Honduran copia de folio: free at the RNP, L 200 authentication

The copia de folio is a photocopy of the page in the original book where a birth was registered in Honduras. It is issued by the Municipal Civil Registrar of the Registro Nacional de las Personas (RNP), and the RNP says it is “un requisito fundamental que solicita el Centro Nacional de Visas de los Estados Unidos, para otorgar la residencia a un hondureño” — a fundamental requirement the US National Visa Center asks for to grant residency to a Honduran. The copy itself is free; to be valid abroad it needs an RNP authentication of Lps. 200.00 and then a SRECI apostille (RNP fee checked October 3, 2026). The key condition: the two RNP sources we read describe the request before the Municipal Civil Registrar or the Central Archive in Honduras, presenting the national ID card, and do not describe a remote or representative request.

Versión en español

Cost and steps at a glance

StepWhereCost (checked October 3, 2026)
Copia de folioMunicipal Civil Registry of the registration, or RNP Central ArchiveFree
Countersignature (refrendo)The Municipal Civil Registrar who issues it (signature, seal and date)No separate fee published
AuthenticationRNP Secretaría General, Edificio Villatoro, first floor, boulevard Morazán, TegucigalpaLps. 200.00, TGR-RNP receipt
ApostilleForeign ministry (SRECI)SRECI states that it handles authentications, apostilles and translation approvals in Honduras.

Timing: the RNP says “el tiempo de entrega depende de forma de trabajo de cada Registro Civil Municipal” — delivery time depends on each Municipal Civil Registry. It publishes no validity period.

Where to request it

According to the RNP’s Servicios Varios page, the copia de folio can be requested:

  • At the Municipal Civil Registry (RCM) where the birth was registered. The RNP says it serves all 298 municipalities in the country.
  • At the RNP’s Central Archive, in colonia 21 de Octubre in Tegucigalpa (the RNP’s site places it on calle Modesto Rodas, 100 meters east of the City Hall, in the former DIMACO building).
  • Exception: citizens of municipality 0801 request it at the Tegucigalpa RCM.

Requirement: the requester presents their national identification document (tarjeta de identidad) to the Municipal Civil Registrar.

Requesting it from the US: what the RNP sources describe

The two RNP sources we read (its Servicios Varios page and its copia de folio requirements PDF) do not describe a way to request the copia de folio online, by mail, at a consulate or through a representative. The requirements PDF says the requester presents their ID card to the Municipal Civil Registrar, and places the authentication at an office in Tegucigalpa. That silence does not mean those routes are forbidden. If you are in the United States, the question goes to the Municipal Civil Registry of your registration or the RNP contact center (centrodecontacto@rnp.hn, 2247-9898).

For validity abroad

The RNP’s requirements PDF sets four conditions:

  1. The copy must be countersigned by the Municipal Civil Registrar who issues it: signature, seal and date.
  2. It is authenticated at the RNP’s Secretaría General, Edificio Villatoro, first floor, boulevard Morazán, Tegucigalpa.
  3. The authentication costs Lps. 200.00 and is paid with a TGR-RNP receipt at any bank branch.
  4. It is then apostilled at the foreign ministry (Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores).

SRECI states that it handles authentications, apostilles and translation approvals in Honduras. SRECI handles the apostille at its Tegucigalpa windows (delivered in one day) or online, by uploading the already-authenticated document as a PDF; the electronic apostille arrives by email. Details in apostille Honduran documents.

The format of the copy

The RNP explains that the format depends on the year of registration: “las personas que fueron inscritas en el año 1984 la copia de folio es manuscrita, porque las inscripciones se hacían en las Alcaldías Municipales y aun no existía el RNP” — for people registered in 1984 the copy is handwritten, because registrations were made at municipal offices and the RNP did not yet exist. It also says the format cannot be modified, except in a reposición de oficio, which happens when the original book is deteriorated, lost or destroyed.

Copia de folio vs. birth certificate

Copia de folioBirth certificate
What it isPhotocopy of the original registration book pageCertification of the birth record
WhereMunicipal Civil Registry or Central ArchiveThe RNP’s RNP MOVIL app (per its listing)
Published feeFree (Lps. 200.00 authentication separate)Not published

The copia de folio also appears in other RNP procedures: correcting a registration (rectificación) requires a recent folio copy countersigned by the Registrar. See Honduran birth certificate.

Your US immigration status

The requirement the RNP publishes is the Honduran national ID card. It does not include any US immigration documents. If your visa case raises legal questions, see find pro bono immigration help.

Official sources

Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes. Fees and requirements of the Registro Nacional de las Personas and SRECI change. Verify directly with the Registro Nacional de las Personas (RNP) or the Municipal Civil Registry of your registration. Not legal advice.