DECREE OF THE MINISTRY OF TRADE, INDUSTRY AND TOURISM
Amendments to the Free Trade Zone Regime
Through Decree 659 of 2018, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism partially modified the free trade zone regime in Colombia (Decree 2685 of 1999 and Decree 2147 of 2016)
The main changes to the Free Trade Zone regime to be noted are: (i) the creation of a new figure for providers of services inside Free Trade Zone; (ii) new obligations to the Operator User regarding external audits; (iii) the possibility for Industrial Users of importing, under ordinary importation regime, spare parts of the goods produced inside Free Trade Zone for post-selling service; (iv) the modification of several aspects of the procedure for the declaration of a new Free Trade Zone; and (v) the modification of aspects of the sanctions regime.
Finally, it was established that any provision of Decree 2017 of 2016 which has not yet been enforced, will be enforced on the day after the new electronic services of DIAN are implemented, no later than November 30th 2019.