Colombia Police Background Check (Certificado de Antecedentes): How Foreigners Request Official Reports

Most foreigners hit this document the same way: a landlord, an HR contact or a foreign agency says "send me your Colombian police record," and suddenly you are on three different government websites wondering which one counts. I have watched people download the wrong PDF, pay for the wrong stamp, and email the wrong office. This guide separates the documents so you only do what you actually need.

Quick answer: the Policía Nacional lets you query your own antecedentes judiciales online for free. That printout is not apostilled. If you need the record for use abroad, a foreigner must request a constancia by email from the police unit and then upload it to Cancillería for apostille or legalización. The citizen shortcut is not for you.

What this certificate is, and what it is not

The official product is the consulta or certificado de antecedentes judiciales, issued by the Policía Nacional. People casually call it "police clearance," but three different Colombian documents hide behind that phrase:

• Antecedentes judiciales (Policía Nacional): the criminal-record query this guide covers.
• Antecedentes disciplinarios (Procuraduría): a separate disciplinary certificate, also free to issue.
• Responsabilidad fiscal (Contraloría): a third certificate, requested through a different channel.

None of these replaces a police certificate from your home country. If a visa checklist asks for a criminal record from the country where you lived during the last three years, a Colombian printout does not satisfy it. Do not merge these into one mental "antecedentes PDF"; each has its own source.

Do you actually have to present it?

Here is the part that surprises people. Article 93 of Decreto 019 de 2012 abolished the old certificado judicial, so nobody is obliged to present a document certifying judicial records for trámites with public or private entities in Colombia. Article 94 keeps the online consultation available for nationals and foreigners, and article 95 leaves the criminal registers with the Policía.

My honest take: knowing this saves you an argument, but do not wave the decree at a landlord. Article 93 is a non-obligation to present the document, not a fine schedule, and a private party can still decline to sign a contract with you. If a lease is the reason you are reading this, the reasonable move is to run the free query and offer the printout. You can browse rental options in the vivienda section of the marketplace, but no listing makes this certificate mandatory.

Visas are a separate matter. Article 26 of Resolución 5477 de 2022 lets the visa authority check you in the Policía Nacional database or require records from your country of nationality or residence. It does not say every visa needs a Colombian police PDF. Requirements differ by category, so read your live block on the Cancillería tipos de visa page, and see our guide to Colombian visa requirements for the overall picture.

The free online query, step by step

The query lives at https://antecedentes.policia.gov.co:7005/WebJudicial/. Stick to the policia.gov.co address; you never need a paid "gestor" for this part, and sites that charge for it are selling you something free.

1. Open the portal and accept the terms.
2. Choose your document type from the dropdown.
3. Enter your own ID number.
4. Complete the security or robot check.
5. Read the result, then print it or save it as a PDF (Ctrl+P or Cmd+P).

The Ministerio de Justicia guide, dated 4 May 2022, lists four ID types: cédula de ciudadanía, cédula de extranjería, pasaporte and documento de país de origen. A Policía Nacional note from 21 January 2017 mentions only cédula de ciudadanía and cédula de extranjería. Those two official descriptions disagree, so the live dropdown is what controls. If your passport is not offered, use your cédula de extranjería.

Frustration alert: if the system says your number is not found, the likeliest cause is that you do not have a cédula de extranjería number yet. Sort that first with our guide to booking your cédula de extranjería appointment.

One firm rule: only the record holder may use the query. Looking up a partner, employee, tenant or seller is prohibited, and using the result for profit can get access blocked. Also, there is no officially published validity period for the printout. Minjusticia only suggests presenting it soon because you may need to download it again, so generate it close to the day you will show it.

When the printout is enough, and when it is not

A browser printout is a personal query result. For a Colombian employer, a bank or a landlord who simply wants to see it, that is usually the whole story. If you are onboarding for a job, note that a work-visa file is a different checklist; see the work visa requirements guide.

The printout is not the automatic apostille product. Cancillería's electronic option, "Documentos electrónicos con firma digital - Certificado de Antecedentes Judiciales - Policía Nacional," asks for a cédula de ciudadanía and is only for Colombian citizens. Foreigners are sent away from that button.

The foreigner path for use abroad

1. Email dijin.araic-atc@policia.gov.co with a legible copy of your ID and the passport pages showing your entries to Colombia.
2. Wait for the police document (no processing time or email fee is published, so do not trust anyone who promises one).
3. Start your request at https://tramites.cancilleria.gov.co/apostillalegalizacion/solicitud/inicio.aspx and upload the police document under "Documentos digitalizados - Otros documentos."

