To start a Colony inVictoria 3, you must first research theColonization research tree. Depending on your nation, you should already have the tech unlocked. If this is the case for your nation, you may skip the research step and start the process of colonizing the new world. That said, you must pass theColonial ResettlementorColonial Exploitation laws.

Passing either of these laws will enable your nation’s Colonial Affairs institutions. Having Colonial Affairs Institutions active is required before starting Colonies in the game. You can also improve your Colonial Affairs Insituiton by unlocking the following social technologies:

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After unlocking all three of the technologies above, we recommend enacting one of the Colonial laws to start the process of forming a Colony. Once one of the Colonial laws is passed, you need to declare an interest in a region not controlled bya European/advanced nation.

Related:How to declare war in Victoria 3

How to declare interest in Victoria 3

To declare interest in Victoria 3, open the Diplomacy menu and select thedeclare interest option. After clicking the declare interest option, select a region you want to console in the game. We recommend selecting a region controlled by a weaker nation than yours. Doing so will ensure you have the best results for the initial phase of starting your Colony. That said, after declaring your interest, you can start a colony by right-clicking on a region you are interested in and selecting theEstablish Colonyoption.

Once established, your Colony will steadily grow. You can improve how fast your Colony grows by adding more points to the Colonial Affairs Institution. To add more points to the Colonial Affairs Institution, we recommend unlocking more technologies and gaining the support of certain special interest groups that support it.

For more on Victoria 3, we at Pro Game Guides have you covered with guides likeFormable Nations in Victoria 3, explainedandAll Victoria 3 Console Commands and Cheats.