Notarial Deed Certified Copy Request Colombia (Solicitud Copia Escritura Pública)

A Notarial Deed Certified Copy Request Colombia (Solicitud Copia Escritura Pública) in Colombia the Solicitud de Copia de Escritura Pública Colombia is the formal written request through which a party to an escritura pública, a legitimate third party, or their legal representative asks the Colombian Notaría where the escritura was originally executed to issue a certified copy (copia auténtica) of that instrument, pursuant to Decreto 960 de 1970 (Estatuto del Notariado) Articles 52 through 57 and Decreto 2148 de 1983.

An escritura pública in Colombia is a formal legal instrument drafted, read aloud to the parties, signed, and incorporated into the notarial protocol (protocolo notarial) by a Notario Público under Decreto 960 de 1970. The protocolo notarial is a bound, sequentially numbered register of all escrituras executed at a particular Notaría during a calendar year, and it is permanently archived. The original escritura — called the matriz — remains permanently in the Notaría's protocol and cannot be removed. What parties to a legal transaction actually receive and use for registration, transfer, and evidence purposes is a copia auténtica: a certified reproduction of the original matriz signed and stamped by the Notario, confirming it is a faithful copy of the original incorporated in the protocol.

Decree 960 of 1970 Articles 52 through 57 establish the legal framework for the issuance of copies of escrituras públicas. Article 52 establishes that any person who proves a legitimate interest in the escritura — whether as a party, a legal heir, a judicial authority, or another with recognized right — may request a copy. Article 53 specifies that copies must be issued under the notary's signature and seal (sello y firma) and must state on each page that they are authentic copies (copia auténtica) of the corresponding escritura. Article 55 establishes the fee basis for copies following the SNR arancel notarial.

The copia auténtica of an escritura pública has full evidentiary weight as a public document under Ley 1564 de 2012 (Código General del Proceso) Article 243, making it admissible as definitive proof of the acts and contracts incorporated in the escritura — this is the same evidentiary weight as the original matriz. This public document status makes the copia auténtica the standard instrument for presenting escritura pública content in court, before government entities, in property registration procedures at the Oficina de Registro de Instrumentos Públicos (ORIP), and in apostille applications at the Cancillería.

The ORIP system — managed by the Superintendencia de Notariado y Registro (SNR) — requires presentation of copia auténticas of escrituras públicas for all property registration and transfer procedures under Ley 1579 de 2012 (Estatuto del Registro de Instrumentos Públicos). Similarly, the Cancillería requires physical copia auténticas (not photocopies) when apostilling notarial documents for international use under Ley 455 de 1998 and Resolución 9977 de 2021.

The legal framework governing the Notarial Deed Certified Copy Request Colombia (Solicitud Copia Escritura Pública) in Colombia draws on several key statutes and regulatory bodies. Under the Codigo Civil Articles 1008-1226, Colombian succession law applies the legitima system (forced heirship). The Decreto 960 de 1970 governs testamentary forms before Notaria. The Impuesto de Sucesiones applies to inheritances. The Juzgados de Familia have jurisdiction over succession disputes. The Codigo General del Proceso (CGP, Ley 1564 de 2012) governs succession proceedings. Parties executing a Notarial Deed Certified Copy Request Colombia (Solicitud Copia Escritura Pública) in Colombia should confirm the document reflects current law, including any amendments enacted since the original drafting date. The Decreto 960 de 1970 (Estatuto del Notariado) arts. 52–57; Decreto 2148 de 1983; Ley 1564 de 2012 (CGP) art. 243 sets the foundational requirements.

The Solicitud de Copia de Escritura Pública Colombia under Decreto 960 de 1970 is required in numerous legal, administrative, and commercial situations throughout the lifetime of an escritura pública.

Real Estate Registration and Title Transfer (Registro Inmobiliario y Transferencia de Título): Every real estate transaction that involves transferring property rights (compraventa, donación, permuta, dación en pago) through an escritura pública must be registered with the ORIP to become legally effective against third parties under Ley 1579 de 2012 Article 2 and Código Civil Article 756. ORIP requires the presentation of the copia auténtica of the escritura — the Notaría never registers the property transfer itself, only the ORIP does. If the original copy issued at closing is lost or damaged, a new copia must be requested from the Notaría for re-registration or for any subsequent ORIP procedure involving that property.

Mortgage (Hipoteca) Registration and Discharge (Registro de Hipoteca y Cancelación): Mortgage constitutions (hipotecas) and their subsequent cancellations (cancelaciones de hipoteca) are also executed as escrituras públicas and registered with ORIP. When a mortgage is paid off and the bank issues a cancelación de hipoteca as an escritura, the bank (or the property owner) must present the copia auténtica of the cancelación to ORIP to remove the encumbrance from the property record.

