Apostille Colombian documents from the US: online, USD $11
Colombia’s Foreign Ministry (Cancillería) apostilles and legalizes Colombian public documents online: according to its page, you can do it ‘24 hours a day, any day of the week’, with no intermediaries, no appointment and no visit to its offices. Paid from abroad, an apostille costs USD $11.0 and a legalization USD $10.0 (Cancillería cost page, checked October 3, 2026). The review takes at most three business days. One condition stalls many requests: the signature of the official who issued the document must be registered in the Cancillería database, and some documents (such as Registraduría civil records) need a prior step.
Quoted passages from Colombian official sources appear either in the original Spanish or, where shown in English, in our translation.
Apostille or legalization
| Apostille | Legalization | |
|---|---|---|
| For which country | A member of the 1961 Hague Convention | A country not in the Convention |
| Fee paid from abroad | USD $11.0 (EUR 8.0 in the euro area and Cuba) | USD $10.0 (EUR 8.0 in the euro area and Cuba) |
| Fee paid in Colombia | 37,800 pesos | 26,200 pesos |
Source: the Cancillería pages ‘What is an apostille?’, ‘What is legalization?’ and ‘Costs and payment methods’, checked October 3, 2026. One quirk on that page: in the legalization block the amount is labeled ‘Valor apostilla’; the legalization amount abroad is USD $10.0.
In the other direction (a US document going to Colombia), the Cancillería explains that a document from a Hague Convention country must be apostilled by the competent authority in its country of origin. Colombia does not apostille other countries’ documents. For a US apostille, see how to apostille a US document.
Step by step on the portal
- Check the document. It must show the name, title, agency, date and handwritten signature of a public official (or a private party performing public functions), and that signature must be registered in the Ministry’s database under Resolution 1959, Article 7, item 4.
- Scan it complete and legible, double-sided if applicable, as a PDF no larger than 11 megabytes. One apostille or legalization is issued per document. If the issuing agency provides an endorsement on a separate sheet, it goes in the same PDF.
- Upload it at tramites.cancilleria.gov.co/apostillalegalizacion and choose the document type. If it is not listed: ‘Documentos digitalizados’ then ‘otros documentos’. You can upload up to 10 documents per multiple request, each in its own PDF.
- Check the result by email or under ‘consulte su trámite’. The review takes at most three business days.
- Verify the data before paying. Once the request is approved, you have 30 calendar days to verify it, request corrections if needed and pay.
- Pay. After payment there is no correction and no refund.
- Download the apostille from the portal’s document lookup (using the code and issue date) or receive it by email.
Paying from the US
For payments abroad, the Cancillería cost page lists three routes:
- Bank deposit: ‘you must ask the consulate directly for the bank account number’.
- PSE: requires an active bank account in Colombia.
- Visa or MasterCard: with a bank commission of 3,253 pesos.
The same page lists the consulates that accept money orders: in the US, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Orlando, Newark and Houston. Los Angeles, Miami and Washington are not on that list, which differs from the lists for the cédula or the civil registry. The Cancillería asks you to check payment methods with the nearest consulate.
Routes by document type
The Cancillería requirements page sets a different route for each document type. The ones Colombians in the US use most:
| Document | Route on the portal |
|---|---|
| Civil registry record issued by the Registraduría | First the Registraduría form (apostilla.registraduria.gov.co): PDF up to 2 MB, payment sticker dated no more than 90 days earlier. The Registraduría answers within 15 business days and sends a code. Then, with the Cancillería: ‘Documentos Electrónicos con firma digital - Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil’. The Registraduría does not accept the ‘Registro Digital’; the Cancillería says a record without marginal notes from the online copy portal can be apostilled after Registraduría validation |
| Civil record or document from a Colombian notary | The notary sends a 21-character code; with the Cancillería: ‘Documentos electrónicos con firma digital - Documentos firmados en Notarías colombianas’ |
| Documents signed by a Colombian consul | ‘Documentos electrónicos con firma digital - Documentos firmados por Cónsul colombiano’, using the code and date on the consular label. Covers, since July 1, 2016, civil registry copies (the Cancillería’s civil-registry section instead says consulate-issued copies from November 21, 2016 — if your copy falls between those dates, ask the consulate), minor travel permits, proof-of-life certifications, nationality certificates and renunciation records; since May 12, 2017, signature acknowledgments (for example a power of attorney or contract) and certified copies |
| Police criminal-record certificate | ‘Documentos electrónicos con firma digital - Certificado De Antecedentes Judiciales - Policía Nacional’: automatic, for Colombian citizens only, with cédula number and email |
| Nationality certificate issued abroad | Option ‘Certificado de Nacionalidad expedido en el Exterior’, with the verification code and date |
| Colombian passport | Conventional: a legible copy. Machine-readable or electronic: online only |
For consul-signed documents not on that list or dated before those cut-offs, the Cancillería points to ‘Documentos digitalizados - Otros documentos’.
Official translations
Under Resolution 1959 of 2020, Article 6, as quoted by the Cancillería, before apostilling an official translation the translator’s signature must be acknowledged before a notary. The Cancillería apostilles the notary’s signature, never the content of the translation or the translator’s signature.
Validity and corrections
- Validity: an apostille or legalization does not expire, but each State or agency may ask for a new one (Cancillería FAQ).
- Before paying you can request a correction from the link in the approval email or through the request lookup.
- After paying, under Resolution 1959 of 2020 (paragraph of Article 14) as quoted by the Cancillería, you cannot claim a correction or refund.
- Who can do it? The Cancillería says anyone may apostille a document as long as it carries a public official’s signature; the holder does not have to appear.
What you cannot do from the US
- Apostille a US document in Colombia.
- Pay through PSE without an active bank account in Colombia.
- Apostille a Registraduría civil record without first going through its form.
Related information
- Colombian consular procedures in the US
- Colombian civil registry copy from the US
- Colombian police certificate from the US
- Colombian pension proof of life from the US
- Colombian power of attorney at a consulate
- How to apostille a US document
- Colombian consulates in the US
- Find pro bono legal help
Official sources
- Cancillería — Costs and payment methods: https://www.cancilleria.gov.co/atencion-y-servicio-al-ciudadano/tramites-y-servicios/apostilla-y-legalizacion-en-linea/costos-y-medios-de-pago
- Cancillería — Steps: https://www.cancilleria.gov.co/atencion-y-servicio-al-ciudadano/tramites-y-servicios/apostilla-y-legalizacion-en-linea/pasos-para-hacer-su-tramite
- Cancillería — What is an apostille?: https://www.cancilleria.gov.co/atencion-y-servicio-al-ciudadano/tramites-y-servicios/apostilla-y-legalizacion-en-linea/que-es-apostilla
- Cancillería — What is legalization?: https://www.cancilleria.gov.co/atencion-y-servicio-al-ciudadano/tramites-y-servicios/apostilla-y-legalizacion-en-linea/que-es-legalizacion
- Cancillería — Requirements: https://www.cancilleria.gov.co/atencion-y-servicio-al-ciudadano/tramites-y-servicios/apostilla-y-legalizacion-en-linea/requisitos
- Registraduría — Apostille of the civil registry: https://www.registraduria.gov.co/Apostilla-del-registro-civil.html
Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes. Fees and requirements set by the Cancillería and the Registraduría change. Verify directly with Colombia’s Cancillería and your consulate before paying. Not legal advice.