LatAm Expat & Nomad Daily Guide for Friday, August 7, 2026

Today’s verdict:Colombia swears in a new president at 3 p.m. in Cali — the first handover held outside Bogotá — with the city under a car-free day and a daytime alcohol ban, and the day-one decrees include a foreign-service shake-up that could thin the consular network expats rely on.

01

The handover.Abelardo de la Espriella takes office at 3 p.m. at the Arena USC in Cali, alongside vice-president José Manuel Restrepo, after the courts declined to suspend the ceremony.

02

What to watch for foreigners.An austerity drive closes 14 named embassies and about 15 consulates; the embassies are known, the consulates and the timeline are not.

03

On the ground.Cali is car-free from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., alcohol sales stop from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Colombian markets and banks are shut for the Batalla de Boyacá holiday.

What changed since yesterdayColombia’s handover moves from countdown to today: the ceremony is at 3 p.m. in Cali, the courts have declined to suspend it, and the incoming government says it will sign decrees immediately. Colombia’s markets are closed for the holiday, and Medellín’s Feria builds to Sunday’s silleteros parade.

Good morning. Your LatAm expat nomad daily guide opens on Colombia’s handover day, what its first decrees could mean for consular services, and a quiet market Friday.

Colombia installs a new government in its third city, and the announcement foreigners should follow is not the ceremony but the plan to shrink the diplomatic network.

Key Points

• The ceremony.3 p.m. today at the Arena USC in Cali, the first handover outside Bogotá.
• Who takes office.Abelardo de la Espriella as president, José Manuel Restrepo as vice-president.
• Day-one decrees.An austerity package closing 14 embassies and about 15 consulates.
• In Cali.Car-free day 7 a.m.–8 p.m. with free MIO transit; alcohol ban 6 a.m.–8 p.m.; drone ban.
• Closed today.Colombian banks and markets are shut for the Batalla de Boyacá holiday.
• FX.Latest close; the Colombian peso at 3,179 before the holiday, the Brazilian real near 5.12.

00Status Changes Since Yesterday

| Story | Yesterday | Today | Next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colombia handover | Restrictions began | Inauguration, 3 p.m., Cali | First security council Aug 8 |
| Consular network | Not in focus | Closures expected by decree | Which posts, and when |
| Colombian markets | Peso near 3,179 | Closed for the holiday | Reopen Monday |
| Chile reform | Awaiting vetoes | Unchanged, monitor | Constitutional Court ruling |
| Medellín culture | Silleteros weekend ahead | Feria’s final days | Parade Sunday |

01Visas & Residency

| Where | What changed | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Colombia | A new government takes office today. Its austerity drive restructures the foreign service and closes 14 named embassies — Algeria, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Cuba, Czechia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, Hungary, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Romania, Senegal and South Africa — plus about 15 consulates that have not been named. Paris and Rome each merge under one ambassador, a Jerusalem embassy reopens and a new post opens in Nigeria, with a 100-day audit of what remains. | Nothing changes for your status today. But if you rely on a Colombian consulate for passports, apostilles or notarial acts, watch for closure announcements — fewer posts can mean longer waits and a relocated nearest office. |
| Colombia, on the ground | Cali is car-free from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., alcohol sales are banned from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., drones are grounded and banks and markets are closed for the holiday. | If you are in the Valle, use the free MIO transit, expect road controls and possible demonstrations, and plan any banking around the closure. |
| Uruguay | Residents now owe 12% on foreign passive income — interest, dividends, rents abroad and capital gains — with the first payment due in October. | Retirees and investors are most exposed; wages for work performed outside Uruguay generally stay untaxed. Check your position with a Uruguayan adviser. |
| Chile | The Kast tax reform cleared Congress on August 4 but is not fully promulgated: presidential vetoes and a Constitutional Court challenge to the tax-stability guarantee are pending. | Nothing changes for arriving remote workers: the three-year foreign-income exemption, no wealth tax and the US treaty all stand. |
| Region-wide | Private health insurance has hardened from advice into a gate: Argentina checks cover at the border, Brazil wants cover valid nationwide, Panama wants cover valid locally for the whole stay. | Check that your policy covers hospitalisation, emergencies and evacuation, and that it is valid across the whole country — a travel policy is often refused. |

02Cost of Living & Money

Colombian markets and banks are closed today for the Batalla de Boyacá holiday, so the peso figure below is Thursday’s official rate. A recent guide compares what each nomad visa costs across the region, and Uruguay’s new 12% tax on foreign income is the week’s biggest change for retirees.

