General Warehouse Deposit Agreement Colombia (Contrato de Almacén General de Depósito)

A General Warehouse Deposit Agreement Colombia (Contrato de Almacén General de Depósito) is a commercial contract governed by Articles 1180 through 1191 of the Código de Comercio de Colombia (Decreto 410 de 1971), through which an Almacén General de Depósito (authorized warehouse company) receives merchandise, agricultural products, or other movable goods from a depositor (depositante) for custody, conservation, and management, issuing negotiable instruments — certificados de depósito and bonos de prenda — that represent ownership and pledge rights over the stored goods.

Almacenes Generales de Depósito operate under the exclusive authorization of the Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia (SFC), classified as establecimientos de crédito auxiliar under the Estatuto Orgánico del Sistema Financiero (Decreto 663 de 1993, Part 6, Chapter 1). Article 1180 of the Código de Comercio defines these entities as commercial establishments whose principal activity is receiving goods on deposit and issuing the corresponding certificados de depósito and bonos de prenda. Major licensed operators in Colombia include Almacenes Generales de Depósito de la Federación Nacional de Cafeteros (Almacafé), Almaviva S.A., Alpopular S.A., and Almagrario S.A.

The certificado de depósito issued under Article 1181 of the Código de Comercio is a negotiable instrument (título valor) that represents ownership of the deposited goods. The bono de prenda, issued alongside the certificado, constitutes a pledge (prenda) over the stored merchandise that the holder may use as collateral for financing operations with commercial banks, cooperatives, or other financial institutions supervised by the Superintendencia Financiera. Together, these instruments form the foundation of Colombia's warehouse receipt financing system, enabling agricultural producers, importers, exporters, and manufacturers to obtain credit secured by stored inventory.

Article 1183 of the Código de Comercio establishes the obligations of the Almacén General de Depósito: receiving and storing merchandise with professional diligence (diligencia de un buen hombre de negocios under Article 619 CCo); maintaining adequate insurance coverage against fire, theft, flood, and other risks; separating each depositor's goods from those of other depositors unless fungible goods are deposited under the modalidad de depósito genérico authorized by Article 1184; issuing the certificado de depósito and bono de prenda within 24 hours of receiving the goods; and returning the merchandise upon presentation of the certificado de depósito or upon expiration of the deposit term.

The Decreto 2685 de 1999 (Estatuto Aduanero, now replaced by Decreto 1165 de 2019) and the regulations of the Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales (DIAN) authorize Almacenes Generales de Depósito to operate as depósitos habilitados for customs storage of imported goods pending nationalization. Under Article 58 of Decreto 1165 de 2019, imported merchandise may remain in warehouse storage for up to two months (prorrogable) before customs duties and the IVA (Impuesto sobre el Valor Agregado at 19% under Ley 1819 de 2016 Article 184) must be paid.

The tariff structure for warehouse deposit services is regulated by the Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia through circulares externas, requiring transparency in storage fees (tarifas de almacenamiento), handling charges (costos de manipulación), insurance premiums (primas de seguro), and administrative fees. Article 1186 of the Código de Comercio grants the Almacén a legal privilege (privilegio) over stored goods for unpaid storage fees and expenses, taking priority over most other creditors except those with prior registered claims.

The Ley 1676 de 2013 (Ley de Garantías Mobiliarias) modernized the Colombian secured transactions regime, establishing the Registro de Garantías Mobiliarias administered by Confecámaras (Confederación Colombiana de Cámaras de Comercio). Under Article 4 of Ley 1676, bonos de prenda issued by Almacenes Generales de Depósito constitute garantías mobiliarias that must be registered in the Registro Nacional to achieve priority over third-party creditors. The law complemented the traditional Código de Comercio framework by providing a unified registration and priority system for all movable collateral transactions in Colombia.

A General Warehouse Deposit Agreement Colombia is needed whenever a commercial entity, agricultural producer, importer, exporter, or manufacturer requires professional custody and storage of movable goods with the issuance of negotiable warehouse receipts under the Código de Comercio Articles 1180 through 1191. The agreement formalizes the relationship between the depositante and the Almacén General de Depósito authorized by the Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia.

The agreement is required when agricultural producers — coffee growers affiliated with the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros (FNC), rice producers, palm oil producers, sugar cane processors, or grain farmers — need to store harvested crops in licensed warehouses while awaiting favorable market conditions for sale. Almacafé (Almacenes Generales de Depósito de Café S.A.), a subsidiary of the FNC, operates a nationwide network of warehouses specifically designed for green coffee storage, handling approximately 14 million bags annually through facilities in Chinchiná, Armenia, Manizales, Bogotá, and Buenaventura.

A warehouse deposit contract is necessary when importers storing goods at ports of entry — Buenaventura (operated by the Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Buenaventura), Cartagena (Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Cartagena / Contecar), Barranquilla (Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Barranquilla), or Santa Marta — need customs-bonded storage under Decreto 1165 de 2019 while completing the proceso de importación and paying customs duties (arancel) and IVA to the DIAN.

The document is needed when a business seeks inventory-based financing from Colombian commercial banks such as Bancolombia, Banco de Bogotá, Banco Davivienda, or Banco de Occidente. Under the warehouse receipt financing model, the depositante delivers goods to the Almacén, receives the certificado de depósito and bono de prenda, endorses the bono de prenda to the lending bank as collateral under Código de Comercio Article 1189, and obtains a credit facility secured by the stored inventory. The Superintendencia Financiera regulates these lending operations through the Circular Básica Contable y Financiera (Circular Externa 100 de 1995).

