Certificado de tradición y libertad: Colombia's certificate of title, explained

The certificado de tradición y libertad is the document issued by Colombia's Superintendencia de Notariado y Registro (SNR) with the legal history of a property: who owns it today, who owned it before, and whether it carries a mortgage, a lien or any other limitation. It is the first document to read before buying, and notaries, banks and building-permit offices all ask for it.

What the certificate shows

• The property's registration number (matrícula inmobiliaria) and its registry office.
• The description and boundaries of the property, and whether it is part of a condominium (propiedad horizontal).
• Every recorded transfer: sales, inheritances, divisions, with the current owner last.
• Encumbrances: mortgages, liens (embargos), family-home protections and recorded lawsuits.

How to get it online

• Find the matrícula inmobiliaria number: it appears on the deed, the property-tax bill or an older certificate.
• Go to the certificates portal of the Superintendencia de Notariado y Registro, linked from supernotariado.gov.co.
• Search the property by matrícula and registry office, then pay online or with a PIN at a payment point.
• Download the certificate as a PDF.

For 2026 the SNR set the fee at COP 23,000 per certificate online and COP 24,300 at registry offices and in-person points, in the registry-fee resolution it issued in January 2026.

How long it is valid

The certificate has no legal expiry date, but it shows the property as it stood on the day it was issued. That is why notaries, banks and permit offices usually ask for one issued within the last 30 days. When buying, pull a fresh one before signing the promesa de compraventa and again before the deed.

If the certificate shows a lien, a lawsuit or an active mortgage, do not sign anything until the seller produces the recorded release.

What to check before you buy

• The seller is the last registered owner.
• There are no active liens, lawsuits or court orders.
• Any mortgage has a recorded cancellation, or will be cancelled in the same deed.
• The area and boundaries match what you are being sold.
• For off-plan purchases: the certificate of the project's land and the name of the fiducia that holds it.

This certificate is one of the seven documents to demand before you sign. If you plan to build instead of buy, the building-permit office will ask for it too.