Colombia’s marriage visa is intended for foreigners with a Colombian spouse or permanent partner. The Colombia marriage visa is relatively easy to get, with only a few documents required; we provide 2023 updates to the Colombian marriage visa.
The Colombia marriage/permanent partnership visa used to be known as the TP-10 visa, now known as the M-Type marriage visa; after three years with this visa, you can become eligible for a resident (R) visa. Now, remember that Colombia changed its visa rules, which went into effect on October 21, 2022.
So, as of October 21, 2022, the new Resolution 5477 came into effect. Among the changes it brought is that with the previous Resolution 6045 with the marriage visa, you could apply for the resident visa in two years; with this new Resolution, you must accumulate 3 years.
Additionally, this resolution splits the spouse visa with the permanent partner visa; now there are two visas; one for married couples and the other for ones who have a common law union.
In addition, with the M marriage visa, you are permitted to carry out any lawful work activity in Colombia. This is the same as the previous TP-10 visa.
Also, with a M-marriage visa, if you leave Colombia for more than six months consecutively without returning to Colombia, your visa loses its validity like any other migrant visa.
The cost for the M- marriage visa is $325.32 USD, including the processing charge. This is somewhat higher than the previous TP-10 visa, which cost $263.
Also, we have this article about how to obtain a Colombia marriage visa in Spanish.
New Visa Resolution Impacts
Has the visa process changed in Colombia due to the new Resolution 5477?
According to ExpatGroup, the visa agency we partnered with, tells us that with the new resolution, the government has introduced new application requirements, in addition to having eliminated some visas, such as the M student visa, and changed the category, for example, the R type visa for Colombian child, it is now M category.
In the case of couples, with the latest resolution, there are now two types of visas; M marriage visa for spouses with a validity of up to three years and M Visa Permanent partner of a Colombian national, with a maximum validity of one year, both visas have a current cost of 325.32 USD.
The visa agency we partnered with has helped many foreigners obtain visas during the pandemic, including retirement visas, marriage visas, student visas, investment visas, and resident visas.
Applying for a retirement visa
How to Apply for a Colombia Marriage Visa
You apply for a Colombia marriage visa online in Colombia. In addition, you can obtain Colombian visas at Colombian consulates around the world. In the U.S., Colombia has consulates located in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, Newark, New York, San Francisco, and Washington DC.
The Colombian visa process is fairly easy as it’s done online. You can apply for a Colombia visa online here. This application will require scans of all required documents in PDF files plus the photo in jpg format. In addition, a detailed guide for applying online is found here.
Visas in Colombia are issued by the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores. Since the coronavirus, all visas are issued electronically, so you do not have to travel to Bogota for the stamp.
I successfully obtained three Colombian visas that I applied for my own in the past that were good for a total of five years. But the biggest challenge with doing a Colombian visa yourself is not benefiting from the experiences of a visa agency, which has processed hundreds of visas and knows precisely what is needed for each type of visa.
So, for my latest visa received in 2018, a Colombia resident visa, I used a visa agency. And I found the experience painless and now highly recommend using a visa service over doing a Colombia visa application yourself. The bottom line is with a visa agency, you are less likely to run into problems.
New 2023 Marriage Visa Requirements
Documents required for the M- marriage visa include:
- Passport with a minimum validity of 6 months.
- Photocopy of the page of your passport with the last stamp of entry or departure of Colombia is located.
- If you’ve had a previous Colombian visa, a photocopy of this visa.
- Notarized letter from the Colombian spouse granting you legal power to apply for the visa.
- Recent photograph.
- Notarized copy of the cedula of the Colombian spouse.
- Genuine Colombian marriage certificate or a notarized copy of the Colombian marriage certificate. Must be issued within three months prior to the visa application.
- Certificate of migratory movements of both the foreigner and the Colombian spouse.
Documents if you are applying for an M visa Permanent partner of a Colombian national:
- Passport with a minimum validity of 6 months.
- Photocopy of the page of your passport with the last stamp of entry or departure of Colombia is located.