Manufacturing companies need this agreement when outsourcing raw material or finished goods storage to specialized warehouse operators that provide value-added services — quality control inspections, fumigation, repackaging, labeling, and distribution logistics — beyond basic custody. Article 1185 of the Código de Comercio authorizes Almacenes to perform transformación, clasificación, and other operations on deposited goods with the depositante's written authorization.

Exporters preparing shipments through Colombian customs require this agreement when consolidating goods for export through Sociedades de Intermediación Aduanera (SIA, now Agencias de Aduanas under Decreto 1165 de 2019) that coordinate with Almacenes Generales for temporary storage, inspection by the DIAN and the Instituto Nacional de Vigilancia de Medicamentos y Alimentos (INVIMA) where applicable, and issuance of export documentation.

A valid General Warehouse Deposit Agreement Colombia under the Código de Comercio Articles 1180 through 1191 must contain specific elements to be enforceable and to enable the proper issuance of certificados de depósito and bonos de prenda as negotiable instruments.

Identification of the Almacén General de Depósito: Full corporate name (razón social), NIT (Número de Identificación Tributaria assigned by the DIAN), authorization number from the Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia (resolución de autorización), registered office address, Cámara de Comercio matrícula mercantil number, and identification of the representante legal. The Almacén must hold a valid license from the SFC under the Estatuto Orgánico del Sistema Financiero (Decreto 663 de 1993) to operate as an Almacén General de Depósito.

Identification of the Depositante: Full legal name or corporate name, cédula de ciudadanía (for natural persons) or NIT (for legal entities), registered address, Cámara de Comercio registration where applicable, and identification of the representante legal for corporate depositantes. The depositante must demonstrate legal title or lawful possession of the goods being deposited.

Description of Deposited Goods: Detailed description of the merchandise including type, quantity, weight, quality classification, packaging, serial numbers or identifying marks, and estimated commercial value. Article 1181 of the Código de Comercio requires the certificado de depósito to contain a precise description of the deposited goods. For agricultural commodities, the description must include grade classification under standards established by the Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario (ICA) or relevant industry associations such as the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros for coffee grading.

Warehouse Location and Conditions: The physical address of the warehouse facility (bodega), including the specific section or position assigned to the deposited goods. The agreement must specify storage conditions — temperature control (for perishable goods), humidity levels, ventilation requirements, security measures, and any special handling instructions. Almacenes operating customs-bonded facilities (depósitos habilitados) under Decreto 1165 de 2019 must reference their DIAN authorization number.

Deposit Term: The duration of the deposit, which under Article 1182 of the Código de Comercio may be definite (término fijo) or indefinite. For customs-bonded storage, Article 58 of Decreto 1165 de 2019 limits initial storage to two months for imports pending nationalization. The agreement should specify renewal conditions and the procedures for extension.

Storage Fees and Charges: The tariff schedule including monthly storage rates (tarifa de almacenamiento, typically calculated per kilogram, per pallet position, or per square meter), handling and loading/unloading charges (costos de manipulación), insurance premiums (primas de seguro), administrative fees, and any value-added service charges (quality inspection, fumigation, repackaging). Under Article 1186 of the Código de Comercio, the Almacén holds a legal privilege (privilegio) over stored goods for unpaid fees.

Insurance Coverage: Specification of insurance policies covering the deposited goods against fire, theft, natural disasters, flood, and other risks. Article 1183 of the Código de Comercio requires the Almacén to maintain adequate insurance. The agreement should identify the insurance company (aseguradora authorized by the Superintendencia Financiera), policy number, coverage limits, deductibles, and the claims procedure. Major Colombian insurers providing warehouse coverage include Suramericana de Seguros, Allianz Seguros, and Mapfre Colombia.

Certificado de Depósito and Bono de Prenda: The terms governing issuance, endorsement, and cancellation of these negotiable instruments under Articles 1181 and 1189 of the Código de Comercio. The certificado represents ownership of the deposited goods and may be endorsed (endosado) to transfer ownership. The bono de prenda may be separated from the certificado and endorsed to a financial institution as collateral under the Ley 1676 de 2013 (Ley de Garantías Mobiliarias), with registration in the Registro de Garantías Mobiliarias administered by Confecámaras.

Withdrawal Procedures: The process for partial or total withdrawal of deposited goods upon presentation of the certificado de depósito, including advance notice requirements, identification verification, appointment scheduling, and transportation coordination. Where a bono de prenda has been endorsed to a third party, withdrawal requires satisfaction of the underlying obligation or consent of the bono holder.

Liability and Limitations: The Almacén's liability regime under Article 1183 of the Código de Comercio — the warehouse operator is liable for loss, damage, or deterioration of goods caused by negligence or failure to exercise professional diligence (diligencia de un buen hombre de negocios). Force majeure (fuerza mayor) and acts of God (caso fortuito) under Código Civil Article 64 may exempt the Almacén from liability when proven.

Governing Law and Dispute Resolution: Statement that the agreement is governed by the Código de Comercio de Colombia (Decreto 410 de 1971), the Estatuto Orgánico del Sistema Financiero (Decreto 663 de 1993), and applicable SFC regulations. Disputes may be submitted to commercial arbitration before the Centro de Arbitraje y Conciliación of the Cámara de Comercio of the corresponding city, or to the Juez Civil del Circuito with jurisdiction over the warehouse location.

Forms-legal.com provides this General Warehouse Deposit Agreement Colombia template as a practical framework for formalizing warehouse storage relationships. Every agreement should be reviewed by a licensed abogado comercialista to confirm compliance with the Código de Comercio, Superintendencia Financiera regulations, and DIAN customs requirements applicable to the specific type of goods being deposited.