving. Yet.
Two decrees, one number, and a pending ruling. If you are buying for a visa this year, here is how to read it.
On 29 December 2025 the government fixed the 2026 minimum wage at COP 1,750,905 by Decreto 1469 de 2025, a 23% rise, after the wage commission failed to agree. Employers' associations challenged it. On 12 February 2026 the Consejo de Estado, Sección Segunda, provisionally suspended the decree on the ground that it may have breached article 8 of Ley 278 de 1996, which sets the criteria the government must weigh when fixing the wage unilaterally, and ordered a replacement decree within eight days.
The replacement, Decreto 0159 de 2026 of 19 February, fixed the wage transitorily at the same COP 1,750,905 pending a decision on the merits. So the arithmetic did not change: 350 SMMLV is still COP 612,816,750, 650 is still COP 1,138,088,250.
Three ways it could go
- The court upholds the decree. Nothing changes. This is the outcome every calculation on this site already assumes.
- The court orders a lower figure. The visa lines fall proportionally. A purchase that cleared the higher line still clears the lower one. No harm to anyone who planned conservatively.
- The court orders a higher figure. Unlikely given the challenge came from employers, but if it happened, purchases already deeded and filed against the transitional figure would be assessed under the rules in force at filing. Get the file in.
What to actually do
Plan against COP 612,816,750 with margin. Do not buy below it hoping the court rescues you. And if you are close to the line and your deed is scheduled for December, remember that the January reset is a separate risk from the court case, and it happens every year regardless.
Source: Consejo de Estado, Sección Segunda, auto de 12 de febrero de 2026; Decreto 1469 de 2025; Decreto 0159 de 2026.
Figures verified 30 Aug 2026. SMMLV 2026 COP 1,750,905. USD at live TRM, fallback 3,202.79.