Colombia

Dealing with Construction Permits in

Cúcuta - Colombia

Below is a detailed summary of the procedures, time and costs to build a warehouse. This includes obtaining necessary licenses and permits, completing required notifications and inspections and obtaining utility connections.

The information appearing on this page was collected as part of the Doing Business subnational project in Colombia. Download this Doing Business report or explore other cities and topics.

No. Procedure Time to Complete Associated Costs
1 Obtain the ownership history and no-lien certificate

This certificate provides the legal information on the property and on its current and previous ownership. The rate is set according to Decrees 1250 of 1970 and 2280 of 2008, the latter as amended by Resolution 0035 of 2009. Any individual or legal entity can request the issue of an ownership history and no-lien certificate of a property at the Registry Office.
1 day COP 11,840
* 2 Obtain the certificate of existence and legal representation of the Construction Company

When the parties are Limited Liability Companies, the Certificate of existence and legal Representation must be requested from the Chamber of Commerce. This document certifies the existence of the legal entity, as well as other aspects such as its date of incorporation, its expiration date, registered address, partners, capital, legal representative, his or her authorization to enter into deals in the name of the company, and its line of business. The rates for public registration services are set according to what is established in Decree 393 of 2002.
The procedure is completed before Cucuta’s Chamber of Commerce and it could take less. Payments are made directly at the Chamber of Commerce and fees are set according to Decree 393 of 2002.
1 day COP 6,600 (COP 3,500 (fixed national fee) + COP 2,100 (duty stamp pro- hospital))
* 3 Obtain certificate of no outstanding payments on property tax

To obtain the certificate, it is necessary to have photocopies of the receipts of previous payments on property tax. Once the request is made, it takes 4 days for its delivery. This procedure is ruled by Municipal Agreements 02 of 1999, 43 of 2002 and 26 of 2007.
4 days COP 30,000 (COP 2,100 (stamp duty pro- hospital Erasmo Meoz) + COP 8,700 (Metrovivienda) + COP 15,600 (municipal stamps) + COP 3,600 (cost of systematization))
4 Pay urban boundary tax

The urban curator makes an estimate for the cost. It is then paid at one of booths of the bank located at the Municipal Government. This cost is established by letter b) of Article 200 of the Tax Statute for the municipality of San Jose de Cúcuta.
1 day COP 4,222,515 (T = COP 649,318*6,503 (project area in square meters)*0.5%)
5 Pay pro-development stamp duty (estampilla pro-desarrollo)

This stamp is paid at the bank Banco de la República in favor of the Public University of Norte de Santander.
1 day COP 844,500
6 Pay pro-culture stamp duty (estampilla pro-cultura)

This stamp is paid at the bank Banco Popular and its recipient is the municipality.
1 day COP 496,500 (equivalent to one legal minimum monthly wage in force (smlmv))
7 Payment of tax on construction work leftovers

Tax on construction work leftovers costs COP 358 * the number of meters constructed.
This stamp is paid at the bank Banco Davivienda and its recipient is the foundation Funambiente.
1 day COP 465,615
8 Obtain construction license

The constructor must present the following documents (Article 18 of Decree 564 of 2006):
1. Copy of the ownership history and no-lien certificate, with an issue date no later than one month prior to the date of the request
2. The unified national license request form, established through Resolution 0984 of 2005, issued by the Ministry of the Environment, Housing and Territorial Development
3. Copy of the certificate of existence and legal representation, with an issue date of less than one month prior to the date of the request
4. Copy of the documents or tax statements proving payment of property taxes for the previous five years
5. Drawing of the site and identification of the property
6. List of the addresses of neighboring properties
25 days COP 11,696,670 (the formula for the calculation of the expenses is the following: E=(Cf*i*m)+((Cv*i*j*m)*1.16.) For Cúcuta is = (865,068 x 4 x 0.9) + ((397,520 x 4 x 5.17 x 0.9) x 1.16))
9 Obtain previous approval for water connection services

The constructor requests from the company Aguas Capital the viability and availability of the service. The company holds a committee meeting every Friday and responds in no less than 10 days. Requirements for this procedure are: cadastral chart, copy of residential tax and the written request.
15 days COP 2,800,000
* 10 Request connection to electricity service

It is approved through Resolution issued by Electricity Central of Norte de Santander.
30 days No cost
* 11 Obtain telephone connection

The procedure for obtaining a telephone line has no cost and does not take longer than a day.
1 day No cost
12 Audit of the grids

The company Aguas Capital is in charge of conducting periodic supervisions on the construction works.
8 days No cost
* 13 Obtain RETIE certificate

The project to install the connection must be signed by an electrical engineer. Electricity Central of Norte de Santander only revises the documents pertaining the RETIE. The procedure entails a mixed-type regulation; even though RETIE sets a national technical framework, the standard involves municipal norms.
7 days COP 170,000 (COP 100,000 (cost of construction drawings) + COP 70,000 (verification))
14 Final inspection by the water works company

The procedure cannot be completed if for some reason the company Aguas Capital is also in charge of the construction works. The constructor submits the application requesting the inspection and indicating the kind of activities to be performed. The inspections are based on the project’s drawings.
1 day No cost
* 15 Obtain connection to electricity service

The approved project for indoor installations is issued by a RETIE certifying entity. After issuance of RETIE, the electricity company takes 20 days to install and connect the service.
20 days COP 600,000
16 Final inspection by the Municipal Government


1 day No cost
* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.
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