- If you’ve had a previous Colombian visa, a photocopy of this visa.
- Notarized letter from the Colombian permanent partner granting you legal power to apply for the visa.
- Recent photograph.
- Notarized copy of the cedula of the Colombian partner.
- Authenticated copy of the conciliation act declaring the existence of a common-law marriage where the signature of the formalization of the document is older than one year for the visa application.
- Certificate of migratory movements of both the foreigner and the Colombian partner.
How to Get the Migratory Movement Certificate (Certificado de Movimiento Migratorio)
A migratory movement certificate is now needed for marriage visas, as Migración wants to confirm it is real relationship and that you have spent time with your partner.
You can get the Migratory Movement Certificate (Certificado de Movimiento Migratorio) at any Migración Colombia office. The cost currently is $66,500 COP.
You need to submit online and can pay online. Or you can submit online and pay at a Migración Colombia office. The processing time is three business days.
An Interview May be Required for a Colombia Marriage Visa – Example Questions
Sometimes the marriage visa requires an interview of the spouses, this is reported to be required for almost all civil partnerships. During the interview the spouses may be interviewed together or interviewed separately with answers compared.
The questions asked vary and can include questions like:
- How you met?
- What you did to celebrate your wedding?
- Questions about both spouse’s families?
- Where you have gone on vacation?
- What side of the bed your spouse sleeps on?
- What scars your spouse has?
Also, they may ask to see photos. Basically the interview questions are intended to show that the relationship is real.
If an interview is required, interviews for visas are now conducted remotely via Skype.
Getting Married in Colombia
In Colombia, you can get married at a church or at a Colombia notary. Here I’ll discuss a civil marriage at one of the notaries in Medellín. Note that religious marriages must also be registered at a notary. A complete list of the notaria offices in Medellín is found here.
Your first step in a civil marriage at a notary in Colombia is to contact the notary you want use to find out what documents are required and the procedure. Documents required can be different from notary to notary in Colombia. Also, the documents required depend on your situation.
For example, if you or your partner have kids it can be more complicated. Also, not all notaries are used to working with foreigners. So, it’s important to talk to a notary to find out the documents they require for your situation.
Over three years ago I was married at Notary 17 in El Poblado located at Calle 8 #42-15. And this notary has much experience with foreigners and the process was straightforward in my experience. The documents required were:
- Photocopy of my wife’s cedula.
- Notarized copy of my wife’s birth certificate not older than 90 days – this needed to be the long form folio version which showed her marital status. Note that Colombia has a national registry of births and marriages. So, a birth certificate in Colombia is a living document.
- My U.S. birth certificate with an apostille and Spanish language translation not older than 90 days.
- My U.S. divorce decree with an apostille and Spanish language translation not older than 90 days.
- Photocopy of my cedula (I had a previous visa so already had a local cedula ID). If I didn’t have this cedula, a photocopy of my passport would have been needed.
I translated my documents from the U.S. to Spanish using a visa agency in Medellín with official Colombian translators that can translate into Spanish.
When I brought all the documents to the notary they reviewed the documents and scheduled the civil wedding with the notary. Since I spoke sufficient Spanish a translator wasn’t needed. And the cost of a marriage at Notary 17 in El Poblado was 140,000 pesos back then.
Civil Partnership – Like a Common-Law Marriage
Colombia also has the option for documenting a civil partnership, which can be used for a “marriage” visa after completing one year of common law marriage. A civil partnership is also known in Colombia as a “union libre” or “union marital de hecho.”
Two consecutive years of cohabitation with a permanent and monogamous live-in situation in Colombia essentially represents a legal and de facto marital union in Colombia.
Documenting this type of relationship requires a declaration in front of a notary. This is called a declaración union marital de hecho and should be documented in a public escritura and this document can be used to get a visa (with the new Resolution 5477, you can apply for the visa one year after signing the union).
Technically a couple should be living together under the same roof, and the relationship is reportedly supposed to have been for two years. But I have met some expats that received this declaration with shorter relationships.
