Colombia
Are Colombia stamps public domain?
Colombian stamps are public domain 70 years after the end of their year of issue, in the archive's reading of Wikimedia Commons. In 2026 that covers stamps issued in 1955 or earlier. The line moves forward one year each January, so stamps from 1956 become free on January 1, 2027.
Why 70 years?
Commons' note on Colombian stamps says they appear to be out of copyright after 70 years, and asks uploaders to give older ones its Colombian license tag.1 Colombia's copyright law, Law 23 of 1982 as amended, protects most works for 80 years after the author's death, and anonymous and collective works for 80 years from publication. Where the owner of a work is a legal entity, an official body or a public institution, the term is 70 years from publication and ends on December 31.12 Commons does not say which of these provisions gives a stamp its 70 years; the archive follows its reading.
Postal history and copyright
Colombia's first postage stamps went on sale on September 1, 1859, inscribed for the Granadine Confederation. Later issues carried the names United States of New Granada, United States of Colombia and, from 1886, Republic of Colombia.3 The sovereign states that made up the federation, Panama among them, ran their own posts and issued their own stamps, and some kept doing so into the early 1900s.3 Panama left Colombia in 1903.1 Fourteen private services also issued stamps, most of them in the 1920s and 1930s.3 Commons' note does not say whether its 70-year reading covers state or private issues, and the archive treats that question as open.
References 3
- ↑ Copyright rules for Colombia. Wikimedia Commons, August 30, 2026. Accessed October 8, 2026.
- ↑ Wikimedia Commons license tag (Colombia). Wikimedia Commons, January 15, 2022. Accessed October 8, 2026.
- ↑ Postage stamps and postal history of Colombia. Wikipedia, January 22, 2026. Accessed October 8, 2026.
Copyright law in Colombia
Colombia’s own stamps follow the rule below. The historical issuers named here are read under the country’s general copyright law. A design answers Likely yes or Likely no only when every term that could apply agrees, and Unclear when they disagree.
- Named designer
- 80 years after the designer’s death
- Anonymous
- 80 years from issue
- Work of the state
- 70 years from issue
- Note
- Colombian stamps appear to be out of copyright 70 years after publication.
Historical issuers read under this law: Antioquia, AVIANCA, Bolívar, Boyacá, Cauca, Cundinamarca, Granadine Confederation, LANSA, New Granada, Santander, Tolima.
Read from Wikimedia Commons, copyright rules for Colombia, revision 1269700686, checked October 8, 2026
The rule by period
Colombia stamps and the public domain: questions
- Are Colombian stamps public domain?
- Yes, for stamps issued in 1955 or earlier. In the archive's reading, Colombian stamps are public domain 70 years after the end of their year of issue, so the line moves forward each January and stamps from 1956 become free on January 1, 2027.
- When will Colombian stamps from the 1960s be public domain?
- Between 2031 and 2040. In the archive's reading, Colombian stamps become public domain 70 years after the end of their year of issue, so a stamp issued in 1960 becomes free on January 1, 2031, and one from 1969 on January 1, 2040.
- Are Granadine Confederation stamps public domain?
- Yes, in the archive's reading. The Granadine Confederation issued Colombia's first stamps in 1859 and 1860, and Colombian stamps are public domain 70 years after the end of their year of issue, which in 2026 covers everything issued in 1955 or earlier.