Apostille and Notarization for Colombia 2026 — Documents to Prepare Before Leaving

Getting your documents apostilled is one of those tasks that is easy to do before you leave and painful to do from abroad. Colombia is a Hague Convention member, which means apostilled documents from the US, UK, Canada, and most of Europe are accepted without embassy legalization. The process is straightforward but slow — start at least 2-3 months before your move date.

Overview

The apostille replaces the old system of embassy legalization, which required visiting a Colombian consulate and could take months. With the Hague Convention, you get your apostille from a government office in your home country, and Colombia recognizes it automatically. Every document you plan to use in Colombia for legal, immigration, or educational purposes needs an apostille.

Documents to Apostille

Not every document needs an apostille — only those you will present to Colombian government agencies, courts, universities, or for official proceedings. Here is what most expats need:

Essential (Almost Everyone Needs)

• Birth certificate: Required for visa applications, cedula de extranjeria, marriage registration, and many other procedures. Apostille at least 2 copies.
• Criminal background check: Required for most visa types. In the US, this is an FBI Identity History Summary (channeler service is fastest). The FBI report must be apostilled by the US Department of State — not your state.
• Marriage certificate: Required if applying for a marriage/partner visa, registering your marriage in Colombia, or adding a spouse to your health insurance.
• Passport: Does not need an apostille — it is already an internationally recognized document.

Situational (Depends on Your Circumstances)

• Divorce decree: Required if you are divorced and applying for a marriage visa with a new partner, or if Colombian authorities need to verify your marital status.
• Educational degrees and transcripts: Required if you plan to work in a regulated profession (medicine, law, engineering), enroll in a Colombian university, or apply for certain visa types that require proof of qualifications.
• Power of attorney: Useful if someone in your home country needs to act on your behalf after you move (selling property, managing accounts). Must be notarized, then apostilled.
• Death certificate: Required if you are a surviving spouse applying for benefits or inheritance proceedings.
• Adoption papers: Required if you adopted a child and need to register them in Colombia.
• Professional licenses: Medical licenses, law licenses, CPA certifications — needed for professional convalidacion (credential recognition) in Colombia.
• Military discharge papers: Occasionally requested for certain visa applications or government procedures.

How to Get an Apostille

United States

The US apostille process depends on where the document was issued:

• State-issued documents (birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, notarized documents): Apostilled by your state's Secretary of State office. Cost: $5-$25 per document. Some states offer walk-in same-day service.
• Federal documents (FBI background check, documents notarized by a federal notary): Apostilled by the US Department of State, Office of Authentications. Cost: $20 per document. Processing: 4-8 weeks by mail.
• Expediting: Third-party services like Apostille.net, One Source Process, or Washington Express Visas can handle the process for $75-200 per document with 1-5 day turnaround.

United Kingdom

• Issuing authority: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
• Cost: 75 GBP per document (standard service, 2-week processing) or 75 GBP plus courier for faster service
• Apply online: GOV.UK provides the online application. Documents are mailed to FCDO in Milton Keynes.

Canada

• Issuing authority: Global Affairs Canada (Authentication Services Section)
• Cost: CAD $30 per document
• Note: Canada joined the Hague Convention in January 2024. Before that, Canadian documents required embassy legalization. Apostilles are now available and accepted by Colombia.

Other Countries

• Australia: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). AUD $94 per document.
• EU countries: Each country has its own authority (usually the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or a designated court). Costs vary from free to 50 EUR.
• Check membership: Verify your country is a Hague Convention member at hcch.net. If not, you need full embassy legalization instead.

Translation Requirements

• Traductor oficial: An official translator certified by Colombia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They have a registered number and their translations carry legal weight in Colombia.
• Finding one: The Cancilleria website maintains a directory of registered translators. You can also find them through expat groups, your customs broker, or your immigration lawyer.
• Remote translation: Many traductores oficiales accept documents by email and return translated, signed, and stamped PDFs. You do not need to be in Colombia to get translations done — but you will need original hard copies for some procedures.
• Cost: 80,000-200,000 COP ($22-$56 USD) per page, depending on document complexity and translator. Standard documents like birth certificates are on the lower end.
• Turnaround: 2-5 business days for standard documents. Rush service (24-48 hours) available at higher cost.
• What gets translated: The entire document including the apostille stamp/certificate. The translation is attached to the original and both are presented together.

Notarization in Colombia

Colombian notarias (notary offices) are nothing like US notary publics. In Colombia, a notary is a high-ranking legal official, and notarization is used for an enormous range of everyday transactions.

• Ubiquity: There are notarias everywhere — every neighborhood has at least one. You will visit them frequently for rental contracts, powers of attorney, declarations, and many other procedures.
• Cost: 5,000-20,000 COP ($1.40-$5.55 USD) per document for simple notarizations. More complex procedures (property transfers, company formation) cost more but are still affordable by US standards.
• What requires notarization: Rental agreements, vehicle sales, powers of attorney, sworn declarations (declaraciones juramentadas), property transactions, and many visa-related documents.
• Autenticacion de firma: Getting your signature authenticated at a notaria — one of the most common procedures. You sign in front of the notary and they stamp/seal the document. Costs about 5,000-10,000 COP ($1.40-$2.80 USD).
• Autenticacion de copia: Getting a certified true copy (copia autentica) of a document. Costs 5,000-15,000 COP ($1.40-$4.15 USD) per page. Useful for keeping originals safe while submitting copies.
• Escritura publica: A public deed — the most formal notarial act. Used for property purchases, company formation, and other significant legal transactions. Costs 200,000-500,000 COP ($56-$139 USD) or more depending on the transaction value.
• Hours: Most notarias are open Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Some have Saturday morning hours. Arrive early — they get busy.

Common Mistakes

• Not apostilling enough copies: Different Colombian agencies often require original apostilled documents — not photocopies. Apostille at least 2 copies of your birth certificate, marriage certificate, and criminal background check. Getting a new apostille from abroad after you move is expensive and slow.
• Getting translations before the apostille: The apostille must be on the original document. If you translate first and then try to apostille, the apostille certifies the wrong thing. Always: original document, then apostille, then translation.
• Using a non-registered translator: Only translations by a traductor oficial registered with Colombia's Cancilleria are accepted. That "certified translation" from a US translation service is worthless in Colombia. Save your money and use a Colombian official translator.
• Not bringing originals: Always bring original apostilled documents to Colombia. Some agencies accept scans or copies for initial review, but originals are required for final processing. Keep digital backups in cloud storage as insurance.
• Letting the FBI background check expire: Colombian immigration wants the background check to be recent (usually less than 3 months old). If you get it apostilled 6 months before applying for your visa, you may need to redo the entire process.
• Forgetting the divorce decree: If you are divorced and plan to marry in Colombia or apply for a partner visa, you will need your divorce decree apostilled. This catches many people off guard.
• Assuming US notarization equals Colombian notarization: A US notary public simply verifies your identity when you sign. A Colombian notaria is a full legal office. Documents notarized in the US still need an apostille to be used in Colombia.