Other Considerations in Colombia Marriages and Civil Partnerships
Colombia permits same sex civil unions. So, partners in same sex relationships have the right to also get marriage visas in Colombia.
In addition, it’s important to understand that Colombia is essentially a community property country.
So, assets acquired post marital union are most commonly divided 50/50 in Colombia and this applies to both marriages and civil partnerships. In Colombia, anyone who has been living with his or her partner for over two years essentially has almost the same rights as a spouse.
However, assets that you acquire before your marriage/union in Colombia are typically not up for debate when dissolving any martial union in Colombia.
But it is possible to get prenuptial agreements in Colombia, which are known as “capitulaciones matrimoniales”. An experienced lawyer in Colombia can design a prenuptial agreement that includes asset dissolution agreements that can protect claims on future assets.
Using a Visa Agency for a Marriage Visa
Whether you are in Colombia or abroad and want to save yourself the hassle of applying for a visa., you can use a visa agency to obtain a Colombia marriage visa. A visa agency can handle the whole online application.
Medellin Guru has partnered with what we believe is the best visa agency in Medellín to offer Colombia visa services. Features of this service include:
- Online chat – get visa questions answered fast.
- Online quotes – get immediate visa quotes.
- Office in El Poblado in Medellín.
- Competitive price compared to other visa services.
- Bilingual team
The Medellin Guru visa service partnership was launched in March 2019. And in 47 months, 655 visas were successfully received by clients, including 147 marriage visas for clients, which includes two marriage visas in February 2023.
Also, our visa service renewed 250 American passports in Bogotá using our passport renewal service.
So, in total we had 1054 clients of the Medellin Guru visa service in 47 months.
In addition, many more visas are in process – short, medium, or longer term, depending on client needs.
Use the Medellin Guru Visa Service
We reviewed all the Colombia visa agency services in Medellín and found one agency that offers a more efficient visa service with more features and more comprehensive communications including online chat, WhatsApp, Skype, email and phone plus a low price and a convenient office in El Poblado.
Our visa partnership is an affiliate relationship (like the Amazon affiliate program). If you use our visa partner, Medellin Guru receives a small commission and you support the website. This is at no additional cost to you. The price remains the same, whether you use a button or affiliate link on this website or not.
Furthermore, the visa agency we partnered with offers visa services anywhere in Colombia. So, if you are located in another city in Colombia you can use this service.
New entrance to Migracion Colombia in Medellín, on Calle 19A
Getting a Colombian Cedula
After you have successfully received your Colombia marriage visa, you have a maximum of 15 calendar days to register your visa with Migración Colombia to get a Cedula de Extranjeria (Colombian ID for foreigners). Or if you received your visa at a consulate, you will have 15 calendar days after you arrive in Colombia to register your visa.
Due to being photographed and fingerprinted this must be done in-person at a Migración Colombia office.
Especially relevant, it is very important to register your Colombian visa within the allowed time frame. If not, you will be liable for a big fine of up to seven times the minimum monthly salary in Colombia. The minimum salary in Colombia is $1,160,000 COP per month in 2023. So, the fine is up to 8,120,000 COP pesos in 2023.
To register your visa and apply for a cedula this must be done at one of the Migración Colombia offices. You can find Migración Colombia offices in major cities in Colombia.
- Barranquilla – Carrera 42 # 54-77, Barrio El Recreo
- Bogotá – Calle 100 #11B-27
- Cali – Avenida 3 norte # 50N-20
- Cartagena – Carrera 20 B # 29-18, Barrio pie de la Popa
- Medellín – Calle 19 #80A-40, Barrio Belén (the entrance is on the other side of the building on Calle 19A)
A complete list of the Migración Colombia offices is found here. In addition, we have a guide to applying for a Cedula Extranjeria in Colombia.
Dual citizenship is possible
Dual Citizenship
After having the M visa for three years, you can apply for an R residency visa. With a resident visa for three years, you are eligible to become a citizen of Colombia. And you won’t have to give up your existing citizenship. Colombia permits dual-citizenship, as does the U.S. and many other countries.