The police unit's directory lists Kr. 27 No. 18-41 (Paloquemao), Bogotá, telephone 5159700 ext. 30552. Treat that as the directory entry, not as a promise of walk-in hours.

Apostille or legalización, and what they cost

An apostille certifies the official's signature and capacity so a Colombian public document can take effect in a state party to the 1961 Hague Convention. Legalización does the same job when the destination is outside that convention. You pick the destination country in the Cancillería form, and it shows which one applies.

Under Resolución 3969 de 2026 (26 March, Diario Oficial 53.445 of 31 March 2026), article 5, the published tariffs as accessed on 7 October 2026 are:

Paragraph 1 of that article applies the tariffs to any document type. The Cancillería payment page also shows a Visa/MasterCard bank commission of COP 3.253 as of 7 October 2026; confirm it on the payment screen before you pay.

Payment timing trips people up. After approval you have 30 days to verify the document data and pay. A GNB Sudameris or Servibanca reference expires the same day. PSE needs a Colombian-enabled account. Banco Agrario posts the next day and, on that page, only in Valledupar, San Andrés, Quibdó, Mocoa, Arauca and Leticia.

Name or ID mismatches, minors and other certificates

If your name or document number does not match on the police side, use the DIJIN email path with your ID and passport entry pages. Cancillería's apostille questions page sends people to DIJIN or SIJIN in person when the citizen query fails, but that line is for holders of a Colombian cédula de ciudadanía, not for you. I would not invent a spelling workaround beyond the email.

The Procuraduría certificate has its own rules. Its online form accepts a cédula de extranjería and issuance is free. If the name is wrong, correct it in person or in writing with a simple ID copy. If it says the number is not registered, register your cédula de extranjería in person with the original document. For apostille, download the Procuraduría PDF and upload it as a digitized document.

For a Contraloría fiscal-responsibility certificate, Cancillería gives two routes: go in person with an ID copy and collect it three business days later, or email boletin_responsables_fiscales@contraloria.gov.co with a legible ID copy, then upload the result as a digitized document.

Minors are not issued judicial records. A guardian requests the explanatory constancia from the same DIJIN email, attaching the minor's legal ID, then uploads it as a digitized document.

If your status is in transition, a salvoconducto does not replace antecedentes; read the salvoconducto and visa extension guide for that situation.

A dated note: Monday 12 October 2026

Under Ley 51 de 1983, article 1, 12 October is a paid public holiday, and when it is not a Monday the paid rest moves to the following Monday. In 2026 it falls on a Monday, so the paid rest is Monday 12 October 2026. If you need a same-day bank payment reference or an in-person correction, finish the online query and any Cancillería payment before you travel. I would not assume any particular counter is closed on other days; check before you go.

Frequently Asked Questions

❓ Can a foreigner download Colombian antecedentes judiciales online?

Yes, the Policía Nacional query is free and the official guides say a cédula de extranjería works. The 2022 Minjusticia guide also lists passport and country-of-origin document, while a 2017 police note does not, so follow the live dropdown (verify with the official source, as accessed).

❓ Is that PDF already apostilled?

No. The browser printout is only your personal query result. A foreigner emails dijin.araic-atc@policia.gov.co with ID and passport entry pages, receives the police document, then uploads it to Cancillería. The citizen electronic button is not your path (verify with the official source, as accessed).

❓ How much is the apostille?

The police query is free, but in Colombia the published apostille tariff is COP 37.800 and legalización is COP 26.200 under Resolución 3969 de 2026. A card commission of COP 3.253 was shown on the payment page on 7 October 2026 (verify with the official source, as accessed).

❓ Does my Colombian visa require this certificate?

Not necessarily. The visa authority may check the Colombian police database or ask for records from your country of nationality or residence. A home-country certificate is a different document, so read your visa block on the live Cancillería page (verify with the official source, as accessed).

❓ What if my name or document number does not match?

Foreigners should use the DIJIN email with a legible ID copy and passport entry pages. The DIJIN or SIJIN walk-in route applies to holders of a Colombian cédula de ciudadanía. Procuraduría name errors and unregistered numbers have their own in-person correction (verify with the official source, as accessed).

❓ Can my landlord or employer force me to provide it?

Decreto 019 de 2012, article 93, says nobody is obliged to present the abolished certificate for public or private trámites. A private party can still refuse to sign with you, and no fine amount is published for asking (verify with the official source, as accessed).

❓ Can I check someone else's record, and how long is mine valid?

Only the holder may use the online query; looking up another person is prohibited. No validity period is officially published, so download the printout close to the day you will show it (verify with the official source, as accessed).