ICA Internal Movement Sanitary Guide (GSMI): requirements for transporting and selling livestock

Short answer: The Sanitary Guide for Internal Movement (GSMI, Guía Sanitaria de Movilización Interna) is required to move animals, not to sell the farm. If what leaves the property is cattle or buffalo, the procedure goes through SINIGAN, and the sale bond only appears when the livestock changes owner.

This is the classic mistake in a rural sale: the buyer assumes that with the farm deed the livestock is also settled, and the truck reaches the checkpoint with papers that are not the right ones. Here I explain what the ICA requires today, according to ICA Resolution 8940 of July 19, 2024, and what you should make clear in writing before loading a single animal.

What the GSMI is and what it is not

The GSMI is the ICA's sanitary authorization to move animals under the conditions of the origin and the closure at the destination. It is not a property title: it does not replace the deed, the property registration (matrícula inmobiliaria), or the land title certificate (certificado de tradición) of the farm.

Don't confuse it with other ICA documents either. The health certificate used to take a pet out of the country, for example, is a different procedure and cannot be used to move livestock within Colombia; if you want to understand the difference, check the CIS guide for exporting pets.

SINIGAN or SIGMA: it depends on the species

• Cattle and buffalo: are processed in SINIGAN.
• Equines, pigs, sheep, goats, live chickens, llamas, alpacas, ostriches and products: are processed in SIGMA.

Heads up: a lot of old information online sends all livestock through SIGMA and talks about prior payments at banks. For cattle, that is no longer the route.

What the origin property must have

Before the system lets you issue the guide, the sanitary manager must meet four requirements:

1. A property with a Livestock Property Sanitary Registration (RSPP, Registro Sanitario de Predio Pecuario), according to Resolution 90464 of 2021.
2. An origin property enabled for movement before the ICA.
3. An inventory in the system that matches the animals actually on the property.
4. If the destination is a slaughterhouse, a Sanitary and Food Safety Authorization (ASI, Autorización Sanitaria y de Inocuidad) at the origin.

The inventory point is the one that sinks the most procedures: if SINIGAN shows one hundred animals and there are eighty in the paddock, you must update it before requesting anything. And watch out for a wrong idea: the RSPP identifies the property and the sanitary manager, but it does not prove you own the land.

A concrete geography case: Bogotá has no local point for issuing RSPP or GSMI. Whoever falls under that jurisdiction files at another local ICA office, at an entity with a valid agreement, or through the channel indicated on the ICA property registration page.

How to process it: online, in person, and who can delegate

There are two routes. The online one works 24 hours: in SINIGAN for cattle and buffalo, with automatic validation and payment through the application's payment gateway. The in-person one is done at a livestock service point, local office, agreement with a municipal government, or SNIITA agent, with identity document, proof of payment, and vehicle and driver registered with the ICA under article 12 of Resolution 383 of 2021 of the Ministry of Agriculture, or the regulation that amends it.

To get your user account

The producer fills out Form 3-1268 V3 (Acta Forma 3-1268 V3) with a manual signature and fingerprint, sends it from their own email to infotrazabilidad@ica.gov.co with a copy of the document, and then logs in at sigma.ica.gov.co or sinigan.ica.gov.co. The basic requirement is an active RSPP. The ICA manual mentions a response within a maximum of 24 hours, Monday to Saturday, but that schedule may change; check it on the portal.

If you delegate, the authorization must include name, ID number, address, phone, email and duration. Except for equines, an authorized third party can only request guides for a maximum of three different animal owners. Be wary of anyone who charges you for "handling it" without that authorization or sends you a PDF via WhatsApp: the guide comes from the ICA, in SINIGAN or at the official point.

How much does it cost?

Since January 1, 2024, prepaying balances has ended: the application charges the value of each guide generated. In its bulletin of April 17, 2026, the ICA announced different SINIGAN fees for electronic guide, in-person guide, virtual sale bond and in-person bond, effective from April 20, 2026. Pay what SINIGAN shows you or the current Annex 1 of Resolution 00034487 of 2025; verify the current figure in the ICA bulletin.

