BDUA ADRES: What is the affiliate database and how to read it

You might think that being affiliated with an EPS (Health Promoting Entity) is just a matter of having the card in your wallet, until you arrive at a health center and are told that you're not in the system. That system has a name: it's the BDUA ADRES, The database records who is enrolled in a health plan in Colombia and their coverage status. It doesn't show what's on your health insurance card or what the promoter promised; it shows what your EPS (Health Promoting Entity) reported. That's why it's worth understanding what this database contains, how to read your status, and what to do if the information is incorrect. This information is free and you can consult it yourself.

What is the BDUA ADRES and who manages it?

The BDUA is the Single Database of Affiliates: the database that contains information on fully identified affiliates of the various regimes within the General Social Security System for Health. It is administered by the ADDRESS, which is the entity that manages the resources of the health system and that replaced the old Fosyga, a change that we describe in detail in What happened to Fosyga and ADRES?.

Instead of each EPS (Health Promoting Entity) maintaining its own separate list, there is a single national database where all lists are cross-referenced. This prevents a person from being registered with two entities simultaneously and allows the State to know who receives each member's payments. The regulatory framework is the Decree 780 of 2016, the single decree for the health sector.

Here's the point that almost no one understands: ADRES maintains the database, but doesn't write to it. The EPSs (Health Promoting Entities) and territorial entities are the ones who report the changes; ADRES consolidates the data.

How can I check if I'm in the affiliate database?

It's free, online, and password-free. You enter at Check your EPS on the ADRES portal, You choose the document type, enter the number, and that's it. They don't ask for the issue date, your email address, or any payment.

The information it provides is brief but crucial: the health insurance provider (EPS) you're currently affiliated with, the plan (contributory or subsidized), your affiliation status, and the effective date. This tells you if the system recognizes you.

Note: the consultation is not a certificate, and we explain that in ADRES certificate. The step-by-step instructions with screenshots are available at [link/website address]. ADRES EPS consultation.

What does it mean to appear as active, retired, or under job protection?

Your status indicates your registration within the database, and it's the first thing you should read. Active: You have a current membership. Retired: You don't. Job protection: A transitional status when contributions have ended but the system still provides coverage.

States and acronyms according to the definition of states of affiliation of the BDUA of the ADRES. The duration of job protection depends on your specific case and is confirmed by your EPS (Health Promoting Entity): there is no single timeframe that applies to everyone. Accessed August 2026.

Why does your EPS say one thing and the BDUA say another?

It happens more often than you might think, and almost always for the same reason: the BDUA (National Database of Affiliates) shows the last information the EPS (Health Promoting Entity) managed to report. There's a delay between when you complete the process and when it's recorded in the national database, and things get lost in the shuffle.

There are four typical cases. You transferred your EPS (Health Promoting Entity) and the database still shows the previous one, which is normal in the first few days and which we explain in [reference]. EPS transfer. You were removed from the payroll and the withdrawal was reported before you could enroll elsewhere. You were listed as a beneficiary, but the contributor in your family group changed jobs. Or perhaps your name or ID number was simply entered incorrectly.

The first three are actual changes to your situation; the fourth is a data error. They are fixed in different ways.

How do you correct incorrect data in the BDUA?

Let's start with what doesn't work: writing to ADRES to change your record. ADRES doesn't modify what they've been reported on its own. The correction must be requested from where the data originated, that is, your EPS (Health Promoting Entity), which is the one that sends the update so it's reflected in the database.

This is the correct procedure. First, save the evidence: a screenshot of the consultation with the date and supporting documentation for what is true, such as your employment certificate. Second, submit the correction to your EPS (Health Promoting Entity) and request a filing number, as this is the only way to later file a claim. Third, check the BDUA (Single Registry of Affiliates) again to verify that the change has been recorded.

For things that depend on you and not the EPS, there is the portal My Social Security, where you can check the current status of your membership, view the history of the EPSs (Health Promoting Entities) you have joined, report your transfer and that of your family group, add or remove beneficiaries, and update your data and identity document. If you also need to see which entities in the system you are registered with, the RUAF query.

If the EPS (Health Promoting Entity) doesn't respond or refuses, the complaint goes to the National Superintendency of Health. And if you're not contributing, the solution isn't to fight for the old registration but to enroll through the new one. subsidized health insurance system.

Common mistakes that leave a family without care

• Consult the wrong document. If the minor's identity card was replaced with a national identity card and the EPS (Health Promoting Entity) did not report the change, checking with the new document will not return any results. The record was not removed: it remains with the old document.
• Believing that the ID card is everything. The plastic card doesn't expire. If the BDUA (National Health Registry) says it's retired, the healthcare provider will treat you based on what the database says, not what the card says.
• Pay someone to reactivate you. The consultation is free, and your EPS (health insurance provider) will make the correction at no cost. Anyone charging you to reactivate your account is scamming you, as we explained in [reference to previous article]. subsidy scams.

What does being in the BDUA have to do with decent housing?

More than it seems. A damp house or one with a dirt floor makes its inhabitants sick, and we write this with data. house with dirt floor and health. When that family is also listed as retired, the problem doubles: they get sick more often and it's harder for them to get medical attention.

Therefore, for us, reviewing the ADRES BDUA is not a separate procedure. It is part of the same goal we pursue with the decent housing in Colombia: that a family does not lose a right because they do not know where it is written.

Frequently Asked Questions about the BDUA ADRES

These are the questions we receive most often.

Is there a cost for consulting the BDUA?
No. It is done for free on the ADRES portal with the type and number of document, without prior registration and without a password.

How often is the database updated?
It depends on when your EPS (Health Promoting Entity) or the territorial entity reports the change. That's why a recent change may take some time to be reflected.

I appear as retired, but my company is still deducting health insurance from my paycheck. What should I do?
Ask your employer for the contribution slip for the month, file the inconsistency with your EPS with that support and save the filing number.

My son is missing, but I am. Is that normal?
This can happen if they were never included as a beneficiary or if their identification document changed. Inclusion must be requested from the contributor's EPS (Health Promoting Entity).

Does the BDUA tell me which Sisbén group I belong to?
No. They are two different databases: Sisbén classifies by living conditions, and we explain this in Sisbén score. The BDUA only registers your health insurance affiliation.

How Hepacom accompanies you

We are the Hechos Para la Comunidad Foundation, and we work for dignified housing for Colombian families. We do not manage the ADRES BDUA (National Database of Affiliates), we do not enroll anyone in an EPS (Health Promoting Entity), and we do not charge for explaining how it works. We do, however, support families in our neighborhoods so that no one is denied care due to incorrect information. If you need guidance, or if you are a company that wants to contribute, please write to us at donaciones@hepacom.org or leave us your details at contact us.

A family shouldn't have to prove its existence to receive assistance. But as long as that depends on a database, knowing how to read it is defending a right.

Last updated: August 2026.

Information guide. The process is handled by the official entity. Verify through the official channel. Hepacom does not charge fees or manage payments. Database statuses and update times are defined by current regulations and confirmed by your EPS (Health Promoting Entity).