The term of the traslado de la demanda by type of case
Under the Código General del Proceso, the traslado de la demanda is twenty (20) days in the verbal proceeding (art. 369) and ten (10) days in the verbal sumario (art. 391). In enforcement proceedings there are ten (10) days to raise defences on the merits (art. 442).
Contents · 8 sections
What is the term of the traslado de la demanda in each proceeding?
Under the Código General del Proceso, in the verbal proceeding the traslado is twenty (20) days (art. 369); in the verbal sumario, the term to answer is ten (10) days (art. 391); in enforcement proceedings, the mandamiento orders payment of a liquid sum of money within five (5) days (art. 431), and the defendant may raise defences on the merits within the ten (10) days following notification of the mandamiento (art. 442).
| Proceeding | What runs | Term | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal | Traslado of the complaint to the defendant | 20 days | CGP, art. 369 |
| Verbal sumario | Answer the complaint | 10 days | CGP, art. 391 |
| Verbal sumario | Traslado to the plaintiff of the defences on the merits, to request evidence | 3 days | CGP, art. 391 |
| Ejecutivo (enforcement) for a liquid sum of money | Pay what the mandamiento ejecutivo orders | 5 days | CGP, art. 431 |
| Ejecutivo (enforcement) | Raise defences on the merits (excepciones de mérito), from notification of the mandamiento ejecutivo | 10 days | CGP, art. 442 |
| Ejecutivo (enforcement) | Challenge the formal requirements of the enforcement title | Only by recurso de reposición against the mandamiento | CGP, art. 430 |
| Any, if the auto admisorio or the mandamiento was notified by conducta concluyente, by aviso or through a comisionado | Ask the court clerk's office for a copy of the complaint and its exhibits; once that period ends, the ejecutoria and the traslado start to run | 3 days | CGP, art. 91 |
«Admitida la demanda se correrá traslado al demandado por el término de veinte (20) días.»
«El término para contestar la demanda será de diez (10) días.»
CGP, art. 391, inciso 5
«Si se proponen excepciones de mérito, se dará traslados de estas al demandante por tres (3) días para que pida pruebas relacionadas con ellas.»
CGP, art. 391, inciso 6
«Si la obligación versa sobre una cantidad líquida de dinero, se ordenará su pago en el término de cinco (5) días, con los intereses desde que se hicieron exigibles hasta la cancelación de la deuda.»
CGP, art. 431, inciso 1
«Dentro de los diez (10) días siguientes a la notificación del mandamiento ejecutivo el demandado podrá proponer excepciones de mérito.»
CGP, art. 442, numeral 1
«Los requisitos formales del título ejecutivo sólo podrán discutirse mediante recurso de reposición contra el mandamiento ejecutivo.»
CGP, art. 430, inciso 2
«Cuando la notificación del auto admisorio de la demanda o del mandamiento de pago se surta por conducta concluyente, por aviso, o mediante comisionado, el demandado podrá solicitar en la secretaría que se le suministre la reproducción de la demanda y de sus anexos dentro de los tres (3) días siguientes, vencidos los cuales comenzarán a correr el término de ejecutoria y de traslado de la demanda.»
CGP, art. 91, inciso 2
Text of the articles transcribed from the official publication of the Secretaría General del Senado, read on October 11, 2026. Each link leads to the article in that publication.
How is the traslado de la demanda made?
The auto admisorio or the mandamiento ejecutivo orders the traslado to the defendant, unless a rule provides otherwise. The traslado is made by delivering, on paper or as a data message, a copy of the complaint and its exhibits to the defendant, their representative or attorney, or the curador ad litem (CGP art. 91).
If notice was made by conducta concluyente, by aviso or through a comisionado, the defendant may ask the court clerk's office for a copy of the complaint and its exhibits within the following three (3) days; once those days end, the ejecutoria and the traslado start to run.
Where there are several defendants, the traslado is made to each for its own term; if the same person represents them, the traslado is common.
When notifying under art. 8 of Ley 2213 de 2022, the annexes to be delivered for a traslado are sent by the same means as the court order (inciso 1).
«El traslado se surtirá mediante la entrega, en medio físico o como mensaje de datos, de copia de la demanda y sus anexos al demandado, a su representante o apoderado, o al curador ad litem.»
CGP, art. 91, inciso 2
«Los anexos que deban entregarse para un traslado se enviarán por el mismo medio.»
Law 2213 of 2022, art. 8, inciso 1
Text of the articles transcribed from the official publication of the Secretaría General del Senado, read on October 11, 2026. Each link leads to the article in that publication.
From when does the traslado run if the notification was made by email?