Guide versus sale bond: the difference that saves money

The movement guide applies to all transport of animals, products and by-products. The sale bond is only generated when the livestock changes owner. The ICA itself noted in that bulletin that the vast majority of operations were guide-only, so don't assume every outflow of animals carries a bond.

And the other side: selling or leasing the farm does not, by itself, require a GSMI. The guide is needed when the animals move. If the deal is to split the land, that goes through a different route; see the guide for subdividing rural properties.

If you want to see how other rural properties are presented, check the inventory in farms. According to active listings in Colombia Move (October 2026), there are 35 farms for sale and 9 published in the last 30 days.

Validity, truck and cancellation

The GSMI has one origin and one destination, and it is valid for a single route and a single vehicle, within the authorized date and for the duration of the trip. If the truck breaks down and you don't arrive in time, or the route, vehicle or carrier changes, the current guide must be cancelled and a new one issued with the same animals, origin and destination. You cannot "recycle" the guide for the return trip or for another vehicle.

On paper: the PDF is valid before public authorities without printing it. Even so, at ICA checkpoints on the road a printed copy is still needed as long as there is no digital validation, and a private destination property, fair or plant may require it. My advice: always print a copy, which weighs much less than being held up for hours.

DIN and border zone, briefly

Resolution 000219 of 2026 of the Ministry of Agriculture gradually requires cattle and buffalo to be identified with the National Identification Device (DIN, Dispositivo de Identificación Nacional) and registered in SINIGAN. If an animal should already be identified and is not, it does not obtain a GSMI and its movement is restricted. Confirm with the ICA which animals it applies to today, because implementation is phased.

On properties in the border zone with Venezuela that are susceptible to foot-and-mouth disease, the ICA reports that it does not assign self-management usernames and passwords due to special rules. If the application rejects your guide, don't look for shortcuts: go to your local ICA office.

What to put in writing in a livestock sale

• Origin and destination property.
• Which animals are being sold and how many.
• Movement date.
• Who requests the guide and who pays for the guide and the sale bond.

Moving without the requirement exposes you to ICA sanitary measures, and those disputes are avoided with four signed lines before shipment.

Frequently asked questions

❓ Is the cattle movement guide requested in SIGMA or SINIGAN?

Cattle and buffalo are processed in SINIGAN. SIGMA is used for equines, pigs, sheep, goats, live chickens, llamas, alpacas, ostriches and products. Many old pages mix both systems, so always confirm on the official ICA portal (verify at the official source).

❓ Does selling the farm require a GSMI?

Not from the sale of the property alone. The guide is for moving animals, and the sale bond applies only if the livestock changes owner. If you sell land without moving animals, no guide is involved (verify at the official source).

❓ Can the same guide be used for another truck or for the return trip?

No. The GSMI has one origin, one destination, one route and one vehicle. If the truck, carrier or route changes, or the deadline expires, the current guide is cancelled and a new one is issued with the same animals, origin and destination (verify at the official source).

❓ Does the GSMI have to be printed?

The PDF is valid before public authorities without printing it. But at an ICA checkpoint on the road it is still presented printed as long as there is no digital validation, and a property, fair or destination plant may request it (verify at the official source).

❓ Does registering the property with the ICA prove that I am the owner?

No. The RSPP identifies the property and the sanitary manager, but it does not legitimize ownership or replace the documents of the competent authority. Ownership is proven with the deed and the land title certificate of the property (verify at the official source).

❓ How much does the guide cost?

The ICA bulletin of April 17, 2026 announced different fees for electronic guide, in-person guide and sale bond, effective from April 20, 2026. You pay the amount SINIGAN shows or the current Annex 1, and the bond only if the owner changes (verify at the official source).

❓ Can I delegate the procedure?

Yes, with an authorization that states name, ID number, address, phone, email and duration. Except for equines, the authorized person can request guides for a maximum of three different animal owners. Be wary of intermediaries without that authorization (verify at the official source).