What to Do After Registering Your Company with the Cámara de Comercio: A Complete First-30-Days Checklist
Registering your company with the Cámara de Comercio (Chamber of Commerce) is the first step, not the last. Before you can invoice and sell professionally, you still need to: apply for your RUT (Registro Único Tributario) — Colombia's tax ID — with the DIAN, open a business bank account, check whether electronic invoicing applies to you, and build your digital presence (domain, website, and social media). This guide covers each one, in the order they're usually handled.
1. Save Your Certificate of Existence and Legal Representation
This is the document the Cámara de Comercio issues after your matrícula mercantil (business registration). You'll need it constantly in the steps that follow — bank, DIAN, vendor contracts — so digitize and save it from day one.
2. Apply for or Update Your RUT with the DIAN
The Cámara de Comercio forwards your basic information to the RUES (Registro Único Empresarial y Social) — Colombia's unified business registry — but you complete your RUT itself directly with the DIAN (Colombia's national tax and customs authority). You'll need it to invoice, to open your business bank account, and for any tax-related procedure. If you have questions about your tax regime or specific obligations, confirm them with an accountant before this step.
3. Open a Bank Account in Your Company's Name
With your certificate of existence and legal representation and your RUT, you can open a business account. Separating your company's finances from your personal finances from day one will save you accounting headaches later.
4. Check Whether You're Required to Use Electronic Invoicing
Whether it's mandatory, and on what timeline, depends on your company type and projected income — this is a point where a short conversation with your accountant is worth it, so you don't start off on the wrong foot. Many new companies end up invoicing electronically from the start of operations.
5. Build Your Digital Presence: Domain, Corporate Email, and Website
This is the step that most often gets left for "later," and it's the one that determines whether a potential customer finds you or not.
A domain of your own and a professional website give a three-month-old company the same credibility as one with ten years in the market; without them, you depend solely on referrals and social media.
You have three paths, each with a different cost and a different level of effort on your part:
- Building it yourself with a website builder (templates, low monthly cost, but maintenance and content stay in your hands).
- Hiring a freelancer or agency for the initial design (one-time payment, but maintenance and security after delivery are often left unresolved).
- A website-as-a-service subscription that includes design, hosting, security, content, and ongoing support from day one, without depending on a single person being available to maintain it. (Learn about Website as a Service)
6. Set Up Your Google Business Profile and Social Media
It's free, takes minutes, and is often the first place someone looks when searching for your business by name or location.
7. Consider Registering Your Trademark
If your business name is an important part of your strategy, trademark registration with the Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio (Colombia's Superintendence of Industry and Commerce) is a separate step worth evaluating with a lawyer.
Your matrícula mercantil registers your company; it does not protect your name or logo as a trademark.
8. Mark Your Calendar: Annual Renewal of Your Business Registration
Your matrícula mercantil renews every year, generally before March 31. Failing to renew on time results in penalties. Set a reminder now so you don't have to rely on remembering in March.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to apply for my RUT after registering my company?
There's no fixed deadline in days, but you need your complete RUT before issuing your first invoice or opening your bank account, so it's best to apply for it right away.
Do I need a website if my company is very small?
Yes, even a simple one. It's what lets someone who's already heard of you confirm that you exist and find out how to contact you, and what lets you show up when someone searches for your service on Google without knowing you yet.
If you want to handle point 5 without having to choose between doing it yourself or being tied to a freelancer, check out Website as a Service, Seed EM's subscription that includes design, hosting, security, content, and ongoing support, without depending on a single person.
Published by Seed EM · .