Personal notification is deemed made two business days after the message is sent, and time limits run from the following day (art. 8, Ley 2213 de 2022).
Time limits count from when the sender receives an acknowledgement of receipt or the recipient's access to the message can otherwise be established: the condition the Constitutional Court set in ruling C-420 of 2020.
As a rule, the time limit runs from the next business day (STC8435-2023).
Every computed date should therefore be treated as an estimate: the judge decides the computation.
«La notificación personal se entenderá realizada una vez transcurridos dos días hábiles siguientes al envío del mensaje y los términos empezarán a contarse cuándo el iniciador recepcione acuse de recibo o se pueda por otro medio constatar el acceso del destinatario al mensaje.»
Law 2213 of 2022, art. 8, inciso 3
Text of the articles transcribed from the official publication of the Secretaría General del Senado, read on October 11, 2026. Each link leads to the article in that publication.
Calculate when notice is complete and the termC-420/2020STC8435-2023
How are the days of the term counted?
A term granted outside a hearing runs from the day after notification of the order that granted it (CGP art. 118).
Business days exclude Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays (Ley 51 de 1983) and days of judicial recess or on which the court is closed (CGP art. 118).
If a recurso (such as reposición) is filed against the order that grants the term, the term is interrupted and starts to run from the day after notification of the order deciding the recurso (art. 118).
«El término que se conceda fuera de audiencia correrá a partir del día siguiente al de la notificación de la providencia que lo concedió.»
CGP, art. 118, inciso 2
«En los términos de días no se tomarán en cuenta los de vacancia judicial ni aquellos en que por cualquier circunstancia permanezca cerrado el juzgado.»
CGP, art. 118, inciso 8
Text of the articles transcribed from the official publication of the Secretaría General del Senado, read on October 11, 2026. Each link leads to the article in that publication.
How do I calculate the date the traslado ends?
With the date the message was sent and the length of the term the court order states, the term calculator estimates three dates on Colombia's court calendar: the notification complete, the start of the term and its end.
They are estimates: the judge decides the computation. The calculator uses the national calendar and does not know each court's extraordinary closures.
What about labour and administrative cases?
This page covers the Código General del Proceso. Labour cases and administrative litigation have their own rules on notification and on the term to answer, which are not transcribed here.
A labour case whose claim was filed on or after 2 April 2026 is governed by Ley 2452 de 2025, and administrative litigation by the CPACA.
Frequently asked questions
How many days are there to answer a complaint in the verbal proceeding?
Twenty (20) days: once the complaint is admitted, the traslado to the defendant runs for that term (CGP art. 369).
What is the term to answer in the verbal sumario?
Ten (10) days (CGP art. 391). If defences on the merits are raised, they are passed to the plaintiff for three (3) days to request related evidence.
What is the term of the traslado in an enforcement proceeding?
The mandamiento orders payment of a liquid sum of money within five (5) days (CGP art. 431), and within the ten (10) days following notification of the mandamiento ejecutivo the defendant may raise defences on the merits (CGP art. 442).
Do terms run during the judicial recess?
No. In terms counted in days, the days of judicial recess and those on which the court is closed for any reason are not counted (CGP art. 118).
What is the traslado de la demanda?
It is the delivery to the defendant, on paper or as a data message, of a copy of the complaint and its exhibits, which the auto admisorio or the mandamiento ejecutivo orders (CGP art. 91).
Why notify with Notificado
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An informative summary, not legal advice. The validity of each notification is decided by the judge hearing the case. Published October 12, 2026
Keep reading
- Guide: personal notification under art. 8, Ley 2213 de 2022Requirements, the sworn statement, receipt, when notice is complete and what to file.
- Is notification by email valid?Requirements, proof and nulidad under art. 8 of Ley 2213 de 2022.
- Is certified mail mandatory?What art. 8 requires to notify, and what the Corte Suprema has held.
- Certified email: what does the law require?What the term names, and what the law requires to notify under art. 8.
- Nullity for defective notificationWhat the party asking must state and what the judge weighs.
- CGP arts. 291 and 292 compared with art. 8Citación, aviso and data message: what each route requires.
- Art. 8 notification modelWhat the message and the memorial Notificado prepares contain.
- When does the CGP call for postal certified mail?The postal route of arts. 291 and 292 of the CGP, and what art. 8 of Ley 2213 de 2022 provides to notify by data message.
- Printable checklistEvery step of an article 8 notification, to tick off before filing the memorial.
- Key case lawThe Constitutional Court and Supreme Court rulings that set the rule.
- Term calculatorFrom the send date: notice complete, and the start and end of the term, in business days.
- BlogShort notes on questions that keep coming up in court.