DOCUMENT AUTHENTICATION FOR COLOMBIA
Apostille Services for Colombia
Moving to Colombia, registering a birth or marriage, applying for dual citizenship, or handling a property or estate matter? Any U.S. document you plan to use there needs an apostille first. We prepare, submit, and return your documents so Colombian authorities accept them without delay.
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Why Colombia Requires an Apostille
Colombia is a member of the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. That means a U.S. document doesn’t need to go through embassy or consular legalization to be recognized there it just needs the correct apostille certificate attached by the issuing U.S. authority.
Without that certificate, a Colombian registrar, notary (notaría), university, or government office is entitled to reject the document outright, which is why getting it right the first time matters, especially when you’re working against a visa, closing, or filing deadline.
Whether the document was issued by a state office or a federal agency determines which authority has to apostille it we walk you through that below.
Documents We Regularly Apostille for Colombia
Each document type follows its own path: some need a certified copy first, some need notarization, and federal documents go through the U.S. Department of State rather than a Secretary of State. Here’s what we handle most often for clients sending paperwork to Colombia.
Required for most Colombian visa categories and residency applications. Apostilled by the U.S. Department of State.
Needed for civil registration, dual citizenship, and family petitions. Requires a certified copy from the issuing state or county.
Common for property sales, estate matters, and legal representation in Colombia while you remain in the U.S.
For credential recognition (convalidación) with Colombian universities or licensing boards.
Frequently requested before a marriage can be registered or recognized in Colombia.
Articles of incorporation, agreements, and other paperwork for business registration in Colombia.
State Documents
Birth certificates, marriage certificates, and other vital records are apostilled by the Secretary of State in the state where the document was issued. A certified copy from the state or county is required before we can submit it.
Federal Documents
FBI background checks and other federal paperwork are authenticated by the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. not by a state office. We handle this submission for you directly.
How the Process Works
Four steps from the document in your hand to a document that Colombia will accept.
Send Us Your Document
Email or upload a copy so we can confirm exactly what’s required for that document type and Colombia’s requirements.
We Prepare It
We confirm whether notarization or a certified copy is needed and get the document ready to submit.
We Submit for Apostille
Your document goes to the correct Secretary of State or U.S. Department of State office for authentication.
You Receive It, Ready to Use
We ship the completed apostille back to you, domestically or internationally, ready for submission in Colombia.
Pricing for Colombia Apostille Services
Ready to Start Your Colombia Apostille?
Send us your document, and we’ll tell you exactly what’s needed, what it costs, and how long it will take. You can also email your document or questions to Info@apostilleauthentications.com for personalized assistance.
Add Your Heading Text Here
Yes. Because Colombia is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, any U.S. public document must carry an apostille before a Colombian registrar, notaría, university, or government office can accept it.
Regular processing for most documents typically runs a few business days to a few weeks depending on the issuing authority.
Some Colombian institutions require a certified Spanish translation after the apostille is issued. We offer certified translation as an add-on, and it’s already bundled into our $360 FBI package.
Yes — vital records like birth, marriage, and death certificates must start as a certified copy from the state or county office that issued them. We can advise on how to request one if you don’t have it yet.
Yes. This is one of our most common requests for Colombia. We handle fingerprinting, the FBI results, and the U.S. Department of State apostille as one package.