Colombia power of attorney (poder notarial) at a US consulate

A power of attorney (poder) authorizes another person — your apoderado — to act for you in Colombia. Colombian consulates in the US handle two instruments: a poder especial, done as a recognition of your signature on a private document (US$13), and a poder general, done as an escritura pública (US$184 under Cancillería’s fee; New York charges US$208.49 in total). You sign in person before the consul, by appointment. Facts below were read on official pages on October 3, 2026.

Versión en español

The two instruments

  • Poder especial — reconocimiento de firma en documento privado. Cancillería describes it as the consul’s written testimony that the content of the document you present is true, that the signature is yours, and that you signed it as its author. The New York consulate’s guide says a poder especial “amplio y suficiente” gives the apoderado a specific scope of action, which can include real-estate, financial, legal and other representation matters.
  • Poder general — escritura pública. Cancillería: a person abroad who needs to grant a poder general to a third party “podrá hacerlo por escritura pública”. The New York guide describes it as a document that grants multiple powers of absolute representation. Consuls perform this function abroad under article 5(f) of the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, and Cancillería notes that the original escritura stays at the consulate: if you want a copy, you request and pay for it (Newark lists a copy at US$18).

Real-estate powers (New York): the guide asks for the property’s address, city and matrícula inmobiliaria, and points to article 53 of Ley 1943 of 2018 and article 61 of Ley 2010 of 2019.

Fees

InstrumentCancillería fee (outside Europe)Newark consulate, 2026 sheetNew York consulate, 2026 guide
Poder especial (reconocimiento de firma)US$13 (stamp taxes included)US$13US$13
Poder general (escritura pública)US$184US$184 + derechos notariales US$24.49US$208.49
Revocation of a poder (escritura pública)——US$208.49
Copy of an escritura—US$18—

New York’s US$208.49 equals Newark’s two lines added together. Fees read October 3, 2026; confirm the total with your consulate before the appointment.

Payment: the Newark consulate lists credit or debit card and money order; the New York consulate lists credit card, debit card or money order. Cancillería’s money-order list for these procedures names Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, Newark, New York, Orlando, San Francisco and Washington; PSE online payment requires an active bank account in Colombia, and Cancillería asks you to check the payment methods each consulate accepts. None of the consulate sources we read lists cash.

Required documents

Poder especial (reconocimiento de firma), per Cancillería:

  • A valid ID: cédula de ciudadanía in valid format (yellow with holograms), the new cédula, or a Colombian passport. With a contraseña (cédula in process), bring the receipt and the online check of its issue date from the Registraduría site.
  • The document to be recognized, not yet signed — you sign it before the consul.

The New York consulate adds that names, surnames and ID numbers in the document must match the cédulas.

Poder general (escritura pública):

  • Cancillería: a valid ID and the minuta (draft) for the escritura.
  • New York: the minuta on the consulate’s own format, sent to you by email, plus both sides of the cédulas de ciudadanía of the grantor (poderdante) and the apoderado, scanned.

Step-by-step process

  1. Decide what powers to grant. For litigation, inheritance or property, a Colombian lawyer can prepare the text.
  2. Book the appointment. The New York consulate lists notarial procedures, including the poder especial, as appointment-only; its calendar opens Tuesday to Friday at 9:00 a.m. For a poder general or a revocation, its guide says to arrange the appointment by email.
  3. Prepare the documents in the lists above. Do not sign a poder especial in advance.
  4. Sign before the consul and pay the fee.
  5. Ask how you will receive the document. For a poder general, the original escritura stays at the consulate and you request a copy.
  6. Send the poder or its copy to Colombia in the way the person or entity that will use it requires.

Revoking a poder

The New York consulate’s guide lists a revocatoria de poder by escritura pública for US$208.49. It asks for the minuta, a copy of the poder being revoked, and both sides of the cédulas of the grantor and the apoderado, scanned. Tell the apoderado directly that the authority has been revoked.

Witnesses

The New York guide lists two witnesses with their ID documents for sworn declarations (declaración juramentada, declaración de soltería). It does not list witnesses for a poder especial or a poder general.

Apostille

The sources we read do not say whether a poder signed before a Colombian consul needs an apostille to be used in Colombia. Cancillería’s online apostille and legalization service lists “Reconocimiento de firma (Ejemplo: Poder, contrato)” signed by a Colombian consul from May 12, 2017 among the documents it processes. Ask the person or entity in Colombia that will receive the poder what it requires.

The apostille process is for a different case: sending a US-issued document (US birth certificate, US marriage certificate, US court document) to Colombia.

Official sources

Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes. Power-of-attorney requirements vary by country, by transaction type, and change periodically. Verify directly with the Colombia consulate and, for complex matters, consult a Colombia lawyer. Not legal advice.