If your minor child is going to leave Colombia without you, Colombian law requires your authorization, and from the United States you give it by recognizing your signature on the exit permit (permiso de salida) before any Colombian consulate. Cancillería, Colombia’s foreign ministry, says people abroad who “requieran autorizar la salida del país de sus hijos menores de edad, deberán reconocer sus firmas en el permiso de salida ante cualquier consulado.” Cancillería’s published fee is USD $13 (rest of the world), the same amount the Newark and New York consulates list in their 2026 fee sheets (checked October 3, 2026). There is a separate route for minors who have lived outside Colombia for a year or more and travel with the custodial parent: the certificate of residence abroad under Ley 1878 de 2018.

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Key facts

ItemDetail (checked October 3, 2026)
What it isRecognition of the parent’s signature on the minor’s permit to leave Colombia
Where“Ante cualquier consulado” (before any Colombian consulate), per Cancillería
FeeUSD $13 (Cancillería, rest of the world); $13 on the Newark and New York 2026 fee sheets
Permanent permit by public deed$184 (Newark, “Poder General y permiso permanente de salida de menor”); $201.49 (New York)
Certificate of residence abroadUSD $33 (Cancillería)
AppointmentNew York lists it under “Trámites con cita previa”
Legal basisLey 1098 de 2006 (Childhood and Adolescence Code); Ley 1878 de 2018 for the residence certificate

Requirements Cancillería publishes

For the signature recognition on the exit permit, Cancillería asks for:

  1. The minor’s full name and ID number.
  2. Destination.
  3. Purpose of the trip.
  4. Departure and return dates.
  5. Full name and ID number of the person who will travel with the minor.
  6. A copy of the minor’s birth registration (registro civil de nacimiento).
  7. The signing parent’s cédula de ciudadanía in a current format, or passport. A parent holding a contraseña (receipt for a cédula in process) brings the duplicate or renewal receipt with the online issue-date check downloaded from the Registraduría website.
  8. If the parent is a foreign national: a valid passport.

The New York Consulate’s 2026 user guide describes the same procedure: the parent granting the permit appears with the cédula “en formato válido” (a foreign parent brings a valid passport “o el documento que aparece en el registro del menor”), brings a “Copia impresa del Registro Civil (con el espacio de notas)” and must have “las fechas de salida y de ingreso de Colombia.”

Why it is required. Cancillería explains that this authentication “la exige la Ley de Infancia y Adolescencia (Ley 1098 del 2006), y no fue derogado por el Decreto 0019 del 2012.”

Step by step

  1. Define the trip: destination, purpose, departure and return dates, and who will accompany the minor (with their ID number).
  2. Gather the copy of the minor’s birth registration and your cédula in a current format or passport.
  3. Book an appointment. The New York Consulate lists the “permiso de salida de menor” among notarial procedures that need an appointment, and its booking calendar opens Tuesday to Friday at 9:00 a.m. For other cities, see the consulate appointment tracker or Colombian consulates in the US.
  4. Sign before the consular officer and pay the fee.
  5. Get the permit to the person who will travel with the minor from Colombia.

How to pay

Cancillería’s page for this procedure lists the consulates that accept money orders; the US ones listed are Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York, Orlando, San Francisco and Washington. It also offers electronic payment through PSE, which Cancillería says requires “una cuenta activa en Colombia” (an active Colombian bank account), and notes that payment comes after the application is formalized. Newark’s 2026 fee sheet lists “TARJETA CRÉDITO O DEBITO / MONEY ORDER” as payment methods, and the New York guide lists “Tarjeta de crédito, débito o money order.” Cancillería asks applicants to confirm the payment methods each consulate accepts.

Permanent exit permit (public deed)

Besides a permit for a specific trip, the consulates publish a permanent exit permit for a minor granted by public deed (escritura pública), at a different fee:

ConsulateWhat it publishes (2026 fee sheets)
Newark“Poder General y permiso permanente de salida de menor $184”; separately lists “Derechos notariales $24.49” (notarial charges)
New York“permiso permanente de salida de menor”: $201.49

For this procedure the New York guide asks for a completed draft deed (minuta, a special form the consulate sends by email), both parents’ cédulas scanned on both sides in a valid format, and a copy of the minor’s birth registration “tomada del libro original con fecha de expedición reciente” (taken from the original book, recently issued). The appointment is arranged by email with the consulate.

Minors who live abroad: the certificate of residence

Cancillería explains that since March 9, 2018, children and teenagers with habitual residence abroad of one year or more who leave Colombia with the parent who has custody “ya no requerirán la autorización del otro padre” (no longer need the other parent’s authorization). In that case they must present:

  • the certificate of residence abroad (certificación de residencia en el exterior), issued by the competent consulate, and
  • a copy of the document establishing custody in the parent they travel with.

Requirements for the residence certificate (Cancillería)

  1. The minor’s identity document.
  2. The applicant’s identity document.
  3. Documents proving the minor’s residence for one year or more, “por ejemplo: constancias estudiantiles, certificado de afiliación médica” (for example, school records or a health-coverage certificate).
  4. A copy of the custody document “expedido u homologado por autoridad colombiana” (issued or recognized by a Colombian authority).
  5. The minor’s migration-movements certificate (certificado de movimientos migratorios) issued by Migración Colombia. Migración Colombia set the 2026 fee for the Certificado de Movimientos Migratorios at $89.000 Colombian pesos (Migración Colombia 2026 fee announcement, checked October 3, 2026).

The certificate costs USD $33 according to Cancillería (checked October 3, 2026). The New York Consulate’s 2026 guide lists a separate, general “Certificado de residencia” at $34 with different requirements; it does not say that one is the certificate for a minor’s exit, so ask your consulate which one to request.

When a permit is still needed

According to Cancillería:

  • If habitual residence abroad is less than one year, the minor needs permission from both parents or from the legal representative not traveling, “debidamente autenticado ante notario o autoridad consular.”
  • If the minor leaves with the non-custodial parent or a third party, the custodial parent’s exit permit is needed, together with the residence certificate and the custody document.
  • If a foreign authority issued the custody document, Cancillería says the exequatur procedure must have been completed.
  • If custody and habitual residence abroad are not proven, “se deberá contar con el permiso de los padres” (the parents’ permission is required).

Cancillería points to Ley 1878 de 2018, which amends article 110 of Ley 1098 de 2006.

Your US immigration status

The exit-permit requirement lists from Cancillería and the New York Consulate ask for Colombian documents (birth registration, cédula or passport) and include no US immigration documents. For the residence certificate, New York mentions US residence evidence such as a driver’s license or bank statements. If your situation involves a custody dispute or an immigration case, talk to a lawyer (see find pro bono legal help).

Official sources

Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes. Requirements and fees are set by Colombia’s Cancillería and each consulate, and can change. Verify directly with your Colombian consulate before your appointment. Not legal advice.