Colombian Labour Code (Employment Contract)

Contrato de Trabajo (Colombian Labour Code; Chapter 7: Section 42-50)

Colombian labor law stipulates four forms of employment contract, defined by duration: indefinite term, in which the term is indeterminate; fixed term, no longer than three years; work or labor, where the duration is determined by the time required to execute the activity, and occasional, less than one month’s duration with the objective of carrying out an activity differing from the company’s usual activity.

There are different types of contracts to enter into a working relationship between employees and a company:

Indefinite-term contract: this is the most commonly used type as it is understood to be the nature of the agreement between the company and the employee unless otherwise stated. These contracts can be verbal or written.

Fixed-term contract: This contract type must always be in writing and its term must not exceed three years.

Contract for the duration of a specific project or task: This contract type must always be in writing.

Occasional, accidental, or transitory contract: This contract type is used for the execution of tasks other than regular company activities with a maximum duration of one month.