Country guide · Colombia
Google Ads Government Certification in Colombia
Quick answer
Colombia is listed as a regional exclusion in three categories of Google’s policy: business identifiers, criminal background checks, and public road access fees and passes. Only Peru has as many exclusions among the countries in this guide. Google names no Colombian document as an example. Other covered services, such as identity numbers, passports, driver licenses or vehicle registration, follow the general rules.
On this page
- Quick summary
- The policy for advertisers in Colombia
- Does Colombia require Google Ads government certification?
- Colombian references in Google's policy
- Colombia-specific considerations
- Government providers in Colombia
- Authorized non-government providers
- Advertiser verification
- Certification vs advertiser verification
- Landing page considerations
- Common problems
- Practical preparation checklist
- Next steps
- Frequently asked questions
- Official Google sources
Key points
- Colombia: three regional exclusions: business identifiers, criminal background checks, public road access fees and passes.
- Identity, passport, driver license and vehicle services are not excluded.
- Exclusions apply when targeting Colombia for the listed category.
- Excluded advertisers still apply to be excluded and complete advertiser verification.
Quick summary
| Topic | What it means |
|---|---|
| Mentioned in Google’s policy? | Yes: three regional exclusions |
| Colombian examples | None |
| Regional exclusions for Colombia | Business identifiers; criminal background checks; public road access fees and passes |
| Not excluded | Regional ID numbers, passports, driver licenses, vehicle registration, license plates, health and welfare programs and others |
| Country-wide certification rule? | No |
The policy for advertisers in Colombia
Colombia’s three exclusions cover company registration identifiers, criminal record certificates and road tolls or passes. These are common services for legal, accounting and administrative intermediaries. Everything else follows the general rules.
Does Colombia require Google Ads government certification?
No country-wide rule applies. Depending on the service:
- Business identifier, criminal background check or road access services targeting Colombia: regional exclusions; no need to qualify as a government or authorized provider, but you still apply to be excluded.
- Other covered services: certification may be required depending on the advertiser type.
Colombian references in Google's policy
| Category | Colombia | Other regions with the same exclusion |
|---|---|---|
| Business identifiers | Regional exclusion | France, India, Peru |
| Criminal background checks | Regional exclusion | Argentina, Brazil, Spain |
| Public road access fees and passes | Regional exclusion | Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Peru, Taiwan |
Colombia-specific considerations
Legal and accounting firms
Firms that offer company registration together with background certificates can apply for exclusions in both categories when targeting Colombia. One application should state the correct category; Google’s form asks which category and excluded region apply.
What is not excluded
Identity documents, passports, driver licenses, vehicle registration, license plates and health or welfare programs are not excluded for Colombia.
Targeting
The exclusions apply to ads targeting Colombia. Campaigns targeting other countries need to be assessed for those countries.
Government providers in Colombia
National, departmental and municipal bodies can apply as government providers using their official domains (typically gov.co).
Authorized non-government providers
For covered Colombian services, intermediaries need a link and explicit authorization reference on an official, public government website for the specific service, a domain limited to that service and matching targeting. A chamber of commerce registration is a registry entry and does not count.
Advertiser verification
Use the document list Google shows for Colombia in your account and match the registered company name exactly.
Certification vs advertiser verification
Landing page considerations
We recommend clear company identification, transparent fees, links to the official services and no government emblems, also for excluded services.
Common problems
- Assuming the three exclusions cover identity or vehicle documents.
- Not applying for the exclusion for each relevant category.
- Using exclusions for campaigns targeting other countries.
Practical preparation checklist
- List services in the three excluded categories.
- Apply for the matching regional exclusions.
- Assess other services under the general rules.
- Prepare verification documents.
Offering business, background-check or toll services in Colombia?
Next steps
For advertisers in Colombia, these guides and services are the most useful next steps:
- How the government documents and services policy works and our policy reference with all categories
- Government certification options and options for private government service providers
- How certification and verification fit together and the advertiser verification guide
- How all 20 countries compare, category by category, or browse all country guides
- Prepare with the verification checklist or get help: verification support, landing page review, policy compliance audit or contact us
Frequently asked questions
Which categories are excluded for Colombia?
Business identifiers, criminal background checks, and public road access fees and passes.
Is passport or ID assistance excluded in Colombia?
No. Those categories have no Colombian exclusion.
Do I apply separately for each excluded category?
Google’s form asks for the category and the excluded region. Make sure your application covers the category you actually promote.
Official Google sources
Google updates its policies and help pages. Check the current version of these pages before you apply or change your account. We last checked them on the “Last reviewed” date shown at the top of this page.
Keep reading
Related resources
Policy Reference
Covered categories, exclusions, enforcement and recent changes.
Peru
Three regional exclusions: business identifiers, healthcare and health insurance, and road access fees and passes.
Brazil
Regional exclusions for criminal background checks and public road access fees and passes. No Brazilian examples.