Get a quote
Colombia · Property · Land registry

Law 1579 of 2012: the land registration statute

How ownership of real estate is registered in Colombia: which acts must be registered, the registration record (folio de matrícula) of each property, how the registry examines and refuses documents, time limits, the evidential effect of registration and the certificate of title. Full text in English with the Spanish original under every paragraph.

In force, as amended104 articles in two partsLand registryOfficial text: Senado

Card

Official title
Ley 1579 de 2012 (octubre 1) — Por la cual se expide el estatuto de registro de instrumentos públicos y se dictan otras disposiciones
In English
Law 1579 of 1 October 2012 issuing the statute for the registration of public instruments
Type
Law of the Congress of Colombia
Published
Diario Oficial No. 48.570 of 1 October 2012
Status
In force, as amended
Authority
Offices of Registration of Public Instruments, under the Superintendence of Notaries and Registration

The text in 2 parts

Arts. 1–47Registrable acts and the registration procedure

Principles, acts subject to registration, the registration record, filing, examination, registration or refusal, time limits, judicial measures, electronic registration, evidential value.

Arts. 48–104Registration records, certificates and registrars

Opening and keeping the registration record, prescribed and public land, corrections and cancellations, the cadastre link, certificates of title, registrars and supervision.

In short

  • Every act that creates, transfers or encumbers rights in real property — sales, mortgages, leases by public deed, attachments — must be registered (Art. 4).
  • Each property has one registration record (folio de matrícula) showing its full legal history (Art. 8, Art. 49).
  • Registration should be completed within five working days of filing (Art. 27); mortgages must be registered within 90 working days of signing (Art. 28).
  • An unregistered title has no evidential value and no effect against third parties (Art. 46, Art. 47).
  • The registry examines each document and may refuse it by a reasoned notice that states the available remedies (Art. 22).
  • The registry issues a certificate of title and encumbrances reproducing the whole record, immediately in computerised offices (Art. 67, Art. 68).

Who it affects

  • Buyers of Colombian real estate and their lenders.
  • Notaries and lawyers handling property transactions.
  • Investors checking title before a purchase or loan.

Key dates

DateEvent
1 Oct 2012Law enacted, repealing Decree-Law 1250 of 1970
2015Law 1753 of 2015 amends the paragraph of Art. 65 (boundary corrections)
2019Decree-Law 2106 of 2019 amends Art. 8, paragraph 4
2022Law 2220 of 2022 repeals Art. 4, paragraph 1

BCA commentary

Title in Colombia

Ownership of real estate passes on registration of the public deed in the land registry, not on signing at the notary. Until registration the buyer has a contractual right only, and the purchase has no effect against third parties (Art. 47). The certificate of title and encumbrances (certificado de tradición y libertad) issued from the registration record (Art. 67) is the starting point of every due diligence.

Time limits

The registry should register within five working days (Art. 27). Mortgages and family estates must be registered within 90 working days of the deed or a new deed is needed (Art. 28). Notaries can file deeds with the registry electronically (Art. 15), so a sale is usually registered within days of signing.

For foreign buyers

There is no separate land registration for foreigners. Real estate bought by a non-resident is, however, foreign direct investment (Decree 1068 of 2015, Art. 2.17.2.2.1.2) and must be registered with the Banco de la República; when the price is paid with foreign currency brought in through the exchange market, the foreign exchange declaration serves as the registration (Art. 2.17.2.5.1.1). Registration secures the exchange rights to remit the proceeds of a sale abroad (Art. 2.17.2.2.3.1).

Amendment history

Acts that have changed this Law and Constitutional Court rulings on it, as recorded by the Senate database, with the articles they concern.

ActArticles
Judgment C-612-13Art. 79
Law 1753 of 2015Art. 65
Law 2106 of 2019Art. 8
Law 2220 of 2022Art. 4
PropertyLaw 820 of 2003: residential leases

Rent caps, renewal, termination and landlord registration.

PropertyLaw 675 of 2001: horizontal property

Apartments and condominiums: by-laws, common charges, meetings.

PropertyLaw 160 of 1994: agrarian reform and public lands

Baldíos, the Family Agricultural Unit and the limits on acquiring former public land.

PropertyLaw 1776 of 2016: ZIDRES

Large agricultural projects on state land under contract.

Foreign investmentRegistration of a real estate investment

Real estate bought by a non-resident is direct foreign investment (Decree 1068 of 2015, Art. 2.17.2.2.1.2).

How to cite

Cite the article and paragraph, and link to the paragraph anchor. For example:

Colombia, Law 1579 of 1 October 2012, Art. 47 (unofficial English translation, BCA LatAm Law Library), https://bcaparaguay.com.py/law-library/colombia/law-1579-2012-land-registration/arts-1-47-registrable-acts-registration-procedure#art-47

Unofficial translation by BCA LatAm for information. Only the Spanish text published in the Diario Oficial is authentic. Article headings are editorial; chapter, section and marginal headings are the law’s own. Text checked against the text in the basic legislation database of the Secretaría General del Senado (secretariasenado.gov.co), with its notes on amendments and Constitutional Court rulings; struck-out words are omitted and marked […] on 27 October 2026. This page is not legal advice.

Buying property in Colombia?

Title review, notary, registration and foreign investment filing, handled end to end. Fixed quote within one business day.

Get a fixed quoteChat on WhatsApp
Get a quote