Colombia — Identity documents guide
Use this page when you are not sure which document type your user has or which Verifik endpoint to call. Each Colombian ID has a different issuer and a different API path.
Quick decision table
| If the person has… | Plain name | Verifik endpoint | Required fields | Typical number length | What this API accepts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CC | Cédula de Ciudadanía (Colombian national ID) | GET/POST /v2/co/cedula | documentType=CC, documentNumber | 3–10 in the wild (common today: 8 or 10 NUIP) | 5–10 digits |
| PPT (names / civil data) | Permiso de Protección Temporal | GET/POST /v2/co/cedula | documentType=PPT, documentNumber | Up to 7 digits (some systems pad to 15) | 5–10 digits on this path |
| PPT (immigration status) | Same permit, Migración Colombia | GET/POST /v2/co/foreigner-id/ppt | documentNumber, expeditionDate | Up to 7 digits | Required string + date DD/MM/YYYY |
| CE | Cédula de Extranjería (foreign residents) | GET/POST /v2/co/foreigner-id/ce | documentNumber, expeditionDate | Usually 6–7 digits | Required string + date DD/MM/YYYY |
| PEP | Permiso Especial de Permanencia (immigration) | GET/POST /v2/co/foreigner-id/pep | documentNumber, expeditionDate | 15 digits (fixed) | Required string + date DD/MM/YYYY |
How to enter the number
- Send digits only — no dots, spaces, or dashes (Verifik normalizes non-digits away).
- Do not pad with leading zeros unless that is how the number appears on the physical document or your source system stores it.
- If you get 409 “validation” errors, check length limits for
/v2/co/cedula(5–10) or a missing / wrongexpeditionDateon foreigner-id routes.
Document types explained
CC — Cédula de Ciudadanía
For people who are Colombian citizens. The number identifies them in the Registraduría civil registry.
- Older IDs (before ~2004): often 6–8 digits, kept as issued.
- Current NUIP (since ~2004): 10 digits, usually starting around
1.000.000.000. - Very old historical IDs can be as short as 3 digits; Verifik’s
/v2/co/cedulapath requires at least 5 digits. If you only have a shorter historical number, contact Verifik support.
Endpoint: Colombian Citizen — documentType=CC.
CE — Cédula de Extranjería
For foreign nationals who are legal residents in Colombia. Issued by Migración Colombia, not the Registraduría cédula flow.
- Numbers are typically 6 or 7 digits (not a fixed length like NUIP).
- You must send the expedition (issue) date exactly as
DD/MM/YYYY.
Endpoint: Colombia CE — not /v2/co/cedula.
PPT — Permiso de Protección Temporal
For Venezuelan nationals under Colombia’s temporary protection regime.
- The permit number is usually up to 7 digits. Some portals (SENA, payroll, etc.) display it zero-padded to 15 characters — use the format your integration already stores; Verifik accepts the numeric value without decoration when possible.
- Two endpoints:
- Name / identity-style lookup:
/v2/co/cedulawithdocumentType=PPT(5–10 digit validation). - Immigration status (VIGENTE, expiration, etc.):
/v2/co/foreigner-id/pptwithexpeditionDate.
- Name / identity-style lookup:
Endpoints: Colombian Citizen (PPT names) · PPT Migración status.
PEP — Permiso Especial de Permanencia
For Venezuelan nationals who hold this immigration permit (different from “politically exposed person” in AML).
- The number is always 15 digits.
- Requires
expeditionDateinDD/MM/YYYY.
Endpoint: Colombia PEP (immigration).
Important naming distinction
| Term | Meaning | Verifik product |
|---|---|---|
| PEP (document) | Permiso Especial de Permanencia — immigration permit | /v2/co/foreigner-id/pep |
| Politically exposed persons (PEP) | AML / compliance screening | /v2/co/politically-exposed-persons (CC or NIT) — see Colombian PEP (AML) |
Do not send an immigration PEP number to the AML politically-exposed-persons endpoint, or vice versa.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use CC or CE?
CC if the person is a Colombian citizen (Cédula de Ciudadanía). CE if they are a foreign resident (Cédula de Extranjería). They use different government sources and different Verifik endpoints.
Which PPT endpoint should I use?
Use /v2/co/cedula with documentType=PPT when you need identity/name data similar to a cédula lookup. Use /v2/co/foreigner-id/ppt when you need immigration status from Migración Colombia — you must include expeditionDate.
Why does my CC number fail with 409?
On /v2/co/cedula, documentNumber must be 5–10 digits after normalization. Numbers shorter than 5 digits, or non-numeric formatting that leaves too few digits, will be rejected before the upstream lookup runs.