← Part of the Colombia money guide
Colombiachecked Jul 2026Tipping in Colombia
In Colombia, restaurants add a voluntary 10% tip that the server asks you about. Say yes and that is the tip, no extra needed. Here is what you actually owe.
At a glance
Tipping
A 10% voluntary tip
Restaurants
The server asks to add it
Just say
Yes, that is the tip
Taxis
No tip, round up
In Colombia, sit-down restaurants add a voluntary 10% tip (the propina voluntaria), and the server will usually ask whether to include it, saying something like desea incluir la propina. Say yes and that is the tip, with nothing extra needed; you can decline if service was poor. At casual spots and street food, no tip is expected. For taxis, no tip is expected, though rounding up is a courtesy. Leave anything extra in cash, in pesos.
The voluntary 10%, and the question
At sit-down restaurants, a voluntary 10% tip, the propina voluntaria, is the norm. By law it is optional, so the server will usually ask whether to add it (desea incluir la propina, do you want to include the tip).
The easy answer is yes: that 10% is the tip, and nothing extra is needed. If service was genuinely poor, you can politely decline.
Where and how much
The 10% applies at sit-down restaurants. At casual eateries, street food and cafes, no tip is expected, and you simply pay the price.
It is a kind gesture to tip a guide, driver or hotel porter a small amount for good service, but it is not obligatory.
Taxis, and paying
For taxis, no tip is expected, though rounding up the fare is a small courtesy. An app such as DiDi or inDrive shows a fixed or metered price, and the total is final. Leave any extra in cash, in Colombian pesos. For the wider picture, see the Colombia money guide.
Common questions
Quick answers.
Do you tip in Colombia?
At sit-down restaurants, yes: a voluntary 10% tip that the server asks whether to include. Say yes and that is the tip, with nothing extra needed. At casual spots and street food, no tip is expected.
What is the propina voluntaria in Colombia?
A voluntary 10% tip that restaurants add. By law it is optional, so the server usually asks whether to include it. Saying yes covers the tip; you can decline if service was poor.
Do you tip taxi drivers in Colombia?
No, it is not expected, though rounding up is a small courtesy. With an app such as DiDi or inDrive, the shown price is final.
How much do you tip at a Colombian restaurant?
The voluntary 10% the server asks about, and nothing more. At casual eateries, street food and cafes, no tip is expected.
More on Colombia
The little money things nobody warns you about.
- Do I need cash in Colombia, or can I use cards?Short answer: cards in cities for hotels and nicer places, and peso cash for markets, small shops and taxis. Use ATMs inside banks or malls for safety. Here is how to handle it.
- Taxi apps in Colombia, and the one rule that mattersIn Colombia the how-you-get-a-taxi matters more than which app. Here is the single rule to follow, the apps locals actually use, and how to leave Bogota's airport without the roadside gamble.
- Do US citizens need a visa for Colombia?Short answer: no visa, but yes to one free online form. US citizens enter Colombia visa-free for up to 90 days; the catch is Check-Mig, which every traveler files before flying. Here is how it works, and how not to overpay for it.
- Common money scams in Colombia, and what they cost youMillions of people visit Colombia and have a straightforwardly good time, and most trips pass without any of this. But we are not going to tell you a few habits defuse it, because that is not true here. The way money is taken from foreign visitors in Colombia is mostly not an inflated bill or a rigged meter. It is being made unable to refuse, by something in a drink or by a car you cannot get out of. That changes the advice: it is about not entering the situation rather than watching your wallet. The situations are few, specific and recognisable, and the decisions that avoid them are small. Note that this page covers money; the US State Department currently has Colombia at Level 3 with a kidnapping indicator, so read the full advisory for the wider picture.
- Staying connected in Colombia.Colombia is cheap and easy on this front: a Claro SIM costs a few dollars, covers more of the country than anything else, and takes a passport and a few minutes.
- What does getting sick in Colombia cost a visitor?Colombia's big-city hospitals rank among the best in Latin America, and a visitor pays local prices for them, usually in cash. The two things to respect are the map, which thins out fast, and the elective-surgery trade, which carries a real warning.
Sources, and how this was checked
Last checkedJul 2026
- US State DepartmentColombia country information
Our own readColombia's voluntary 10% and the server asking to include it are well-established restaurant conventions. Amounts here are our own read from recent traveler reports and local guidance, not a single official table. Checked July 2026.
How we checkHow every guide is researched, checked and dated