Before you start

A passport and valid entry stamp to travel and to drive short-term on a foreign licence
A valid foreign driving licence plus an International Driving Permit obtained before departure
A cédula de extranjería for RUNT registration, a Colombian licence or vehicle registration
Two ride apps installed with a working payment method, and a TransCaribe card if you will use the buses

Step-by-step

1
Default to the ride apps and never guess a taxi fare
Uber, DiDi, Cabify and InDrive all operate in Cartagena and quote a fixed price in the app, which removes the negotiation entirely. Street taxis have no meters and the price is whatever you agree beforehand, so ask your building's portero or a local colleague what a given route should cost before you need to. Never get in without a stated figure, and never accept 'lo que quiera' as an answer.
Mobile appWho: YouMinutes to installCOP 8,000–20,000 across the central districts; more to the Zona Norte
2
Get a TransCaribe card for the trunk corridors
TransCaribe runs articulated buses along the Avenida Pedro de Heredia corridor and connects the centre with Bocagrande and the eastern districts, with feeder routes beyond. The fare was set at COP 3,900 by Decreto 017 of 15 January 2026, effective from 23 January. It is cheap and air-conditioned on the trunk vehicles, but the network does not reach the northern beach developments well.
In personWho: You, at a TransCaribe station15 minutes; same-day useCOP 3,900 (~US$0.95) per journey in 2026
3
Drive on a foreign licence for up to six months, then convert
Under Ley 769 de 2002 (art. 25) a foreigner in tourist or transit status may drive on a valid foreign licence for up to six months. Carry an International Driving Permit alongside it — it is a translation rather than a licence and it smooths roadside checks. Once you are resident with a cédula, the foreign licence is no longer an answer.
In personWho: YouUp to 6 months of tourist statusIDP obtained at home before departure
4
Get a Colombian licence: RUNT, CRC medical, CEA course, exams
There is no straight exchange for most nationalities. Register your cédula in the RUNT, pass the psychomotor and medical assessment at an accredited CRC, complete the required hours at a registered driving school (CEA), and pass theory and practical tests. Budget four to eight weeks and roughly COP 800,000–1,500,000. Cartagena has fewer CEAs than Bogotá or Cali, so book early.
In personWho: You, via a RUNT-registered CEA and CRC4–8 weeksCOP 800,000–1,500,000 (~US$200–375)
5
Re-check the pico y placa table every few months
Cartagena redraws its rotation four times a year rather than every six months. For the period from 30 June to 2 October 2026 the pattern is Monday 9 and 0, Tuesday 1 and 2, Wednesday 3 and 4, Thursday 5 and 6, Friday 7 and 8 — with private cars restricted only from 7am to 9am and 6pm to 8pm, and motorcycles from 5am to 11pm. The next table runs from 5 October. Weekends and public holidays are exempt. Always check the current district decree rather than a memory.
OnlineWho: You, checking the Alcaldía Mayor de Cartagena's current decreeRe-check each quarter
6
If you own a vehicle, price the salt as well as the tax
Running a car legally means RUNT registration, compulsory SOAT insurance, the annual tecnomecánica technical inspection and the annual vehicle tax, which for a Cartagena-registered car is a Bolívar departmental tax. Add a private todo riesgo policy, since SOAT covers injuries to people only. Then add the coast: sea air corrodes bodywork, brake components and electrical connectors far faster than inland, so budget for more frequent servicing and washing.
In personWho: You, with an insurer, a CDA inspection centre and the departmental revenue officeOngoing; SOAT and tecnomecánica are annualSOAT and tecnomecánica together roughly COP 850,000–950,000 a year for a mid-size car, plus the departmental vehicle tax

Documents you’ll need

Passport with a valid entry stamp, and the cédula de extranjería once resident
Foreign driving licence plus an International Driving Permit for the six-month window
RUNT registration, CRC medical certificate and CEA course certificate for a Colombian licence
Licencia de tránsito, current SOAT and tecnomecánica certificate if you own a vehicle

Things most newcomers don’t know

Cartagena taxis do not have meters, and never have. Every street taxi fare is agreed before you get in.

This is the single largest quiet cost of being new here. Without a meter the price is whatever the driver thinks you will accept, and a foreign accent reliably doubles or triples it. The fix is boring and effective: learn the normal fare for your three or four regular routes from a local, state that number rather than asking, and use apps with a fixed in-app price when you cannot be bothered.

Source: Cartagena taxi practice; Alcaldía Mayor de Cartagena transport regulation

Pico y placa restricts private cars for only about four hours a day here, but motorcycles from 5am to 11pm.

Cartagena's restriction targets the two commuting peaks for cars, which makes owning one far less painful than in Bogotá or Cali. Motorbikes — used heavily for informal transport — are restricted for eighteen hours on their day. Anyone buying a bike expecting the lighter treatment that cars get has it exactly backwards.

Source: Alcaldía Mayor de Cartagena — pico y placa decree (2026)

The digit-to-weekday rotation changes four times a year rather than twice, so it is not something you learn once.

Most Colombian cities rotate every semester; Cartagena published four rotations for 2026, changing in mid-January, late March, late June and early October. The change dates are set by district decree rather than falling on obvious calendar boundaries. Drivers who checked in January and never looked again are the standard category of fine here.

Source: Alcaldía Mayor de Cartagena — rotation notices (2026)

Salt air is a running cost. Cars, air conditioning units, bicycles and laptop ports all corrode faster here than anywhere inland in Colombia.

Cartagena sits on the sea with humidity above 80% for most of the year, and salt-laden air attacks metal and electrical contacts continuously. Budget more frequent servicing for a vehicle and a split-unit clean at shorter intervals than the manual suggests; residents who apply inland maintenance schedules replace things years early.

Source: Coastal maintenance practice; local service providers

Common mistakes to avoid

Getting into a street taxi without agreeing the fare, in a city where no taxi carries a meter.
Buying a motorbike expecting a lighter restriction than a car's — motorcycles are restricted from 5am to 11pm on their day.
Memorising your pico y placa day and not re-checking when the district redraws the table a few months later.
Driving past the six-month foreign-licence window, which risks a fine in daily minimum wages plus immobilisation.
Applying an inland maintenance schedule to a car, an aircon unit or a bicycle in a salt-air environment.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.