However, if you M visa is from a common law union, or domestic partnership you must accumulate five years with this visa to obtain a type R visa.
And if you already have a R visa when you get married to a Colombian, you need to wait two years after being married to be eligible to apply to become a citizen of Colombia.
Once you become a dual citizen with Colombian citizenship, you will no longer need to deal with visas anymore. Also, you will be able to travel to a few countries as a Colombian citizen without a visa, such as Russia, which requires a visa for U.S. citizens.
Also, if you have Colombian citizenship, this benefits you with the Mercosur trade bloc. Nationals of Member States (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay) and Associated States (Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru) do not need a passport or visa to travel around the region, with only a national identity card required.
In addition, the Mercosur Agreement grants the right to residence and work for citizens with no requirement other than nationality. Citizens of the Member States and Associated States that are part of the agreement enjoy a facilitated procedure for applying for a residence visa as long as they have a valid passport, birth certificate, and a negative certificate of a criminal record.
To become a citizen, Colombia requires a citizenship test, just like the U.S. does. You will be required to pass a test related to Colombian history, geography, and the constitution. Also, a basic Spanish oral test is required. However, those who have a bachelor’s degree from a Colombian university or are over 65 years old are exempt from these tests.
Medellin Guru’s Comprehensive Visa and Passport Series
The Colombian visa changes that went into effect in mid-October 2022 were significant. So, on the Medellin Guru site, we have a comprehensive series of visa articles that are kept up-to-date and should answer most visa questions. These articles include:
- Colombia Visa Guide: Ultimate Guide How to Get a Colombian Visa
- How to Obtain a Colombian Visa with Up-to-Date Info – an overview of all the Colombian visas
- Popular Colombian Visas for Foreigners: Which Visa is the Most Popular?
- Coronavirus Impacts on Colombian Visas and Tourist Visas
- Visa Agencies: A Guide to Visa Agencies in Medellín and Colombia
- 7 Common Colombian Visa Mistakes: How to Avoid Them
We have looked in detail at the seven most popular Colombian visas used by foreigners:
Also, we have looked in detail at three additional Colombian visas, which are less popular for foreigners:
- Rentista visa (annuity visa) – for foreigners with a fixed income
- Beneficiary visa – for relatives of visa holders
- Expertise visa – for professionals
In addition, we have a guide to Colombia tourist visas and how to extend a tourist visa. Also, we have a guide to renewing U.S. passports in Colombia and a guide to obtaining a Colombian passport.
Furthermore, we provide information about travel insurance that meets the insurance requirement for Colombian visas. And we have a guide to how apply for a cedula extranjeria in Colombia and a guide to using notaries in Medellín and Colombia. Finally, Medellin Guru has partnered with a visa agency to offer Colombia visa services.
All of our Colombia visa articles were updated in 2022 to ensure they are up-to-date and will be updated again in 2023. In addition, all visa articles on this website will be kept up-to-date as new details are disclosed.
Obtaining a Colombia marriage visa
The Bottom Line: Obtaining a Colombia Marriage Visa
Colombia’s marriage visa is relatively easy to get with few documents required. But this visa is only intended for people who have a Colombian spouse or Colombian permanent partner.
The visa agency we partnered with has helped 257 marriage visas for clients, which includes twenty marriage visas in February 2023. Click on the blue button below and that will take you to a page of the visa agency where you can obtain a quote and ask questions using a chat.
Use the Medellin Guru Visa Service
A major benefit of the new M- marriage visa compared to the old TP-10 marriage visa is that there is now a shorter duration of three years until you are eligible for a resident (R) visa. And after another two years with an R visa with a Colombian spouse you become eligible to become a citizen of Colombia.
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Editors note: updated on December 16, 2017 with the cost of the new marriage visa.
Editors note: completely updated on January 5, 2019 this article that was originally published in November 2017 with changes including the new 2019 Colombia minimum wage information.
Editors note: updated on February 25, 2019 to add information that a M-1 marriage visa loses its validity if you leave Colombia for a period of over six months without returning to Colombia.
