Requirements for a U.S. citizen to marry in Colombia

First question: are you domiciled in Colombia?

The specific rule for a foreign national not domiciled in Colombia generally calls for a birth record and proof of single status, or an accepted equivalent. A person domiciled in Colombia, someone with established residency or who has lived there habitually for some time, may receive a different list, with additional or different requirements. That is why the first step, before gathering any document, is to contact the notaría that will perform the marriage and ask explicitly which category applies to your case.

Documents commonly prepared in the United States

• Valid passport.
• Certified copy of the birth certificate (not a plain photocopy or a hospital "keepsake" certificate).
• Single-status evidence or the equivalent document accepted by the notaría.
• If previously married, official proof of the divorce, annulment or the former spouse's death.
• The corresponding apostilles and Spanish translations for each of the above documents.

A plain photocopy of the birth certificate does not substitute for a certified copy issued by the vital-records office of the relevant state. The apostille must be obtained from the state that issued the certificate, not necessarily the state where the person currently lives, because the apostille certifies the signature of the official who issued the document, and that official belongs to the state of origin.

Does the United States issue a national single-status certificate?

The United States has no single federal marital-status certificate and no national marriage registry. Depending on the state, proof of single status may consist of a notarized sworn affidavit, a Single Status Statement issued by the state's vital-records office, or an official search of marriage records; Florida, for example, offers a Single Status Statement based on a search across all 67 counties. The Colombian notaría must confirm which of these alternatives it accepts for your case, along with the exact wording and language required, before it is signed, notarized and apostilled. See our guide on the single-status certificate to marry abroad for more detail.

Document validity: confirm before ordering

For the foreign national not domiciled in Colombia, Decree 2668 of 1988, as amended by Decree 1556 of 1989, specifically requires that the birth record and the single-status certificate or its equivalent be less than three months old when the application is filed. Since the notaría may request additional documents or apply its own practical requirements, it is worth confirming the current checklist before ordering the documents. Obtaining a certified record, apostilling it and translating it takes time, and having to repeat the process because a document expired is one of the most common and avoidable setbacks.

Apostille and Spanish translation

1. Obtain the certified copy of the birth certificate or prepare the single-status affidavit the notaría accepts.
2. Request the apostille from the authority of the state that issued the record, or the state where the notary who certified the affidavit is commissioned.
3. Apostille the source document first, in its original language.
4. Arrange the Spanish translation required by the receiving authority (the notaría may require an official translation prepared according to the rules applicable in Colombia).

If the official translation is prepared in Colombia for use in Colombia, it currently does not require an additional apostille. The U.S. source document still needs to arrive properly apostilled. For added legal certainty, Colombia's Cancillería recommends apostilling the source document first and translating it afterward. If the translation is prepared abroad, confirm with the notaría what authentication chain it will require.

After the application is filed

The marriage application can be filed in person or, in some cases, through a duly authorized agent. Once the application is filed with complete requirements, the notaría must post a public notice (edicto) for five business days before proceeding with the ceremony. Certain particular situations, such as a prior marriage, children from another relationship, marital agreements, an agent acting on someone's behalf, or differences in how a name is spelled across documents, can generate additional requirements that the notaría only identifies once it reviews the complete file, so it is wise to submit everything with plenty of lead time before the desired date.

If you were previously married

If the U.S. citizen was previously married, the notaría may require the divorce decree, the annulment order or the death certificate proving that the prior marriage ended. That document may itself require certified issuance, an apostille and translation, just like the birth certificate or the single-status evidence. Do not assume the single-status affidavit alone replaces proof that the prior marriage ended.

Common mistakes that delay the process

• Apostilling the birth certificate in the state of current residence instead of the state that issued it.
• Drafting a single-status affidavit without first confirming the exact wording the notaría accepts.
• Translating a document before it has been apostilled.
• Submitting uncertified copies instead of official certified copies.
• Not checking the specific validity window for each document before ordering it.
• Leaving out official proof of a prior divorce or death when it applies.