Search requests in Colombia are among the top 5 most requested searches in the Central and Latin American region.
Below are commonly requested searches, as well as the information required and the results available from the searches in Colombia. Results below are issued electronically, in Spanish in 1 – 3 business days.
Equivalent Good Standing – There are 57 Colombian Chambers of Commerce (Camaras de Comercio) each responsible for housing the corporate records and issuance of corporate certificates for the entities registered there. To search for a company’s records, we need the company name and city of registration if known. We can generally identify in which Chamber of Commerce a company’s records are held, with just the company name.
Commonly requested is the Certificate of Existence and Legal Representation or Registration of Documents (Certificado Existencia y Representacion Legal o Inscripcion de Documentos Registro Mercanti)l from the Bogota Chamber of Commerce in the country’s capital city. This is a long form good standing equivalent issued electronically by the Chamber of Commerce and includes the summary of the articles of incorporation. It is generally not possible for third parties to obtain full copies of a company’s articles of incorporation. We would indicate if there were filings indicating merger, liquidation, or dissolution.
Bankruptcy or Insolvency Search – There are two options. One is a credit report, and the second is a search at the Ministry of Justice’s Conciliation, Arbitration and Amicable Composition Information System or SICAAC. These are public files on cases at the Alternative Conflict Resolution Methods (MASC). Requirements – person or company’s full legal name and tax ID/NIT.
Lien Searches – For either of these searches below, we need the person or company’s full legal name and tax ID/NIT.
Moveable property: The search is conducted by the company or individual debtor name and/or Tax ID at the Registry of Security Interests.
Real Property: Search of the index of Owners at the Superintendent of Notaries and Registry (Superintendencia de Notariado y Registro) by company or individual name or tax ID.
Litigation Search – Court searches are conducted at the Tribunal Superior, Circuit and Municipal Courts and Labor Courts in the city where the company or individual is located.
Tax Status – A check of a company or individual’s tax status (by tax ID/NIT) at the Colombian Tax Revenue Service Direccion de Impuestos y Aduana Nacional (DIAN).
IBCF can also assist with apostilles and legalizations of corporate or civil records like diplomas, birth, marriage and death certificates.
Please contact your IBCF specialist for more information or assistance with Colombian searches.