Lifting a vehicle lien in the RUNT: requirements, paz y salvo, and costs

You finished paying off the last installment on your car or motorcycle, you feel free, and you publish the listing. The first serious buyer arrives, asks for the RUNT report, and there it is: the lien is still active. Paying the bank doesn't remove it on its own. This guide explains, step by step, how to make the vehicle transferable without paying anyone extra.

Quick answer: the creditor cancels the security interest in the movable collateral registry, that is notified to the RUNT, and you file the lien release with the transit authority where the vehicle is registered.

Three documents that are not the same

Most of the confusion comes from mixing up these three actions:

• Paid-in-full certificate or creditor's letter: proof that the debt was paid. It serves as evidence, but on its own it does not change the RUNT.
• Cancellation of the security interest at Confecámaras (Movable Collateral Registry): only the lender can do this. According to Confecámaras, the debtor does not register or cancel on that portal. Once the obligation has been fully extinguished, the creditor must file the cancellation form (Decree 1074 of 2015, art. 2.2.2.4.1.26).
• Lien release at the transit authority: you file it. Confecámaras indicates that, once the vehicle's security interest is cancelled, the operation is electronically notified to the RUNT so the debtor can complete the release before the transit authority.

And note: the certificate of title shows the history, it doesn't release anything. If you want to understand what you see in it, check the guide to the certificate of title and vehicle history.

How to read the RUNT public inquiry

Go to the RUNT vehicle inquiry by license plate with the plate and the owner's ID number. There you will find the tabs Guarantees in favor of y Movable Guarantees, with the field Vehicle Lien ID. Look at the Confecámaras field:

• YES: the transit authority will not file the release until a release authorization has been issued and notified to the RUNT by the National Movable Collateral Registry.
• NO: the transit authority validates the documents and files as it has been doing.

One oddity: RUNT concession Communiqué 111 (July 21, 2026) refers in one paragraph to a "lien registration procedure" for the release. This is a drafting slip; what is needed is the release authorization, not a new registration. If you want to see liens under an ID number, use the RUNT guide for searching by ID number.

If any vehicle data is wrong in the RUNT, the owner must request the correction from the transit authority where the vehicle is registered, not through a chat with agents.

What the transit authority requires

According to Ministry of Transport External Circular 20244200000617 (September 25, 2024), which cites article 5.3.13.1, the procedure, in person or online, works as follows once your registration in the RUNT has been verified:

1. Completed application form.
2. Certification from the manufacturer, assembler or importer, QR image or, failing that, engraving of the engine, serial, chassis or VIN.
3. The authority cross-checks, online and in real time, the RUNT, the vehicle title and the Movable Collateral Registry, with no additional requirements.
4. Validates a current SOAT in the RUNT and a certificate of no outstanding fines.
5. Validates payment of Ministry of Transport fees, the RUNT rate and the authority's fees.
6. Updates the National Automotive Registry and issues the new vehicle title.

Honestly, here is the frustration: some offices still publish old notices asking for a technical-mechanical inspection, the original title, or a "paper certificate of no debts." Those requirements do not appear in the article cited by the circular. If the counter asks for them, politely ask what the legal basis is and keep the answer in writing.

On identity: virtual authentication replaces biometrics only at the offices listed in two 2020 circulars. An unused link expires after 2 hours, a successful validation lasts 7 days, and five failed attempts block for 7 days. Since this is not a universal procedure, ask your office which one applies.

If the bank does not cancel

With the loan paid off, request the cancellation from the creditor in writing. According to article 76 of Law 1676 of 2013, if it does not comply within 15 days of the request, you can go to a notary with proof of payment. If the creditor refuses or stays silent, the notary refers the case to the judicial authority through a summary oral proceeding.

That period runs from your request; it is not a general bank deadline for issuing a paid-in-full certificate, nor should it be counted as business days. And don't get lost in the Superintendencia de Sociedades route: it is not the route for a vehicle loan that has already been paid off.

Costs: three items and no invented pesos

The procedure adds up Ministry of Transport fees, the RUNT rate and transit authority fees. The RUNT rate currently in the system is set by Resolution 20253040051705, applied since January 8, 2026. Since each office calculates differently, request the written calculation where the vehicle is registered and verify the current figure at the official source. The public inquiry from Confecámaras is free; if you need a collateral certificate, check its price at garantiasmobiliarias.com.co.

Watch out for agents: do not pay anyone to "speed up" or "push through" the Ministry procedure, and certainly do not hand over your ID card or bank details. The circular refers complaints to 018000 110950.

A lien is not a seizure

A registered lien and a seizure or other court order are different restrictions. Releasing the lien does not release the seizure, so check both in the inquiry before advertising the vehicle as free. For that cross-check, these are useful: check seizures and liens on a used vehicle and, if the problem is a seizure, selling a seized vehicle or one with a registered lien. Don't promise "free of encumbrances" while anything is still pending, nor count on fines or taxes sorting themselves out.

The lien is gone: how to advertise

When the RUNT inquiry no longer shows an active lien, then publish. Include real photos, an honest condition report, a test drive and delivery terms, and have the inquiry ready to show during the visit. A vehicle appraisal builds trust before you receive visitors, and if you are selling a motorcycle, check how to sell a motorcycle for free. On Colombia Move you can see listings in motorcycles y cars to compare how others present them.

And don't hand over the vehicle until you see the transfer filed: it is a separate procedure, with its own calculation. See the step-by-step transfer guide y the transfer fees.

If your appointment falls on Monday, October 12, 2026

That Monday coincides with the Day of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity and is reported as a national holiday. Before booking an appointment that day, confirm with your transit authority whether it is open; not all offices necessarily operate the same way.

Frequently asked questions

❓ Does paying off the loan remove the lien from the RUNT?

No. The creditor must cancel the security interest in the movable collateral registry, and then you file the lien release with the transit authority. Paying only extinguishes the debt; the registry release is a separate step (verify at the official source).

❓ Is the bank's paid-in-full certificate enough to sell?

It is not enough on its own. The release must be recorded in the RUNT and, if Confecámaras shows SI, there must also be a release authorization electronically notified. The paper serves as proof of payment, for example before a notary (verify at the official source).

❓ Where can I check whether the bank has authorized the release?

In the RUNT vehicle inquiry by license plate, with the plate and the owner's ID number. Review the tabs Guarantees in favor of and Movable Guarantees, the Confecámaras field and the Vehicle Lien ID (verify at the official source).

❓ How much does it cost to release the lien?

There is no single national price we can give you. It consists of Ministry of Transport fees, the RUNT rate and transit authority fees; request the written calculation where the vehicle is registered and be wary of agents who charge extra (verify at the official source).

❓ Can I sell if the lien is still registered?

The buyer does not receive a clean transfer while the restriction remains. There are cases where the creditor authorizes the transfer to continue, but that is not the normal route; the prudent step is to release the lien before advertising (verify at the official source).

❓ How do I sell safely and avoid scams?

Show the RUNT inquiry during the visit, do not hand over the vehicle until you see the transfer filed, and do not pay agents to "speed up" procedures. Complaints to the Ministry of Transport go to 018000 110950 (verify at the official source).

❓ Where do I publish my car or motorcycle once it no longer has a lien?

You can publish it in the vehicles section of Colombia Move, with real photos, condition, proof and delivery terms. You can also compare how other car and motorcycle listings are presented before writing yours.