Editors note: updated on December 14, 2019 with information about the Mercosur agreement benefits of having Colombian citizenship.
Editors note: updated on January 13, 2020 with current information about the Colombia marriage visa and added information about an interview that may be required for the marriage visa with some example questions.
Editors note: updated on January 23, 2020 to add information that if you already have a R visa and get married you need to wait two years after getting married to be eligible for having Colombian citizenship.
Editors note: updated on March 10, 2020 to add information that a Colombia marriage visa now requires a Migratory Movement Certificate issued by Colombia Migration for the visa application.
Editors note: updated on March 30, 2020 with Colombian visa process changes due to coronavirus and the quarantines in Colombia.
Editors note: updated on April 21, 2020 with information that the national quarantine in Colombia has been extended to May 11 and international flights banned until the end of May.
Editors note: updated on May 6, 2020 with information that the national quarantine in Colombia has been extended to May 25.
Editors note: updated on May 11, with information that copies of all entry and exit stamps in your passport can be used instead of obtaining a Migratory Movement Certificate as part of documents needed for a marriage visa.
Editors note: updated on May 20, 2020 with information that the national quarantine in Colombia has been extended to May 31 and that international flights will be restricted until August 31.
Editors note: updated on June 10, 2020 with information that the national quarantine in Colombia has been extended to June 30 and updated information about the Medellin Guru visa service.
Editors note: updated on July 3, 2020 with information that the national quarantine in Colombia has been extended to July 15 and added information about inexpensive travel insurance that meets the health insurance requirement for this visa.
Editors note: updated on July 8, 2020 with information that the national quarantine in Colombia has been extended to August 1.
Editors note: updated on July 29, 2020 with information that the national quarantine in Colombia has been extended to September 1.
Editors note: updated on August 10, 2020 with current information regarding the quarantine impact on the Colombia visa process for Colombia marriage visas.
Editors note: updated on September 22, 2020 with information that Migracion offices in Colombia reopened on September 21.
Editors note: updated on September 17, 2021 with updates on counts of visas by our visa partner.
Editors note: updated on March 11, 2022 with updates on counts of visas by our visa partner.
Editors note: updated on February 10, 2023 with updates on new Colombian visa regulations.
Thanks this article is so helpful. I am planning on marrying my Colombian girlfriend early next year so I was looking for updated information. Everything else I could find out on the Internet about Colombia marriage visas is out of date. That Medellin Living site is the worst with almost every post out of date.
Hi David, Thanks. And yes, Medellin Living has been around for over 8 years and they don’t update most posts so it’s chock full of out-of-date information. That is one of the reasons I started this Medellin Guru site to provide up-to-date information. In addition, the articles on this Medellin Guru site will be kept up-to-date as seen in our Editorial Policy – https://medellinguru.com/editorial-policy/.
I have gone finished this process and I can tell you that its best to hire a service to assist you. I have used ExpatGroup from this website and they have helped many people, even during the closure of the country. I now have my Visa and expat ID.. Call Expatgroup, they are very good and great people.
Nice article. How about also doing an article about divorces in Colombia. I bet a number of the foreigner marriages to Colombians end up in divorce. So this would be helpful.
Hi Mark, thanks for the suggestion. We plan to cover divorces in Colombia in a future article on this website. This will take some time to research.
Thanks Jeff, once again a great post. Will wait for the new Visa rules to come out. Just in case any big changes
are forthcoming. Also will get in touch with Juan Dario.
Cheers, Brock
Excellent article, we found it very helpful, thank you for sharing it.
I am Colombian, my husband is Canadian and I have been in Canada for 20 years. We are thinking to live in Colombia so we are researching and reading online articles about retiring there.
For Mark, who is concerned about the foreigners who marry Colombians and then divorce:
Inter-racial marriages end in divorce for many reasons, cultural differences, age differences, personalities, etc. There are many old foreigners who go to Colombia to marriage beautiful young girls…Well, I have seen this very often that these gentlemen end alone; there are those who take the lady back to their country and never want to go back to Colombia; there are others who never bother to learn about Colombian culture and because of that, many problems start in the relationship. Colombians are very attached to our families and country and if our husband doesn’t care about that or doesn’t want to learn Spanish, or doesn’t want to go often to Colombia…well he is going to end alone as well. We are very different than other women and if the foreigner man doesn’t take the time to research about it, he is going to be in an unhappy marriage.
