Colombia · NIT
Colombia NIT Checker
Consultar NIT: check the dígito de verificación of a Colombian NIT and look the company up in the national business register.
What is a Colombian NIT?
The NIT (Número de Identificación Tributaria) is the tax identification number DIAN assigns to everyone registered in the RUT. Companies have 9 digits starting with 8 or 9, followed by a verification digit (DV) — for example 890.903.938-8 for Bancolombia. Colombians with a cédula use their cédula number as their NIT.
Colombian NIT format (companies)
Nine digits and a verification digit after the hyphen.
(8xx or 9xx for entities)
(DV)
Example: 890.903.938-8 (Bancolombia S.A.; its website prints it as 890903938 - 8).
- Include the DV: The checker reads the last digit as the DV; dots, spaces and hyphens are optional.
- Check digit: Mod 11 with prime weights, applied from the right — the method in DIAN’s Orden Administrativa 4 de 1989.
- Business register: A valid NIT returns the registered name. Public bodies and individuals who are not registered merchants may show as not found.
- Personal NITs: A Colombian’s NIT is usually their cédula number (foreign nationals get a DIAN-assigned number) — personal data, so this page uses company examples only.
How to check a Colombian NIT
- 1 Find the NIT and its DV on the supplier’s factura electrónica, RUT form or chamber of commerce certificate.
- 2 Enter it above with the DV. The checker tests the verification digit, then looks the NIT up in the business register.
- 3 Compare the returned name with your supplier. The checker does not show RUT or registration status.
- 4 Find links to official lookups in our official database guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a Colombian NIT? (¿Cómo consultar un NIT?)
Companies registered with a chamber of commerce appear in the national business register (RUES) with their NIT, verification digit, name and registration status; DIAN’s “Consulta estado RUT” service, which normally shows a taxpayer’s RUT status, was temporarily out of service in October 2026. Our checker tests the verification digit and looks the NIT up in the business register.
How is the NIT verification digit (DV) calculated?
DIAN calculates the DV and set out the method in its Orden Administrativa 4 de 1989: multiply the NIT’s digits from right to left by 3, 7, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 37, 41, add the products, take the sum mod 11, and use the remainder if it is 0 or 1, otherwise 11 minus it. It reproduces DIAN’s own NIT, 800.197.268-4.
What is the difference between the NIT and the RUT?
The RUT (Registro Único Tributario) is DIAN’s register of taxpayers; the NIT is the identification number of everyone registered in it. You get a NIT by registering in the RUT. Chile’s RUT, by contrast, is itself a number.
Is the verification digit part of the NIT?
Not legally — DIAN says the DV is not part of the NIT. But electronic invoices must report it in a separate field, and DIAN rejects an invoice with a wrong DV. Enter it in our checker, which reads the last digit as the DV.
Why do company NITs start with 8 or 9?
DIAN assigns companies and other entities 9-digit NITs in the range 800000000–899999999 and upwards from 900000000. Colombians with a cédula use their cédula number, plus a DV, as their NIT.
Is a Colombian NIT the same as a VAT number?
Yes. Colombia has no separate VAT number: businesses responsible for IVA are identified by their NIT in the RUT.
Last reviewed: , against official sources.
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