Register a US marriage with Colombia: free at the consulate

If you are Colombian and married in the United States, the marriage is recorded in Colombia’s civil registry, kept by the Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil. From the US you do it at a Colombian consulate, and it is free: the Cancillería (Colombia’s Foreign Ministry) says ’this service has no cost at Colombian consulates abroad’ (checked October 3, 2026). The base document is your US marriage certificate, apostilled and translated into Spanish. The declarant must appear in person.

Versión en español

Quoted passages from Colombian official sources appear either in the original Spanish or, where shown in English, in our translation.

Key facts

ItemDetail (checked October 3, 2026)
Who keeps the recordRegistraduría Nacional del Estado Civil
Where to register from the USA Colombian consulate (MinJusticia notes any act affecting a civil record can also be registered at any office in Colombia)
Fee at the consulateFree (Cancillería)
Base documentUS marriage certificate or record, apostilled or legalized and translated
AppearanceIn person, by the declarant
AppointmentThe New York consulate handles civil registry procedures by appointment
Processing timeThe Cancillería page does not publish a timeframe for this procedure

Who must register the marriage

The Registraduría says marriages celebrated in Colombia or abroad ‘between two Colombians, or a Colombian and a foreigner’ must be registered, whether the Colombians are so by birth or by adoption. Registration, per the Registraduría, gives the marriage public effect and proves that it exists.

Requirements at the consulate

The Cancillería page for civil marriage registration asks for:

  1. The declarant’s personal appearance.
  2. The declarant’s original cédula de ciudadanía and a photocopy.
  3. One certified copy (copia fiel) of the marriage certificate or record.
  4. One copy of each spouse’s ID: the cédula for Colombians and a valid passport for foreigners.
  5. If there is a prenuptial agreement (capitulaciones) or court orders, a certified copy so it can be noted in the record; the document stays in the consulate’s archive.

A 2021 Ministry of Justice (MinJusticia, LegalApp) page summarizing the same procedure adds a certified copy of the Colombian spouse’s birth registration. The Cancillería’s current list does not include it; bring it if you have it or confirm with your consulate.

Apostille of the US marriage certificate

The Registraduría is explicit: the base document for registering a marriage celebrated abroad is ’the foreign civil record duly apostilled or legalized and translated into Spanish’ if it is in another language. The Cancillería repeats the rule for every document from foreign authorities: they ‘must be apostilled and/or legalized, as applicable’.

The Cancillería’s apostille page explains that a document from a country that is party to the Hague Convention must be apostilled ‘by the competent authority of the country of origin’. As a reference for consular practice: for US birth certificates, the New York consulate’s 2026 guide asks for an apostille from the Department of State of the state where the child was born. For the US apostille process, see how to apostille a US document.

Translation: three sources, three versions

SourceWhat it says
Cancillería (civil registry page)Translated ‘by an authorized translator’ if not in Spanish
Registraduría (Colombians abroad page)Translated ‘by a professional authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’
MinJusticia, LegalApp (2021)‘If the person is outside national territory, providing a translation by an official translator is not an obligation’
New York consulate, 2026 guide (for births)Accepts a ‘simple translation into Spanish of the birth certificate’

Because the sources disagree, ask your consulate what kind of translation it accepts for a marriage before paying for one.

Special cases

  • Same-sex marriage celebrated abroad. The Registraduría says the base document is ’the foreign civil record duly apostilled or legalized and translated, as applicable’.
  • Civil and religious marriage of the same couple. If a registration already exists for an earlier act between the same spouses, the Registraduría does not open a new serial: it adds a nota de complementación to the existing record.
  • Prenuptial agreements. They are noted in the Colombian marriage record using a certified copy (Cancillería).

Step by step

  1. Get the US marriage certificate (see vital records by state).
  2. Apostille it in the US (see how to apostille a US document).
  3. Translate it into Spanish in the form your consulate accepts (see the table).
  4. Book an appointment. The New York consulate lists civil registry among procedures ‘con cita previa’ (by appointment); the calendar opens Tuesday to Friday at 9:00 a.m. For other offices, see Colombian consulates in the US and the consulate appointment tracker.
  5. Appear with the original cédula and photocopy, the certified copy of the certificate, and each spouse’s ID.
  6. After registration, per MinJusticia (2021), the consulate notifies the Registraduría so it can update the civil record.

Afterward: copies of the marriage record

A copy of a marriage record registered at a consulate is issued only by that same consulate, and costs US $10.94 abroad under the Registraduría’s 2026 table. To request it you give the consulate, the serial indicator and the spouse’s cédula number. See Colombian civil registry copy from the US.

What you cannot do from the US

  • Register the marriage without appearing: the Cancillería requires the declarant’s personal appearance.
  • Use the marriage certificate without an apostille (or legalization), or without a translation if it is in English.

Your US immigration status

The Cancillería list asks for the declarant’s cédula, the marriage certificate and each spouse’s ID (cédula or valid passport). It does not ask for US immigration documents.

Official sources

Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes. Requirements set by the Registraduría, the Cancillería and Colombian consulates change. Verify directly with your consulate before starting. Not legal advice.