Interesting article is there anywhere you can find example of the citizenship test?
Hi David, thanks. I haven’t yet seen an example of the citizenship test but I’ll ask around.
I have also been searching for a sample citizenship test. I have not found one. I would love one! Otherwise, I have no idea where to start studying.
Hi Nicole, I haven’t yet had any luck in finding an example of the citizenship test. I’ll let you know if I find one.
Hello Jeff, have you come across any study guidelines for the citizenship test? It would be very helpful for many of US. I think it would be a good venture for one of the visa agencies to offer a course too. I’m sure a lot of people would be willing to pay to attend.
Hi Kevin, I will follow up and see what I can find out.
Hello Jeff! I am in two weeks time from now leaving my visa application for Marriage Visa, so it seems to be following the new rules. I would like to know, what is the reason to travel for part of couples an interview to Bogota and who is deciding this? Of course, this is a significant additional cost to the whole process. In our case, the main reason to marry each other is simply because we do not want to live alone.
Hi Tomi, the need for an interview for a marriage visa is a decision made by the Ministerio folks reviewing/approving the visa application. This may be random or they may see something in the application that concerns them.
Do you happen to know how long you need to stay in Colombia to apply for the visa? My wife and I go back and forth to the states. But we tend to stay here a couple of weeks and then head back. I would love to have a spousal visa but was going to wait until we moved here permanently. But if i could do it without living here or with one or two extended trips, I would consider it. Thank you for all the info and good luck on your site!
Hi Karl, as far as I know there is no residency requirement to receive a Colombia marriage visa. But once you have the visa there is a residency requirement where you lose the marriage visa if you are outside Colombia for more than 180 consecutive days.
That actually makes sense. Thanks for the info. As nothing is easy in Colombia, I find myself getting different answers everywhere I go. 🙂
Unfortunately there are a lot of old, out-of-date or just plain inaccurate posts about Colombia out there. A pet peeve of mine is websites that publish posts that aren’t updated when the rules or other things change. With the new visa rules in Colombia there are so many out-of-date posts out there on other websites that haven’t been updated. My goal for Medellin Guru is to keep the content on the site up-to-date.
Hi Jeff, I still don’t understand one thing. If I go to Colombia on a 90 day visa (extendible to 180 days) how do I Live in marriage for 2 years before I can apply for the M-1 Visa? In other words, I go to Colombia on a tourist visa find the love of my life and marry her. Effectively I can only stay in Colombia for 180 days on a tourist visa….. My spouse does not want to leave Colombia as She already has a home, family and friends and plan to live together in her home. BUT..! I cannot stay for 2 years..! I only have a Tourist Visa….. Am I missing something? Thanks. PS: Great article.
If you are married to a Colombia you can get a M-1 visa immediately, there is no wait. For civil partnerships, technically a couple should be living together under the same roof and the relationship is reportedly supposed to have been for two years. But I have met some expats that received this declaration with much shorter relationships.
The marriage part makes sense. The civil partnership does not. How can I be living under the same roof for two years if at the most I can only stay 180 days on a tourist visa… and when you say shorter period….. what, 1-2 months? Otherwise I can’t see this working.. great article and I do appreciate your concern on outdated websites…you can’t believe the B S that’s out there.
Hi Joseph, I have met some expats that received this civil partnership declaration with shorter than 2 year relationships. I met one recently that did this after less than a year. I personally think it would be crazy to do it after only 1-2 months as it’s like a common-law marriage.
And yes there is so much out-of-date BS out there – that’s why I have a policy of keeping everything up-to-date on this Medellin Guru site.
I appreciate your quick reply but how can I live in Colombia for 2 years? Is there a way to continuously repeat the tourist visa?
