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Conciliation, mediation and amiable composition in Colombia: the pre suit requirement, fees in UVB and the Singapore Convention

Last verified: 2026-10-26 · Status: Changing

Before most civil declaratory suits and before claims against the state for damages, annulment with restoration or contract disputes, you must try out of court conciliation under Ley 2220 de 2022; filing the request stops the limitation clock for up to three months, and a signed record is enforceable and final. Private centres and notaries charge capped fees in UVB, from COP 392,001 for small claims to 3.5 percent above 5,609.20 UVB, capped at COP 39,188,808 in 2026. Colombia ratified the Singapore Convention on mediated settlements on 12 March 2026 and it entered into force for Colombia on 12 September 2026; amiable composition gives a binding decision with the effect of a settlement.

USD figures use the TRM (tasa representativa del mercado) of COP 3,158.43 per US dollar, valid 24 to 26 October 2026, from the official TRM series published by the Superintendencia Financiera on the national open data portal. Peso figures in UVB use the 2026 UVB of COP 12,110 (Res. MinHacienda 3488 de 2025, as reported by the Ministry of Transport); figures in minimum wages use the 2026 monthly minimum wage of COP 1,750,905 (Decreto 1469 de 2025). Conversions are for orientation only.

Key facts

Out of court conciliation is a prerequisite for most civil declaratory claims	yes yes or noLey 2220 de 2022 art. 67 and 68, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Time to hold the conciliation hearing from the request	3 monthsLey 2220 de 2022 art. 60, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Maximum suspension of limitation by a conciliation request	3 monthsLey 2220 de 2022 art. 56, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Minimum capped conciliation fee 2026 (32.37 UVB)	392001 COPDecreto 1069 de 2015 art. 2.2.4.2.6.1.1 (Decreto 42 de 2026), as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Maximum conciliation fee 2026 (3,236.07 UVB)	39188808 COPDecreto 1069 de 2015 art. 2.2.4.2.6.1.1 (Decreto 42 de 2026), as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Fee rate for claims above 5,609.20 UVB	3.5 %Decreto 1069 de 2015 art. 2.2.4.2.6.1.1, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Minimum refund if the other party does not attend	70 %Decreto 1069 de 2015 art. 2.2.4.2.6.1.1 par. 1, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Party to the Singapore Convention on Mediation	yes yes or noLey 2309 de 2023, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Singapore Convention in force for Colombia	2026-09-12 dateLey 2309 de 2023, as of 2026-10-26 · in force

The rule

1. All matters capable of settlement, waiver or disposal may be conciliated; employment and social security matters only without affecting certain and indisputable rights; administrative matters only as the law allows and without harming the public interest.Ley 2220 de 2022 (Estatuto de Conciliación), in force six months after promulgation, Art. 7 and 145, 2022-06-30 official text · verified 2026-10-26

2. Where the law requires it, conciliation is a prerequisite to sue. In civil matters it must be attempted before declaratory claims, except partition, expropriation, monitorio cases, cases requiring summons of unknown parties, lease restitution and cancellation or replacement of negotiable instruments. It is not required in employment matters, when the claimant swears it does not know the defendant's whereabouts, when a public entity sues, or when interim measures are requested.Ley 2220 de 2022, Art. 67 and 68, 2022-06-30 official text · verified 2026-10-26

3. The prerequisite is met when the hearing takes place without agreement, when a party does not attend, or when three months (or the agreed extension) pass from the request without a hearing. A party that fails to attend without justification within three days may face an adverse inference and, where conciliation was mandatory, a court fine of up to two minimum wages.
Cost to do it: Maximum fine 2026: COP 3,501,810 (US$1,108.72).Ley 2220 de 2022, Art. 59, 60 and 70, 2022-06-30 official text · verified 2026-10-26

4. Filing the request suspends limitation and expiry periods once, until the record or certificate is issued or three months pass, whichever comes first. The hearing must take place within three months of the request, extendable by agreement for up to three more months.Ley 2220 de 2022, Art. 56 and 60, 2022-06-30 official text · verified 2026-10-26

5. The conciliation record containing the agreement is enforceable (mérito ejecutivo) and has res judicata effect from signature by the parties and the conciliator.Ley 2220 de 2022, Art. 64, 2022-06-30 official text · verified 2026-10-26

6. Out of court conciliation in civil matters may be held before conciliators of authorised centres, the Ombudsman's offices, public prosecutors in civil matters and notaries. A conciliator may not act as arbitrator, adviser or lawyer of either party in any case for one year, and never in the same case. Public centres and university legal clinics are free; clinics cannot take cases above 50 minimum wages.Ley 2220 de 2022, Art. 8, 10, 11 and 34, 2022-06-30 official text · verified 2026-10-26

