Lien Release Request for Vehicle Colombia (Solicitud de Levantamiento de Prenda)

The Lien Release Request for Vehicle Colombia (Solicitud de Levantamiento de Prenda sobre Vehículo) is the formal document through which the owner-debtor of a motor vehicle given as pledge security requests the creditor entity — bank, cooperative, finance company, or private individual — to issue the lien cancellation certificate (paz y salvo) and authorize its lifting before the RUNT (Registro Único Nacional de Tránsito) and the Registro de Garantías Mobiliarias, once the secured obligation has been fully paid. This procedure is governed by Ley 1676 de 2013 on Garantías Mobiliarias, Article 2452 of the Código Civil regulating pledge without possession, and Article 47 of Ley 769 de 2002 on the RUNT.

In Colombia, when a vehicle is acquired through a bank loan or financed by an entity, the creditor registers a prenda (guarantee moviable — garantía mobiliaria) over the vehicle in the RUNT, which appears annotated on the tarjeta de propiedad and prevents the owner from selling or transferring it without the creditor's authorization. Once the debtor pays the last installment of the vehicle credit, they have the right to request the lifting of the lien so that the vehicle is freed from encumbrances and can be sold, transferred, or used as collateral for another loan.

Ley 1676 de 2013 established the Sistema de Registro de Garantías Mobiliarias administered by the Confederación Colombiana de Cámaras de Comercio (Confecámaras), but for vehicles the RUNT also applies as a specialized registry administered by the Ministerio de Transporte. Article 55 of Ley 1676 establishes that the secured creditor has the obligation to cancel the guarantee registration within fifteen (15) business days following the extinction of the secured obligation, subject to liability for damages caused to the debtor. If the entity fails to issue the lifting, the debtor may turn to the Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia (SFC) or the Delegatura para la Protección del Consumidor Financiero to file a formal complaint.

The Código Civil Article 2452 establishes the general framework for pledge without possession (prenda sin tenencia), applicable to vehicle pledges where the debtor retains physical possession of the vehicle while the creditor holds the security interest. The Código de Comercio Articles 1200-1220 provide additional rules for commercial pledge agreements, applicable when the lender is a commercial entity regulated by the Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia.

The Lien Release Request for Vehicle Colombia is necessary in all cases where an owner has finished paying a vehicle loan and wishes to free the vehicle from the registered pledge or garantía mobiliaria in the RUNT. The most frequent scenarios include: completion of vehicle credit with a commercial bank (Bancolombia, Davivienda, BBVA Colombia, Banco de Bogotá, Banco Popular, etc.); full payment of a credit with a savings and credit cooperative (cooperativa de ahorro y crédito); early cancellation of vehicle credit (prepago); full payment of credit with a dealership or finance company; and cancellation of pledge in favor of a private individual from a peer-to-peer loan.

The request is also necessary when the owner wishes to sell the vehicle and the buyer demands that it be free from encumbrances before the transfer (traspaso) at the organismo de tránsito; when a new guarantee is to be constituted over the same vehicle in favor of a different creditor; or when the owner needs to participate in tenders or contracts requiring encumbrance-free vehicles. The Ministerio de Transporte through the RUNT requires the creditor's cancellation authorization before updating the vehicle's tarjeta de propiedad to remove the pledge annotation.

If the financial institution does not issue the lifting in a timely manner, this formal request serves as evidence of the demand for purposes of a complaint before the Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia (SFC), the Defensoría del Consumidor Financiero, or the Superintendencia de la Economía Solidaria (for cooperatives). The written record of the request establishes the start date for computing the 15-business-day deadline under Article 55 of Ley 1676 de 2013, which is critical for any subsequent penalty or damage claim against the creditor.

The Lien Release Request for Vehicle Colombia must contain the following elements for proper processing by the creditor entity and subsequent RUNT registration under Ley 1676 de 2013 and Ley 769 de 2002.

Applicant identification: Full name, cedula de ciudadanía number, address, phone, and email of the vehicle owner and credit debtor. If the debtor and owner are different persons (e.g., in loans with a co-debtor or vehicles in third-party names), this relationship must be stated.

Creditor entity identification: Name of the financial institution, bank, cooperative, or private individual creditor; credit contract number or obligation number; and branch or office where the lifting will be processed. For entities regulated by the Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia (SFC) or Superintendencia de la Economía Solidaria, include the NIT of the entity.

Vehicle identification: License plate, make, model line, year, color, engine number, chassis number or VIN, and tarjeta de propiedad number. These details must match the RUNT records and the original credit contract.

Declaration of full payment: Express statement that the secured obligation has been fully paid, indicating the date of the last payment and the amount paid. For early payoff, indicate the date and amount of the full advance payment.

Specific request: Formal request to the entity to: issue the paz y salvo or pledge cancellation letter; authorize the lifting of the pledge before the RUNT and/or the Registro de Garantías Mobiliarias de Confecámaras; deliver any original documents retained by the creditor (if applicable); and notify the RUNT of the lifting of the guarantee under Ley 1676 de 2013 Article 55.

Legal deadline reminder: The request must remind the entity that it has fifteen (15) business days to cancel the guarantee registration under Article 55 of Ley 1676 de 2013, and that non-compliance generates liability for damages before the Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia.

Complaint warning: If the entity fails to respond within the legal deadline, the applicant may file a complaint before the Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia (SFC), the Delegatura para la Protección del Consumidor Financiero, or the Defensoría del Consumidor Financiero (Defensor del Cliente) of the respective entity.

forms-legal.com provides this model updated to Ley 1676 de 2013, Ley 769 de 2002, and the RUNT procedures of the Ministerio de Transporte for vehicle pledge cancellation in Colombia 2025.