---
title: "Payload Guide: Colombia"
url: "https://developer.incode.com/general-reference/colombia-payload-guide/"
section: "general-reference"
group: "Government Verification Sources / System Of Record Colombia"
version: "v1.1"
status: "live"
---
# Payload Guide: Colombia

This guide covers the correct request fields for GovMatch in [Colombia](/general-reference/system-of-record-colombia/) (`countryCode=CO`), including two cases that are easy to get wrong: [names with more than one given name](#names-with-more-than-one-given-name) and citizens who don't have a [maternal surname](#no-maternal-surname). It applies to accounts set up for field-by-field name validation in Colombia; contact your Incode representative if you aren't sure how your account is set up, or if you have a use case not covered on this page.

## Endpoint

`POST /omni/process/government-validation?countryCode=CO`

## Required fields

| Field | Description | Required |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `idNumber` | Cédula number, digits only (no dots, spaces, or dashes) | Yes |
| `firstName` | Person's first given name (single word) | Yes |
| `middleName` | Second given name, if the person has one | No |
| `paternalLastName` | First (paternal) surname | Yes |
| `maternalLastName` | Second (maternal) surname | Yes, send `""` if not applicable |
| `fechaEmision` | ID issue date, format `dd/MM/yyyy` or `yyyy-MM-dd` | Yes |

**Send every field in the table, even when a value is empty.** If you leave a name field or `fechaEmision` out of the request, we fall back to the value read from the ID image, which can contain OCR errors. This is why `maternalLastName` must be sent as an empty string when it does not apply: omitting it causes the surname read from the ID to be used instead. Values sent directly in the request always take precedence over any previously submitted data for the same person.

**Don't use `nombre`, `apellidoPaterno`, or `apellidoMaterno`.** These are not used for Colombia validation. Use `firstName` / `middleName` / `paternalLastName` / `maternalLastName` instead.

## Use cases

### Names with more than one given name

If a person has more than one given name (e.g. "Juan Carlos"), split it across `firstName` and `middleName` rather than sending both words in `firstName`. Sending a combined value in one field can cause a valid identity to fail.

```json
{
  "idNumber": "1234567890",
  "firstName": "JUAN",
  "middleName": "CARLOS",
  "paternalLastName": "PEREZ",
  "maternalLastName": "GOMEZ",
  "fechaEmision": "31/10/2025"
}
```

### No maternal surname

Some Colombian citizens don't have a maternal surname. Send `maternalLastName` as an explicit empty string:

```json
{
  "idNumber": "1234567890",
  "firstName": "JUAN",
  "paternalLastName": "PEREZ",
  "maternalLastName": "",
  "fechaEmision": "31/10/2025"
}
```

</br>