Extrajudicial Civil Conciliation Request Colombia

An Extrajudicial Civil Conciliation Request Colombia (Solicitud de Conciliación Extrajudicial en Materia Civil) is the formal written document through which a party — called the convocante (petitioner) — asks a conciliation center authorized by the Ministerio de Justicia y del Derecho, a notary, the Defensoría del Pueblo, or the Procuraduría General de la Nación to summon the opposing party — called the convocado (respondent) — to an extrajudicial conciliation hearing to attempt to resolve a civil or commercial dispute amicably, with the intervention of a neutral conciliator, before resorting to ordinary courts. Ley 640 de 2001 — complementing Ley 23 de 1991 on alternative dispute resolution mechanisms (MASC) — regulates in its Articles 35 through 40 extrajudicial conciliation as a procedural prerequisite for civil and family actions in Colombia.

Extrajudicial civil conciliation is an alternative dispute resolution mechanism (MASC) enshrined in Article 116 of Colombia's Constitución Política de 1991, which allows private parties to resolve their differences with a neutral third party — the conciliador — without needing to resort to ordinary courts. Article 35 of Ley 640 de 2001 establishes extrajudicial conciliation as a prerequisite to filing a lawsuit (requisito de procedibilidad) for most civil, family, and commercial proceedings: the claimant must attempt extrajudicial conciliation before filing a civil lawsuit, on penalty of the court rejecting the complaint under Article 90 of the Código General del Proceso (CGP — Ley 1564 de 2012).

Authorized conciliation centers in Colombia are public or private entities enabled by the Ministerio de Justicia y del Derecho under Decreto 1829 de 2013 to offer conciliation services. The most widely used centers for civil and commercial conciliations are: conciliation centers at chambers of commerce (Cámara de Comercio de Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla), university conciliation centers (Centro de Conciliación de la Universidad de los Andes, Universidad Javeriana), and conciliation centers of law school legal aid clinics (consultorios jurídicos). Notarías are also enabled to hold conciliation hearings under Decreto 1829 de 2013.

An Extrajudicial Civil Conciliation Request Colombia is mandatory or highly recommended in the following Colombian legal contexts.

Prerequisite to Civil Lawsuit: Article 35 of Ley 640 de 2001 establishes that extrajudicial conciliation is a mandatory prerequisite for filing a civil lawsuit in the following matters: contractual disputes (non-performance, rescission, nullity, gross lesion), non-contractual civil liability (traffic accident damages, property damage, medical liability), real property disputes (possession, easements, ownership), collection of liquid and enforceable money amounts without an executive title, and family conflicts in general. Without the failed conciliation certificate or a successful conciliation act, the civil court will reject the complaint.

Contractual Disputes Between Companies: When two businesses dispute the performance of a commercial contract — breach of a distribution agreement, quality disputes over delivered goods, disagreement on construction contract liquidation, or professional fee payment conflicts — extrajudicial conciliation before a Chamber of Commerce conciliation center is the ideal mechanism to attempt resolution before initiating costly judicial or arbitration proceedings.

Civil Liability for Accidents: When an individual or company suffered material or moral damages from a third party's conduct — traffic accident, fall in a commercial establishment, damages from neighboring construction — extrajudicial conciliation is the first step before the non-contractual civil liability lawsuit.

Collection of Obligations Without an Executive Title: When a creditor has a documented claim (loan agreement without a promissory note, invoice without express acceptance, verbal sale) but lacks a formal executive title enabling the ejecutivo proceeding, extrajudicial conciliation allows formalizing a payment agreement in an act that carries executive merit under CGP Article 488.

International Commercial Disputes: Companies involved in international trade disputes may use extrajudicial conciliation in Colombia as a cost-effective alternative to international arbitration before the Centro de Conciliación y Arbitraje de la Cámara de Comercio de Bogotá, recognized by UNCITRAL and ICSID for its institutional capacity.

An Extrajudicial Civil Conciliation Request before an authorized conciliation center in Colombia must contain the following elements per Ley 640 de 2001 and Decreto 1829 de 2013.

Petitioner Identification (Identificación del Convocante): Full name or company name, identity document (CC or NIT), notification address, and email. If the petitioner acts through a representative, include the attorney's name and professional card number. For legal entities, include the updated certificado de existencia y representación legal from the Cámara de Comercio.

Respondent Identification (Identificación del Convocado): Full name or company name, identity document (CC or NIT), known address, and email if available. The conciliation center will notify the respondent at the indicated address per Article 20 of Ley 640 de 2001.

Fact Description (Descripción de los Hechos): Clear, concise narrative of the facts giving rise to the conflict, including dates, amounts, relevant documents, and any prior amicable resolution attempts. The description must be sufficiently detailed for the conciliator to understand the conflict's nature, but should not include extensive legal arguments — this document is not a lawsuit.

Conciliation Claim (Pretensión Conciliatoria): Concrete statement of what the petitioner proposes as a solution: payment of a specific amount, restitution of a specific asset, consensual contract termination, recognition of a right, or any other benefit susceptible to conciliation per Article 19 of Ley 640 de 2001. Only rights that parties can freely dispose of are conciliable.

Controversy Value (Cuantía): Estimated economic value of the conflict, which determines the conciliator's fees per the conciliation center or notary's rates. Legal aid clinic (consultorio jurídico) conciliation centers are free or low-cost. The amount may also determine whether the matter can be resolved by the conciliator as an equity arbitrator.

Supporting Documents (Documentos Adjuntos): Copy of the contract or document giving rise to the conflict, party communications, invoices, receipts, and any document supporting the conciliation claim. Forms-legal.com provides this updated model compliant with Ley 640 de 2001 and Decreto 1829 de 2013 for Colombia in 2025.