- Normal: a deposit of 10 to 30 percent of the surgical fee, requested after the surgeon has reviewed your case and accepted it, refundable in full if the surgeon declines you at the in-person consultation.
- Normal: a rescheduling window of two to four weeks with the deposit carried over once, and a partial or no refund for cancellations inside seven days.
- Not normal: a deposit before any surgeon review, a non-refundable deposit if the surgeon declines you, a deposit paid to a personal account, or a policy that exists only in a WhatsApp message.
- Get it in writing, in Spanish and English, on the clinic’s letterhead with its NIT, before you pay a peso.
Nothing in this article is legal advice; it is a description of what the better Colombian clinics do and what Colombian consumer protection generally expects, so you can tell a fair policy from an unfair one before you are inside it. The good news is that fair policies are common and look alike. The bad news is that unfair ones are also common and look like nothing at all, because they are never written down.
What a fair deposit looks like
A deposit exists to reserve an OR slot and a surgeon’s day, both of which have real value and cannot be resold at short notice. That justifies a deposit; it does not justify one before the surgeon has decided to operate on you. The fair sequence is: photos and history sent, surgeon reviews and accepts the case in principle, itemized quote issued, deposit requested against that quote, in-person consultation on arrival, and a full refund if the surgeon declines at that consultation for a medical reason. The amount is typically 10 to 30 percent of the surgical fee, with 20 percent the most common figure. The deposit-traps article covers the tactics that reverse this sequence.
What is not normal
What to get in writing
Before any money moves, ask for a one-page policy on the clinic’s letterhead, showing its legal name and NIT, in Spanish with an English translation, that states the deposit amount, the refund conditions including the surgeon-declines case, the cancellation windows and what each returns, the rescheduling terms, and the account the deposit goes to. Good clinics have this document already and send it without friction. Clinics that say they will explain it on WhatsApp, or that the policy is on the website when the website has no policy page, are telling you the policy is whatever they decide later. Keep the document, keep the receipt with the NIT, and keep the itemized quote it references; the payment article explains why those three documents matter together.
Colombian consumer protection, in one paragraph
Colombia has a consumer protection statute and a regulator, the Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio, that handles consumer complaints including against private health service providers on commercial matters, and a separate health regulator, the Superintendencia Nacional de Salud, for clinical ones. Written terms, itemized invoices with a NIT, and receipts are what those bodies work from. A foreign patient with all three has a real complaint path; one with a WhatsApp thread and a transfer to a personal account has very little. This is the practical reason to insist on paper, not a suggestion to plan for litigation.
Travel insurance and card disputes
Two backstops are worth knowing. Some travel insurance covers trip cancellation for medical reasons, which can recover a deposit if you are declined or fall ill before flying; read whether elective surgery abroad is excluded, because it often is. And a deposit paid by card carries dispute rights that a transfer does not, which is why, for a clinic you have not verified, paying the deposit by card and the balance by transfer after the consultation is a reasonable split even though the card costs more. For a clinic where the surgeon and facility are verified in ReTHUS and REPS, the transfer through Wise or similar is the better choice for the whole amount.
How this site handles deposits
Every clinic Andy coordinates with issues the written policy above before any payment is requested, takes the deposit only after the surgeon has reviewed the case, refunds in full if the surgeon declines at consultation, and receives funds only to its business account with a NIT receipt. That is a condition of working together, not a favor. If a clinic you found elsewhere will not meet the same four conditions, the reason is worth knowing before you fly. The network hub, Colombia Medical, applies the same rules to dental, hair, and fertility clinics; the pricing page shows what 20 percent of a typical surgical fee looks like for each procedure.
Want a real quote for this?
Message Andy with your photos, history, and dates. You get a named surgeon, a named facility, and an itemized USD price you can verify. Typical ranges here are ranges until a surgeon prices your case.
Questions people ask
How much deposit is normal for surgery in Colombia?
Ten to 30 percent of the surgical fee, with 20 percent most common, requested after the surgeon has reviewed your photos and history and accepted the case, against an itemized quote.
Is a surgery deposit refundable if the surgeon declines me?
It should be, in full. A surgeon who examines you at consultation and declines for a medical reason has done their job. A policy that keeps the deposit in that case is not a fair policy.
What if I need to reschedule my surgery in Colombia?
One reschedule with two to four weeks’ notice, with the deposit carried over, is standard at good clinics. Cancellations inside seven days typically lose part or all of the deposit because the OR slot is lost.
Should I pay a deposit before flying to Colombia?
Only after the surgeon has reviewed your case and issued an itemized quote, and only with a written policy on clinic letterhead showing the refund conditions. Never before a surgeon review and never to a personal account.
What should a Colombian clinic’s deposit policy include?
Amount, refund if the surgeon declines, cancellation windows and what each returns, rescheduling terms, and the receiving account, on letterhead with the clinic’s legal name and NIT, in Spanish with an English translation.
Can I dispute a surgery deposit paid to a Colombian clinic?
A card payment carries dispute rights; a transfer generally does not. Colombia’s consumer regulator works from written terms, NIT invoices, and receipts, so keeping those three documents gives you a real complaint path.