Hi Joseph, as a tourist you are limited to 180 days per year – see: https://medellinguru.com/tourist-visa/
Very helpful, detailed information. Thank you. Are you familiar with how the wife may change her name in Colombia after marriage? I am a US citizen and I would like to take my husband’s last name. I have been having a hard time finding information on it as it seems a bit dated here.
In the U.S. it is common for the woman’s last name to change after marriage. But In Colombia marriage has no impact on either person’s surnames. This means that people keep their same surnames their entire life. For example, if you were Jessica Lucia García before you were married, you will continue to be Jessica Lucia García after you are married. But I have heard it’s possible to change your name in Colombia, so ask a Notaria or Lawyer.
Hi Jeff, me and my girlfriend have been living together in Bogota now for a year, what proof do they need for a declaracion union marital de hecho? Her Cédula has been registered at her mothers house and no in the same location as we’ve been living in.
Depends on the notary if any proof is needed. Best to ask at a notary what is needed. Also, it’s unlikely that where a cédula is registered is important.
Hi Jeff this was helpful but I am little unclear on one aspect. You said that your apostilled and translated birth certificate had to be no older than 90 days, so does this mean that one needs to marry within 90 days of leaving one’s home country (documents in hand)?
I ask because I am planning on going to Colombia with my native girlfriend in 2019 but prior to that we will be living outside of my home country for several months. We’re not ready to marry just yet but I was planning on bringing my documents with me to keep the option open.
Hi Nigel, yes the documents need to be dated within 90 days of the date of the application for the visa. Normally you start getting the documents for the visa shortly before the wedding or after the wedding.
Hi Nigel. Another option is to have it apostilled here if there is an Embassy that serves your country in Bogota. You can also mail it to them if you can’t visit in person. I had to get my birth certificate, our marriage certificate apostilled and had to visit the australian embassy in Bogota to do that or I could have posted it to them.
The U.S. embassy in Bogotá does not offer apostille services. So, if you are need documents from the U.S. apostilled the U.S. embassy isn’t an option.
Hello Jeff! Much has happened since I asked your advice in November. But things are now much better. I have a new start in Colombia, but been living with my colombiana from October and paying two times fines to Migracion. Now my matters with Migracion are OK and we plan to marry in July. Also my relationship was in bad state, lot of quarreling. We had a three weeks beach holiday in Lima and now our relation is totally different, we know each other much better and love each other. Thanks to previous experience and your advice our marriage appears now a straightforward thing, but needs lot of arrangements.
Hi Tomi, happy to hear things are going better for you. Good luck.
Hi Jeff,
Thank you so much for your up-to date article. I am planning to marry my Colombian partner in June 2018 (next month). I am just a little confused on the translations and apostilles for the documents required for the marriage. I am just about to start getting all my documents together so that they are within date and valid for the marriage. Do the English to Spanish translations of the documents need to be done by official Colombian translators in Colombia, and then those translations apostilled in Colombia? Or can I use a translator in my home country (Australia)? I know I will need to have my documents apostiled here also. I have read mixed things online, any help would be appreciated.
Hi Katie, The English translations should be done by official Colombian translators in Colombia. I used a translator at the visa agency http://inter-col.com/ listed in the article. You only need apostilles for foreign documents. No need for an apostille for a translation in Colombia.
Thanks for answering my question so quickly! Much appreciated! Thanks for clearing that up!
My Birth Certificate, in fact a combined document from Finnish Registry, also stating me to be a widow, is ready written in Spanish, as Spanish is one of languages used in many Finnish documents, due to innumerous Finnish citizens living in Spain and EU legislation. I believe this should be sufficient?
The document is apostilled, but I need translation of the apostille from either Finnish or Swedish. We are trying to get it officially traduced either in Finland or by one ttraductor in Malaga, Spain.
If your birth certificate is in Spanish obviously no need to translate.
Hi Jeff, so I have dual citizenship. I was born in USA but also have Colombian citizenship through my parents. I have a cédula and both us and Colombian passports. Will I need my US birth certificate or will the Colombian registro civil be enough?
