Food Handling Course and Certificate in Colombia: Requirements, Validity, and Authorized Entities

Setting up a food business in Colombia—whether it's a dessert dark kitchen, a specialty coffee shop, a small bakery, or a catering service—requires meeting clear sanitary requirements from day one. The same applies if you are looking for a job in a kitchen or dining room. The first request that usually appears on the hiring radar is the traditional "food handling card." However, this process is often full of confusion, myths about state stamps, and dubious offers that proliferate on social media.

To understand which documents you must have in your establishment's health folder before an inspection visit from your sectional or municipal health secretariat, it is convenient to review current regulations and know exactly what the law requires.

Does the food handling card really exist in Colombia?

The term "handler's card" has been a deeply rooted idiom in popular commerce for decades. However, in the current Colombian legal framework, there is no official plastic card issued by the government..

The governing technical standard in the country is Resolution 2674 of 2013 issued by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, which regulates Decree Law 019 of 2012 (Anti-red tape Law). This regulation eliminated bureaucratic cards and established that every food handler—that is, anyone directly involved in the preparation, manufacturing, packaging, storage, transport, or sale—must have two specific supporting documents:

• Medical certificate of labor aptitude (Article 11): a document issued by a doctor with a license in occupational health certifying that the person does not have infectious diseases or skin lesions that could contaminate food.
• Proof of continuous training (Articles 12 and 13): a document that proves having taken and passed at least ten (10) hours of annual training in Good Manufacturing Practices and hygiene.

When a Health Secretariat inspector visits your establishment, they do not ask for a plastic card worn around the neck: they request the staff folder with these two valid and organized certificates.

Medical recognition of aptitude: mandatory exams

Article 11 of Resolution 2674 of 2013 determines that the company or employer is responsible for guaranteeing the health of the handling staff before hiring them and periodically during the employment relationship. This exam must be repeated at least once a year, or each time a worker returns after disability due to an illness susceptible to being transmitted through food.

To issue the clinical aptitude certificate, occupational health specialist doctors at Health Service Providing Institutions (IPS) usually order complementary paraclinical laboratory tests, among which the following stand out:

• Coprological examination: rules out active intestinal parasites (such as amoeba cysts or helminths).
• Pharyngeal swab: identifies asymptomatic carriers of bacteria in the upper respiratory tract, particularly Streptococcus o Staphylococcus aureus.
• Nail KOH (mycological examination): rules out the presence of fungi on the hands.
• Skin lesion swab: when the worker has dermatitis or open scrapes.

A generic prescription pad is not enough: the medical certificate must explicitly indicate that the person is clinically "fit to handle food."

The mandatory 10-hour annual course: syllabus and methodologies

Article 12 of the standard requires that every handler has continuous and permanent training of a minimum of ten (10) annual hours on hygienic-sanitary topics. It is not a one-time course for life, but an annual update plan that must address essential operational aspects:

According to the active ads on Colombia Move (September 2026), there are 5 active ads for prepared food (4 recent and 439 views), and the coffee and bakery supply remains at zero active ads.

Who can provide the training and how to avoid scams?

Article 13 of Resolution 2674 sets three legal paths to provide the training:

1. The company itself: provided it has a structured formal training plan and suitable technical or professional personnel (food engineers, microbiologists, nutritionists, or sanitation technicians).
2. Private training entities: natural or legal persons that have sanitary authorization issued by the sectional or district health secretariat of their jurisdiction (for example, authorized under Resolution 378 of 2012 in their jurisdiction).
3. Official State institutions: such as the National Training Service (SENA), which offers free complementary courses both virtually through SOFIA Plus and in-person.

Watch out for the "card with an INVIMA stamp" myth

One of the most common internet scams are ads via WhatsApp or websites offering a "food handling card endorsed by INVIMA in 15 minutes via WhatsApp." INVIMA does not certify natural persons or issue individual cards to handlers..

INVIMA's function is to monitor industrial production plants, medicines, cosmetics, and authorize sanitary registrations (RSA, PSA, NSA). The inspection and surveillance of restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, and local gastronomic businesses correspond to municipal and district Health Secretariats. Paying for an express diploma without real content puts your business at risk: during a health inspection, that fraudulent document can be immediately dismissed.

In the formal market, authorized training companies usually charge fees starting from approximately COP 20,000 to COP 50,000 for the academic certificate, or higher amounts if a comprehensive package is purchased that includes laboratory tests at an occupational health IPS partner.

Validity, renewal and sanitary sanctions (Law 9 of 1979)

Both the occupational medical certificate and the ten-hour training certificate have a legal validity of one (1) year. The owner or manager of the establishment must keep the updated records in the business's physical or digital archive.

If during an inspection, surveillance and control (IVC) visit, the Health Secretariat verifies that cooks, baristas, or waiters lack the certificates or have expired ones, the health authority has the legal power—supported by Law 9 of 1979 (National Sanitary Code)—to apply the following measures:

• Issue an unfavorable sanitary assessment or one with requirements that compels fixing deficiencies within a mandatory deadline.
• Impose immediate sanitary safety measures, such as the temporary suspension of activities or the preventive closure of the establishment.
• Initiate administrative sanctioning processes that can lead to successive fines.

At the time of managing gastronomy and hospitality vacancies or when hiring waiters and kitchen staff, requesting these documents from the initial interview will save you setbacks during sanitation audits.

Frequently Asked Questions

❓ Is it mandatory to carry a physical plastic card to handle food in Colombia?

No, Resolution 2674 of 2013 does not require any plastic card or official physical credential. Health authorities require having a valid medical certificate of work aptitude and written proof of the annual health training course of at least 10 hours.

❓ How long are the course and the food handling medical certificate valid for?

Both documents have a maximum validity of one (1) calendar year. Colombian regulations establish that both the clinical health evaluation and the continuous training plan must be renewed annually to guarantee the safety of operations.

❓ Does INVIMA issue individual certificates for cooks or waiters, or is the seal on WhatsApp a scam?

No, INVIMA does not issue ID cards or individual certificates to private individuals for handling food in food establishments. That authority corresponds to qualified training entities approved by health secretariats or institutional programs like SENA.

❓ Can I take the food handling course for free, and how much does a private one cost?

Yes, SENA provides 100% free complementary courses on hygienic food handling through the SOFIA Plus portal in virtual and in-person formats. In the private market, certificates usually range from approximately COP 20,000 to COP 50,000, as of September 2026, because there is no fixed rate by decree. Some health secretariats organize free educational sessions throughout the year.

❓ What clinical laboratory tests are needed for the medical certificate?

It depends on the criteria of the occupational health specialist doctor, but usually, a fecal matter exam, throat swab, and nail KOH are performed. These exams rule out enteric infections, pharyngeal bacterial colonization, or active mycosis on the hands.

❓ What happens if the Health Secretariat visits my business and the staff does not have the updated course?

The inspector will draft a report with an unfavorable assessment or a formal requirement for mandatory remediation. If there are clear risks to customers' health, the entity can apply for an immediate suspension of activities or temporary closure of the premises.

❓ Where can I offer my prepared food and bakery products without commissions?

You can create free ads with clear photos and a description of your menu on local platforms like Colombia Move, connecting directly with diners via WhatsApp without intermediation fees or hidden costs per sale.