How to Lift a Property Attachment in Colombia: CGP Grounds, Agreement, and Lifting Order

Short answer: A lien (embargo) on a property is not lifted with a paz y salvo or with an agreement signed at home. It is lifted when the judge in the case orders it and the Registry Office cancels the annotation, or when the requirements for expiration under article 64 of Law 1579 of 2012 are met. This guide is informational; the court handling your case is the one that decides.

You open the certificado de tradición y libertad, see a lien annotation, and your world falls apart: you can't sign the deed, you can't mortgage, and if the case moves forward, a foreclosure auction comes next. Heads up: this is where many people fall for "gestores" who charge for something they can't actually do. Let's go step by step.

What you're seeing on the certificate

Read the full annotation: the authority that ordered the measure, the date, the oficio, and the annotation number. Don't assume the folio includes the full 23-digit case number; you often have to look for it.

Be careful not to mix up concepts. Registering a lawsuit (inscripción de la demanda) does not take the property out of commerce: whoever buys it later is bound by what the ruling says. A lien (embargo), on the other hand, does block. This guide covers a judicial lien on a property. Mortgages, family patrimony, family home designation, family measures, tax or criminal measures follow other paths. If your issue involves accounts or salary, check the guía de embargo de cuentas bancarias; if it's a car with a pledge, check the vehículo embargado y RUNT.

To get the certificate, use only certificados.supernotariado.gov.co, with the registry office and matrícula number. The site warns not to pay through WhatsApp or email links and to verify the .gov.co domain. According to the official platform, the PDF is valid for use for 30 calendar days (Resolución 2968 de 2010). To learn how to read the folio, see the guía del certificado de tradición y libertad.

Why a lien stops the deed

The judge notifies the registrar of the lien, who records it if the property belongs to the affected party. With the lien recorded, the registrar will not register a sale or a mortgage (art. 34 of Law 1579), unless the judge authorizes it or the creditors consent under article 1521 of the Civil Code; in that case, a certificate from the court confirming there is no embargo de remanentes must also be submitted.

In addition, the secuestro (seizure) of property subject to registration is only carried out once the lien is recorded and must be completed before the auction is ordered. That's why a folio with a lien is a serious warning, not a minor procedure.

How to locate the case without paying an intermediary

Copy the annotation: the court, the date, and the oficio. With that, search for the case in the Consulta de Procesos Nacional Unificada de la Rama Judicial (consultaprocesos.ramajudicial.gov.co), by case number, name, or company name. Note: the search reflects what each court has uploaded. If it doesn't appear, it may not have been uploaded or the file may be missing; that is confirmed with the court, not with a Telegram group.

Grounds under article 597 that actually help the owner

• Request from the party who requested the measure (num. 1), with co-litigants or third-party claimants if there are any.
• End of the enforcement proceeding (proceso ejecutivo) (num. 4), through payment or another cause.
• Acquittal of the defendant or end of the declarative proceeding (num. 5).
• Certificate showing the defendant is not the owner of the property.
• File that cannot be found (num. 10): requires five years from the recording and that the file does not appear, plus a twenty-day notice. Five years alone lift nothing.

The numerals on security (caución), third possessor, prior lien, and public resources are not shortcuts for the homeowner. Under numerals 1, 2, 9, and 10, the payment order does not need to have been notified in order to resolve the request. Under numerals 1, 2, 4, 5, and 8, lifting the measure carries costs and damages for the party who requested it, unless otherwise agreed. If the third possessor's incident is decided against them, there is a fine of five to twenty monthly minimum wages.

Payment, deposit, and agreement

Before the auction hearing begins, the plaintiff (or their attorney with authority to receive payment) can file a document proving payment of the debt and costs. The judge ends the case and cancels liens and seizures if there is no embargo de remanentes (art. 461 of the CGP). The defendant can also end the case by depositing the settlement amount with the court, with a three-day transfer period and a ten-day deadline for any additional deposit under the circumstances of that article.

What does not work: a private agreement, a paz y salvo, or a novation does not by itself cancel the annotation. A settlement (transacción) only has effect if it is presented to the judge handling the case (art. 312): if only one party presents it, there is a three-day transfer, and the judge ends the case when it covers the full amount and all parties signed it. The registrar does not erase a judicial lien because the owner shows a receipt.

