Marketing SMS in Colombia are governed by Law 1581 of 2012 (Personal Data Protection), Decree 1377 of 2013, and the rules issued by the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce (SIC). Together they require a prior, free, informed and demonstrable consent before any commercial SMS.
No consent, no SMS: Penalties from the SIC can reach 2,000 monthly minimum wages and the suspension of data-processing activities for severe or repeated violations.
Key requirements
| Requirement | What it means |
|---|---|
| Prior opt-in | Free, informed, specific consent (Law 1581/2012) |
| Identification | Sender must be clearly identifiable |
| Easy opt-out | Free, immediate, in every SMS (typically STOP) |
| Sending hours | Avoid before 07:00 and after 21:00 local time |
| Records | Keep date, source and content of consent |
What counts as valid consent
Pre-ticked boxes, bundled consents and consents that do not explain the purpose are not valid. The opt-in must mention SMS marketing from your brand and let the user accept other channels separately.
Best practice: Send a confirmation SMS right after the opt-in, with a clear STOP keyword and the company name.
Other rules
Sender IDs and short codes must comply with CRC (Communications Regulation Commission) rules. For an overview across countries, see SMS laws and restrictions.
Stay compliant before your next Colombian campaign
Use Mailpro’s opt-in management and STOP keyword handling. Read how to send SMS with Mailpro.