That is a technical question. Best to ask the visa agency we partnered with – click on this link – https://expatgroup.co/english/visasincolombia/ and there is a chat during business hours.
Hello Jeff!
Great article, and very informative! However, I am not sure if the question i had in mind has been answered. I understand that, if someone was to be married to a Colombian, then they would automatically be eligible for the Colombian marriage visa. However in my case my husband and I are both Canadian citizens, who are planning to settle in Medellin, Colombia. Now my husband just got a job in Medellin, so I believe he will get a work visa, however I don’t have a job in Colombia, and I will be on Tourist visa (which means I can’t stay longer then 180 days in a Calendar year, where my husband can). Is there any way, I can obtain a spousal visa, because my husband got a job there?
Thank you
Hi Taj, the marriage visa is only for marriage to a Colombian citizen. But if you husband gets a work visa — a spouse or permanent partner of a principal visa holder who are economically dependent on the visa holder can get a beneficiary visa.
Hi, Thank you for all this great information!
I am an Australian citizen and my family is planning to move to Bogota. My husband is Colombian citizen. After reading your info I had the impression that we are to apply for everything IN Colombia? Or is it better to apply before leaving while we are still in Australia. We also have 2 boys who are Australian citizens. Would they just automatically be under my visa?
Hi Samantha. It may be a bit easier to apply at the Colombian consulate/embassy in Australia. For example, I have heard some consulates/embassies don’t require translations of docs in English but you will need to check. And there are beneficiary visas available for children less than age 25.
Hey jeff i was wondering if im married to a Colombian citizen in the United states am i able to get a visa that way? And as far as the birth certificate and marrige licence from.the us how do i get it to 9nly be 90 days old? Get a new copy before i got to colombia? And am i able to get them translated into spanish there? Sorry for all the questions. Thank you!
Yes, marriage to a Colombian citizen in the U.S. would qualify you. And yes get the documents before you go to Colombia so they are recent. Also, any documents from the U.S. will need an Apostille. And you can get documents translated here. I used http://inter-col.com/en/,
Hi Jeff,
my Colombian girlfriend and myself (Italian Citizen) are currently living in Australia, where we have registered our relationship as a Civil Partnership in January 2018, and have lived under the same roof since that date.
Would this civil partnership document and the time in the relationship count towards the 2 years of living together to be counted as a de-facto relationship, even if this was outside of Colombia?
Thanks in advance
Yes, that would count towards the 2 years.
Hi Jeff, Im in a similar situation here. My partner is Australian, I am myself a Colombian citizen. We have our civil partnership registered in Australia as well. She is in Europe at the moment but we are thinking of settling in Colombia later this year. Would that document be legal in Colombia? as in can our relationship be recognized here? and can we later on use it for a partner visa? Thanks
So your forum was a great help, but I just applied for the visa and was lacking the following document before I could continue:
Power of Attorney granted from my wife (Colombian) to myself (Canadian) for the visa procedure – which had to be signed and notarized.
Not sure if this is the case for other people. Once we got that document, everything was good to go. Hope the rest goes easy.
Thanks for the tips!
Hi Jonathan, thanks. Interesting, that power of attorney doc wasn’t required when I applied. I will ask a visa agency about this in the next week or two and update the article if it’s a new requirement.
HI Jonathon. I had the same issue. where did you organise the Power of Attorney from your wife to you?
HI Jeff. One thing I am not clear about is the marriage certificate. I am australian, married to a colombian citizen. we got married in australia. the colombian embassy in australia just told us to bring our marriage certificate to colombia. we are now in colombia and i applied for the marriage visa but they declined the document. So now I have to get the document translated into spanish and also Apostilled at the Australian embassy in Bogota. Is this correct. Then do i need to get the marriage registered in Colombia at the Notaria Primera and obtain a colombian document or can i upload the Apostilled translated marriage certificate? This is the part I am confused about. THey have given me 10 days to arrange, and I live 7 hours drive away from Bogota in Neiva. I wonder if I can use the Notaria Primera here. any advice would be appreciated.