SIRE explained: reporting foreign guests to Migración Colombia
If you host foreign guests in Colombia — in a hotel, a hostel, or an Airbnb apartment — you are required to report every check-in and every check-out to Migración Colombia through SIRE. It carries the sector's steepest fines: up to 2,631.30 UVT (about $137.8 million COP in 2026). This guide covers who must report, on what legal basis, how to register, and how to file each report.
What is SIRE?
The Sistema de Información para el Reporte de Extranjeros (SIRE) is Migración Colombia's platform where people and companies with ties to foreigners — employment, education, tenancy and, in our case, lodging — report those ties to the migration authority.
For a host, SIRE means one concrete thing: every foreign guest you receive must be reported twice — on arrival (ingreso) and on departure (salida). This is not a tourism survey: it is migration control, which is why its penalty regime is the harshest an accommodation faces.
The legal framework: why it's mandatory
- Decree 1067 of 2015 — the consolidated regulatory decree of the Foreign Affairs sector: it establishes the obligation to report to Migración Colombia any foreigner with whom a tie or service relationship exists, lodging included.
- Resolution 2357 of 2020 (Migración Colombia) — regulates the procedure: who reports, what gets reported (each foreigner's check-in AND check-out), through which channels, and the exception for establishments without internet.
- Resolution 3770 of 2021 — defines the penalty regime: fines from 105.25 to 2,631.30 UVT for breaching the reporting duties.
The legal basis in one line
Decree 1067 of 2015 obliges whoever lodges foreigners to report them to Migración Colombia; Resolution 2357 of 2020 says how (through SIRE, check-in and check-out); and Resolution 3770 of 2021 says what it costs not to.
Who must report?
Any natural or legal person providing lodging to foreigners:
- Hotels, hostels and aparthotels
- Tourist homes — including apartments and houses listed on Airbnb or Booking.com
- Fincas, glamping and rural lodging
- In general, anyone hosting foreigners for payment, even a single unit
Foreigners only — Colombians go in the TRA
SIRE covers guests of foreign nationality only. Your Colombian guests are not reported here — but all your guests (Colombian and foreign) go into MinCIT's TRA, a separate, simultaneous obligation. Read the full TRA guide.
How to register in SIRE (one time only)
Before you can report you need a "reporting person" account. Registration is free and done once:
- Open the SIRE application from the Migración Colombia portal.
- Select "Registro de Persona que Reporta" (natural or legal person, depending on how you operate your property).
- Fill in the form with your details and your establishment's, and attach the documents the system requests.
- Submit the application. Migración Colombia replies by email within 3 business days, accepting or rejecting the registration.
How to report: every check-in and check-out
With an active account, reporting happens online through two channels — pick whichever fits your volume:
- Online form — guest by guest: movement type (Entry or Exit), date, document type and number, full name, nationality and date of birth.
- Flat-file upload (TXT) — one file with several movements at once, in the exact format Migración Colombia defines. The natural route when software generates the file for you.
It's TWO reports per guest, not one
The most frequent mistake: reporting the check-in and forgetting the check-out. Resolution 2357 of 2020 requires reporting both the entry AND the exit of every foreign guest. Do it promptly — the sector's operating standard is within 24 hours of each movement; verify the current deadline on Migración Colombia's portal.
What if my property has no internet?
Resolution 2357 (art. 5) provides the exception: you request a physical guest register book at the nearest Migration Services Center and hand over the information within no more than 30 calendar days, for the regional office to upload into SIRE. If you have internet, this route does not apply to you.
lulocloud gets SIRE ready for you
Your foreign guest completes digital check-in from their phone — passport, nationality and dates are captured with zero typing. lulocloud generates the SIRE file in Migración Colombia's exact format, with each foreigner's entry and exit movements, ready to upload. And it files MinCIT's TRA in one click, with official confirmation.
Try free for 14 days — no card required →The penalties: the sector's steepest
Resolution 3770 of 2021 sets the penalty regime for breaching the reporting duty — not reporting, reporting late, or reporting wrong:
- Fines from 105.25 UVT — about $5.5 million COP at the 2026 UVT ($52,374).
- Up to 2,631.30 UVT — close to $137.8 million COP.
- They apply to natural and legal persons alike — renting "as an individual" does not shield you.
Put it in perspective
SIRE's minimum fine (~$5.5 million COP) exceeds what many hosts bill in a month for one unit. The maximum (~$137.8 million) can end the business. Reporting takes minutes and is free — by an enormous margin, it is the least profitable risk to take in running an accommodation.
SIRE and TRA: two separate obligations
Complying with SIRE does not exempt you from the TRA, nor the other way around. Different authorities, different systems, different penalties:
| SIRE | TRA | |
|---|---|---|
| Authority | Migración Colombia | MinCIT (tourism) |
| Who gets reported | FOREIGN guests only | ALL guests |
| When | Every check-in AND check-out | Every guest registration |
| Legal basis | Decree 1067 of 2015 + Res. 2357 of 2020 | Law 2068 of 2020, art. 22 |
| Penalty | 105.25 to 2,631.30 UVT (~$5.5M–$137.8M COP) | Up to 20 minimum wages + RNT suspension |
Mental rule: foreign guest → SIRE (entry and exit) + TRA. Colombian guest → TRA only. The full TRA guide is here.
Frequently asked questions
Do I report Colombian guests in SIRE?
No. SIRE is exclusively for foreigners. Colombian guests are registered in MinCIT's TRA — all your guests go there regardless of nationality.
Is reporting the check-in enough?
No. Resolution 2357 of 2020 requires reporting both the entry AND the exit of every foreign guest — two movements per stay.
How much does SIRE cost?
Nothing — both registration and reports are free. The fines for not reporting, however, run from 105.25 to 2,631.30 UVT (roughly $5.5M to $137.8M COP in 2026).
Does it apply if I rent a single apartment on Airbnb?
Yes. The obligation covers any natural or legal person lodging foreigners for payment, including a single-unit tourist home.
What if my property has no internet?
Resolution 2357 (art. 5) allows keeping a physical register book requested from Migración Colombia and handing over the information within a maximum of 30 calendar days for the regional office to upload into SIRE.
How soon must I report each movement?
Reporting must be timely: the sector's operating standard is within 24 hours of the check-in or check-out. Verify the current deadline published by Migración Colombia.
Official sources
This guide is informational material for hosts and does not constitute legal advice. Rules and values (UVT, deadlines) change — always verify the current version in the official sources cited.