Estate and Inheritance Procedures (Procedimientos Sucesorales): Inheritance proceedings in Colombia — whether through a notarial succession process (sucesión notarial) under Decreto 902 de 1988 and Ley 1564 de 2012 Article 487, or through a judicial succession — require certified copies of escrituras públicas from the decedent's estate: the escritura of the property owned by the decedent, the escritura of any donations made, and the escritura of any previous succession involving the inherited assets. Heirs must request these copies from the corresponding Notarías for presentation to the notary or court handling the succession.

Legal Disputes and Judicial Evidence (Litigios Legales y Prueba Judicial): In civil, commercial, and administrative litigation before Colombian courts governed by Ley 1564 de 2012 (CGP), parties presenting escrituras públicas as evidence must present copia auténticas — not plain photocopies. The copia auténtica is admitted as a public document under CGP Article 243 with full probative weight. Photocopies of escrituras without notarial authentication are inadmissible as primary evidence under CGP Article 244. Attorneys handling property disputes, contract disputes, and estate litigation routinely request copias auténticas from Notarías as part of their case preparation.

Apostille for International Use (Apostilla para Uso Internacional): When an escritura pública must be used in a foreign Apostille Convention country — for a property sale involving a foreign buyer, for recognizing a Colombian power of attorney abroad, or for other cross-border transactions — the Cancillería requires a recently issued copia auténtica from the Notaría for the apostille process. The copia must carry the current Notario's signature (which is registered in the Cancillería's database) — if the original Notario has changed since the escritura was executed, the current Notario of that Notaría re-certifies the copy.

Notarial Protocol Replacement (Reposición del Protocolo Notarial): In the rare but important case of Notaría fire, flood, or document destruction, Decreto 960 de 1970 Articles 85-89 establish protocols for protocol reconstruction. Parties who hold registered copia auténticas of their escrituras serve as the primary source for protocol reconstruction, making the holding of notarial copies critically important for legal security.

A complete Solicitud de Copia de Escritura Pública Colombia under Decreto 960 de 1970 Articles 52–57 must contain the following essential elements for proper processing by the Notaría.

Requestor Identification and Legal Interest (Identificación del Solicitante e Interés Legítimo): Full legal name of the person or entity requesting the copy; cédula de ciudadanía (for natural persons) or NIT and Certificado de Existencia y Representación Legal (for legal entities); contact information; and a statement of the legal interest in the escritura — whether as an original party (otorgante), legal heir (causahabiente), judicial authority (autoridad judicial), or third party with recognized legitimate interest under Decreto 960 Article 52. For legal entities, the representative's authority must be demonstrated.

Escritura Identification Data (Datos de Identificación de la Escritura): The escritura pública must be precisely identified by: Notaría number and city (e.g., Notaría Quinta del Círculo Notarial de Bogotá D.C.); escritura número (sequential number assigned at execution); date of execution (day, month, and year); and the legal act or contract it contains (e.g., compraventa de inmueble, constitución de hipoteca, poder general, etc.). If the exact escritura number is unknown, the approximate date and the names of the parties can be provided to help the Notaría locate the document in the protocolo notarial.

Parties to the Escritura (Partes de la Escritura): Names of the original parties who executed the escritura — this helps the Notaría confirm they are providing the copy to an authorized person and locate the correct escritura if the number is uncertain. For complex escrituras with multiple parties (juntas de socios, fusiones, etc.), identifying the leading party or the key transaction is helpful.

Number of Copies Requested (Número de Copias Solicitadas): Specification of how many copia auténticas are needed. Each copy requires a separate issuance fee per the SNR arancel notarial. Requestors should plan ahead — for apostille purposes, at least two copies are recommended (one for apostille submission, one to retain); for ORIP registration, typically one copy suffices unless a second is needed for an ancillary procedure.

Purpose of the Copy (Propósito de la Copia): Statement of intended use — ORIP registration, court submission, apostille, bank mortgage procedure, succession process, etc. This helps the Notaría determine any special formatting requirements and confirms the requestor's legitimate interest.

Issuance Timeline and Contact: Expected date by which the copy is needed; whether urgent (urgente) or standard processing is requested; and contact telephone and email for notification when the copy is ready. Standard processing at most Notarías takes 1-3 business days; urgent requests may be processed same-day for higher fees at larger Notarías.

Payment Reference: The SNR arancel notarial fees for escritura copies are calculated per-page of the protocolo copy. The fee is paid directly at the Notaría before or upon collection of the copy. Forms-legal.com provides this notarial deed copy solicitud template to assist Colombian property owners, legal practitioners, heirs, and businesses in obtaining certified copies of escrituras públicas efficiently under Decreto 960 de 1970.

Additional compliance elements for a Notarial Deed Certified Copy Request Colombia (Solicitud Copia Escritura Pública) used in Colombia include: Under the Codigo Civil Articles 1008-1226, Colombian succession law applies the legitima system (forced heirship). The Decreto 960 de 1970 governs testamentary forms before Notaria. The Impuesto de Sucesiones applies to inheritances. The Juzgados de Familia have jurisdiction over succession disputes. The Codigo General del Proceso (CGP, Ley 1564 de 2012) governs succession proceedings. Forms-legal.com provides this template as a starting point for Colombia-compliant documentation.