Colombian cédula from the US: free first time, US$76.28 duplicate

The cédula de ciudadanía, Colombia’s national ID, is issued by the Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil; from the United States you request it through a Colombian consulate, which takes the application. The first one is free, and so is the renewal of a cédula that is not the yellow card with holograms. A duplicate costs US $76.28 in digital format and US $67.55 as a yellow card with holograms (Registraduría fee table, Resolution 1500 of February 11, 2026, in force since March 1, 2026, checked October 3, 2026). You must appear in person, except for the online duplicate, which requires paying through PSE from a bank account in Colombia. The Registraduría estimates 1 to 3 months.

Versión en español

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

This page covers the cédula only. The Tarjeta de Registro Consular (Colombia’s consular ID card) is a different document: see Colombian consular ID.

Fees by request type

RequestFee abroadWho publishes it (checked October 3, 2026)
First timeFreeCancillería (’no tiene costo, es gratuito’); New York consulate
Renewal (cédula that is not the yellow card with holograms)FreeCancillería (‘Este servicio es gratuito’)
Duplicate, digital cédulaUS $76.28Registraduría, Res. 1500 of 2026; Cancillería; New York and Newark consulates
Duplicate, yellow cédula with hologramsUS $67.55Registraduría, Res. 1500 of 2026; Cancillería; Newark consulate
Rectification, yellow cédulaTwo figures: USD $64.27 (Cancillería page) and US $67.55 (Registraduría table, ‘duplicate and rectification’; New York and Newark consulates)Confirm with your consulate
Transfer of the cédula to another delivery pointFreeCancillería (‘sin costo alguno’)
Nationality certificate (digital)US $18.31Registraduría, Res. 1500 of 2026

On rectification: the Cancillería and the Registraduría publish different figures on the same day. The Registraduría table is the most recent one we found (in force since March 1, 2026), the New York consulate charges $67.55, and Newark lists $67.55 for ‘duplicate and rectification of the yellow cédula’, but the Cancillería page still shows $64.27. Ask your consulate which applies before paying.

Requirements by request type

First time (Cancillería):

  • Appear in person.
  • Be 18 years old.
  • Colombian by birth: an authentic copy of the Colombian birth registration (registro civil de nacimiento) or a biometric tarjeta de identidad. Colombian by adoption: the carta de naturaleza or the registration resolution.
  • Know your blood type and Rh.

The New York consulate sums it up as a printed copy of the registro civil plus knowing your blood type. If you do not have the registration copy, see Colombian civil registry copy from the US.

Renewal (for anyone who does not have the ‘yellow with holograms’ cédula): appear in person, give your cédula number and know your blood type.

In-person duplicate (loss, theft or damage): appear in person, give your cédula number, present a document that identifies you as Colombian, know your blood type, and pay the amount the consulate indicates.

Rectification (change of biographical data): appear in person with the original cédula and an updated birth registration showing the change, know your blood type, and pay.

Digital or yellow: which one you get

The Registraduría explains that at consulates with digital workstations (EIS) the request is processed ‘in principle’ for the digital cédula, in a physical version and one activated on your phone, so no photo is needed. At other consulates, and ‘in cases of rectification and renewal’, you get the yellow cédula with holograms.

The Registraduría’s EIS list includes 11 consulates in the United States: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York, Orlando, San Francisco and Washington. A note to the fee table says the digital cédula fee applies at consulates where the digital cédula is enabled (duplicates, and rectifications in cases of correcting the sex component).

According to the Colombian Embassy in the US announcement of April 2023, the consulate takes your personal data, fingerprints, signature and photo; the document’s receipt (contraseña) is emailed to you, and once the cédula is ready you return to the consulate to collect the physical version and activate it on your phone with the ‘Cédula Digital Colombia’ app.

Step by step at the consulate

  1. Book an appointment. Each consulate runs its own calendar. The New York consulate handles ‘identification procedures (cédula, tarjeta de identidad and registro civil)’ by appointment; the calendar opens Tuesday to Friday at 9:00 a.m. and appointments are for the next day. For other offices, see Colombian consulates in the US and the consulate appointment tracker.
  2. Bring the requirements for your request type (see above).
  3. Pay for a duplicate or rectification. The Cancillería notes that payment comes after the application is formalized.
  4. Biometrics are taken at the consulate.
  5. Check the status on the Registraduría website.
  6. Collect the cédula. The Registraduría delivers documents ‘with biometric authentication to the holder’.

Payment methods differ by consulate

The Cancillería cédula page lists the consulates that accept money orders for this procedure: in the US, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, Newark, New York, Orlando, San Francisco and Washington. Los Angeles is not on that list. The same page mentions electronic payment through PSE (which requires an active bank account in Colombia) and credit card payment, and asks you to confirm the payment methods enabled at each consulate.

What two consulates publish: New York’s 2026 guide lists credit card, debit card or money order for the cédula; Newark’s 2026 sheet lists credit or debit card and money order as its payment methods. The Cancillería money-order list above is the one on its cédula page; its list differs for other procedures.

Online duplicate from the US

The Cancillería says a duplicate can also be requested online through the Registraduría website. For people abroad it sets two conditions:

  • Being able to pay through PSE from a bank account in Colombia.
  • Choosing a registry office in Colombia as the delivery point. Once the request is complete, you can ask for a free transfer of the document to the nearest consulate at wsp.registraduria.gov.co/traslados.

The Registraduría adds that for the online duplicate of the yellow cédula you do not need to appear at any office, because you receive a replica of the last document issued (no new material is prepared).

Timing and delivery

  • Registraduría: ‘approximately 1 to 3 months, or according to the place of the request’.
  • New York consulate (2026 guide): two months for the cédula, counted from the day you apply.
  • If you want the cédula delivered somewhere other than where it was prepared, the Cancillería says you can request a free transfer with the Registraduría form.

Fee waivers

The Registraduría lists groups exempt from paying for duplicates and rectifications, including Sisbén IV group A and victims registered in the Registro Único de Víctimas. It says the waiver applies ‘only once’ and covers Colombians living abroad, except for these groups: requests handled during outreach days for vulnerable populations under Resolución 2527 de 2022, procedures ordered by a court, members of Colombia’s Indigenous communities, and victims of catastrophes or natural disasters. For other listed groups, approval rests with officials including consuls, with an answer within 3 days of the request.

Nationality certificate

If you need to prove Colombian nationality, the Registraduría issues a certificado de nacionalidad to people over 18 whose cédula has been issued and is not cancelled. It is requested in person at the consulate, issued with a digital signature and emailed to the applicant; the Registraduría says delivery takes 2 to 10 business days. It costs US $18.31 abroad (Registraduría 2026 table).

The cédula and voting

The Cancillería notes that registering your cédula to vote at a consulate is separate from consular registration and can be done up to two months before the election. See voting from the US in Colombian elections.

What you cannot do from the US

  • First-time, renewal and rectification requests require appearing in person at a consulate.
  • The online duplicate does not work without a bank account in Colombia for PSE, and the initial delivery point must be a registry office in Colombia (it is transferred afterward).

Your US immigration status

The Cancillería requirement lists for the cédula ask for Colombian documents (birth registration, cédula number, a document identifying you as Colombian). None of them asks for US immigration documents.

Official sources

Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes. Fees, timelines and requirements set by the Registraduría and Colombian consulates change. Verify directly with the Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil and your consulate before paying. Not legal advice.