7. Maximum fees for non profit centres and notaries are set in UVB by claim value: under 862.94 UVB, 32.37 UVB; up to 1,402.32 UVB, 46.73 UVB; up to 1,833.79 UVB, 54.96 UVB; up to 3,775.45 UVB, 75.53 UVB; up to 5,609.20 UVB, 89.88 UVB; above that, 3.5 percent, with an overall cap of 3,236.07 UVB. Claims without a value pay 89.88 UVB. The requesting party pays on filing; at least 70 percent is refunded if the other party does not attend or the matter cannot be conciliated. More than four sessions may add up to 10 percent per extra session.
Cost to do it: 2026: minimum COP 392,001 (US$124.11); cap COP 39,188,808 (US$12,407.69).
Example: Claim of COP 200,000,000 (16,515 UVB): 3.5 percent, COP 7,000,000, below the cap. / About US$2,216.29.Decreto 1069 de 2015, as amended by Decreto 42 de 2026 (Diario Oficial 53.375 of 22 January 2026); Ley 2220 de 2022 art. 8 and 22, Decreto 1069 art. 2.2.4.2.6.1.1 and 2.2.4.2.6.1.2, 2026-01-21 official text · verified 2026-10-26 · changed: Decreto 42 de 2026 rewrote the conciliation fee schedule in UVB (previously in minimum wages under Decreto 1829 de 2013).

8. Amiable composition lets parties delegate to a third party the power to define, with binding force, a contractual dispute over disposable rights; the decision has the legal effects of a settlement (transacción) and, unless agreed otherwise, is based on equity. The amiable compositor need not be a lawyer and acts as the parties' agent; absent agreement, a single compositor is appointed through an arbitration centre at the respondent's domicile.Ley 1563 de 2012, Art. 59, 60 and 61, 2012-07-12 official text · verified 2026-10-26

9. Colombia signed the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (Singapore Convention) on 7 August 2019; Congress approved it by Ley 2309 de 2023, upheld by the Constitutional Court in Sentencia C-418 de 2024, which urged the President to consider the reservation excluding settlements to which the State is party. UNCITRAL records ratification on 12 March 2026 and entry into force on 12 September 2026, with no reservation listed.Ley 2309 de 2023; Singapore Convention, Convention art. 3, 4, 5 and 8, 2023-08-02 official text · verified 2026-10-26 · changed: In force for Colombia from 12 September 2026 (UNCITRAL status table).

Claim value (UVB)	Claim value 2026 COP	Maximum fee	Fee 2026 COP	USD
Under 862.94	Under 10,450,203	32.37 UVB	392,001	124.11
862.94 to 1,402.32	10,450,203 to 16,982,095	46.73 UVB	565,900	179.17
Above 1,402.32 to 1,833.79	Up to 22,207,197	54.96 UVB	665,566	210.73
Above 1,833.79 to 3,775.45	Up to 45,720,700	75.53 UVB	914,668	289.60
Above 3,775.45 to 5,609.20	Up to 67,927,412	89.88 UVB	1,088,447	344.62
Above 5,609.20	Above 67,927,412	3.5 percent of the claim	Cap 39,188,808	Cap 12,407.69

Maximum conciliation fees in 2026 for non profit centres and notaries (Decreto 1069 de 2015 art. 2.2.4.2.6.1.1 as amended by Decreto 42 de 2026; UVB COP 12,110; USD at TRM COP 3,158.43)

Worked example

A foreign shareholder plans to sue a Colombian distributor for COP 200,000,000 (US$63,322.60). It files a conciliation request at a chamber of commerce centre, paying at most COP 7,000,000 (US$2,216.29).
Its two year contractual limitation, due to expire in one month, is suspended while the request is pending, for at most three months.
The distributor does not attend: the centre issues a certificate, refunds at least 70 percent of the fee (COP 4,900,000, US$1,551.41) and the claimant may now sue.

Step by step

Check whether conciliation is mandatory for your claim, or whether an exception applies (interim measures, monitorio, executive title).
Choose a centre or notary at a convenient venue and pay the capped fee on filing, stating a reasoned value.
Calendar the three month window: the suspension of limitation ends when it lapses even without a hearing.
Attend in person, or through a lawyer with express authority if you are abroad.
If agreement is reached, sign the record; it is directly enforceable. If not, keep the certificate to file suit.

Common traps

The suspension of limitation operates once only and cannot be extended by the parties' agreement to continue talks.
A conciliator becomes barred from acting as arbitrator or counsel for either party for a year; do not use your preferred future arbitrator as conciliator.
No specific Colombian procedure yet governs enforcing international mediated settlements under the Singapore Convention; check with counsel before relying on it.
Employment claims need no prior conciliation, but any settlement cannot waive certain and indisputable rights.

Sources

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