The oficio to the Registry Office

The lifting of the lien reaches the folio through the judge's cancellation oficio sent to the registry office where the matrícula is kept. Once the order is final, that oficio is the registration document. If it was lost or never processed, any interested party can request that it be issued again. The filing is made with the court that ordered the measure and with the registry office for the folio. Registration fees change: request the current liquidation from the entity, because no verified figure is given here.

Expiration under article 64: another route, with a catch

The recording of the precautionary measure is valid for ten years from its registration. Before it expires, the authority that ordered it can request renewal: this gives a new validity of five years, extendable for an equal period up to two times. Once the term expires without renewal, the registrar cancels it through a reasoned act (acto motivado de cúmplase), without appeal, only if the owner of the title or someone who shows a legitimate interest requests it in writing. For measures recorded before 1 October 2012, the ten years run from the law's effective date.

The catch: this cancels the recording; it does not prove the debt has been paid. In an ongoing case, the court can order a new lien; this happened in a civil ruling published by the Rama Judicial, although it is not a rule for every case. The Superintendencia de Notariado y Registro published Administrative Instruction 8 of 2022 on this article; check it on their site.

If the auction has already been scheduled

There are no miracles here: a last-minute filing does not guarantee a suspension. What can end the case is full payment before the hearing, as we saw. Do it with a lawyer and by reviewing the file. If you are on the other side, buying at auction, the guide to comprar apartamento en remate judicial is the one that applies to you; it is not a way to lift the lien.

Calendar: Monday, 2 November 2026

Under Law 51 of 1983, 1 November is a paid holiday and, if it falls on a Sunday, it is moved to Monday. In 2026 it falls on a Sunday, so the holiday goes to Monday, 2 November. This does not mean every court or office closes: confirm whether the specific office is open before you go.

When the folio is clear

Only when a new certificate no longer shows the lien annotation can you advertise the property without misleading anyone. Publishing it earlier, or asking for an initial down payment with the lien still recorded, is asking for trouble: the buyer will request the certificate, and an ad does not replace the judge's order. That guide to vender apartamento sin intermediario starts right after the registry cancellation.

Frequently asked questions

❓ Does paying the creditor remove the lien from the certificado de tradición?

Not by itself: payment lifts the lien when the judge ends the case and orders the measure cancelled. Before the auction, it is proven with a filing from the plaintiff or with the defendant's deposit, according to article 461 of the CGP. (verify with the official source)

❓ Does a payment agreement or a novation lift the lien on the house?

A private agreement does not erase the annotation. A settlement (transacción) only has procedural effect if it is presented to the judge in the case, with a three-day transfer when only one party presents it. Then comes the order and the oficio to the registry. (verify with the official source)

❓ What has to happen for the Registry Office to cancel the lien?

The judge's cancellation oficio is needed or, where applicable, the written request for expiration under article 64. If the oficio did not arrive or was lost, an interested party can ask the court to issue it again. (verify with the official source)

❓ After ten years, does the lien disappear and the debt too?

It does not disappear on its own, nor does it mean the debt has been paid. The recording lasts ten years, can be renewed before it expires, and cancellation requires a written request from the owner or someone with a legitimate interest. In an ongoing case, another measure can be requested. (verify with the official source)

❓ Can I sell or mortgage while the lien is still recorded?

The registrar will not record that sale or mortgage while the lien appears, unless the judge authorizes it or the creditors consent under the terms of article 34 of Law 1579. The prudent step is to wait for a new, clean certificate. (verify with the official source)

❓ Where do I check the case and the certificate without falling for a fake page?

The certificate is requested at certificados.supernotariado.gov.co and the case at the Consulta de Procesos of the Rama Judicial. Be wary of links sent by WhatsApp or email and verify that the domain ends in .gov.co. (verify with the official source)

❓ How much does it cost to get the certificate or register the lifting?

We don't publish a peso fee here because it changes. The certificate's cost is shown on the official platform, and the registration of the oficio appears in the liquidation from the folio's registry office. (verify with the official source)