| Currency | Per US$ | Read |
|---|---|---|
| Brazilian real | 5.12 | little changed |
| Mexican peso | 17.22 | firm |
| Colombian peso | 3,179 | Thursday’s rate; market closed today |
| Chilean peso | 910 | peso firmer |
| Peruvian sol | 3.39 | steady |
| Argentine peso | 1,500 | official; blue ~1,515 |
| Uruguayan peso | 40.20 | firm |

Brazil’s Copom cut the Selic to 14.00% on Wednesday and Mexico’s Banxico met on Thursday. The US July jobs report lands today and is the week’s last big external marker; our week-ahead markets guide has the calendar.

| City | Furnished 1-BR | Comfortable month |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | US$800–1,500 (Roma Norte) | US$1,800–3,500 |
| Playa del Carmen | US$900–1,400 near the beach | US$1,700–3,600 |
| Mérida | US$500–800, bills often in | US$1,100–1,500 |
| Oaxaca | US$400–750 | US$1,600–2,400 |
| Medellín | US$500–1,200 (El Poblado) | US$1,200–1,800 |
| Bogotá | US$550–1,300 furnished | US$1,200–2,850 |
| Buenos Aires | US$800–1,300 (Palermo) | US$1,500–2,000 |
| São Paulo | US$950–1,900, condo fees in | US$1,800–2,500 |
| Rio de Janeiro | US$690–1,190 (Botafogo) | about US$2,000 |
| Florianópolis | US$700–1,400 | US$1,250–2,000 |
| Lima | US$600–900 (Barranco) | US$1,300–1,600 |
| Santiago | US$550–900 (Providencia) | US$1,200–2,000 |
| Montevideo | US$600–1,000 (Pocitos) | US$1,500–2,200 |

03What’s On

Today. Colombia’s presidential inauguration in Cali at 3 p.m., on the Batalla de Boyacá national holiday.

This weekend. Medellín’s Feria de las Flores closes with Sunday’s Desfile de Silleteros, and Cali rolls into the Festival Petronio Álvarez, the Pacific’s great Afro-Colombian music gathering, running to August 17. Our week-ahead roundup has the region’s diary.

04Art & Culture

Cali’s Petronio Álvarez festival follows immediately after the handover and runs to August 17, filling the city with marimba, currulao and Pacific cooking. Medellín closes its Feria on Sunday with the silleteros carrying flower displays through the streets.

Mexico City runs a busy August concert calendar, and the southern-cone cities keep their winter theatre and music programmes.

05Food & Coffee

Cali’s alcohol ban runs to 8 p.m., so a late dinner is fine but a lunchtime drink is not. Medellín is at capacity for the flower fair, so book tables in El Poblado, Provenza and Laureles ahead.

On Mexico’s Caribbean coast, sargassum keeps beach days pointed at the cleaner northern beaches and the cenotes.

06Community & Safety

Colombia. Expect a heavy security presence across Cali and the Valle today, road controls at the city entrances, a grounded-drone rule and possible peaceful demonstrations. Banks are closed for the holiday (details here).

Peru. Migraciones continues its identity-control build-out — a biometric carné piloting for minors, police control operations and e-gates running at Lima’s airport. Keep your carné and status current.

Mexico. Cities are calm; the coast’s sargassum is the main seasonal disruptor.

07What to Watch — August 7–13

Colombia’s presidential inauguration in Cali(3 p.m., Arena USC); Batalla de Boyacá holiday; US jobs report.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens in Colombia today?

Abelardo de la Espriella is sworn in as president at 3 p.m. at the Arena USC in Cali, alongside vice-president José Manuel Restrepo — the first handover held outside Bogotá. The courts declined to suspend the ceremony.

Why should foreigners care about the day-one decrees?

An austerity drive restructures Colombia’s foreign service, closing 14 named embassies — among them Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, Hungary, Romania and South Africa — and about 15 consulates that have not been named. If you use a Colombian consulate for passports, apostilles or notarial acts, that unnamed consulate list is the one to watch: fewer posts can mean longer waits and a different nearest office.

What is closed or restricted in Cali today?

A car-free day runs 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. with free MIO transit, alcohol sales are banned 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., drones are grounded, and banks and financial markets are shut for the Batalla de Boyacá holiday.

Are Colombian markets trading today?

No. It is a national holiday, so the exchange and banks are closed and no official rate is published; the peso’s last reading was about 3,179 to the dollar on Thursday. Trading resumes Monday.

What are the latest exchange rates?

At the latest close the dollar bought roughly 5.12 Brazilian reais, 17.22 Mexican pesos, 3,179 Colombian pesos and 3.39 Peruvian soles. Argentina’s blue dollar sits near 1,515.

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