Marriage with a Colombian woman in Colombia as an U.S citizen
This information is about how to getting married to a Colombian Woman in Colombia.
It is not about how to obtain a visa for your spouse or fiancé(e) to travel to the United States.
We have enough of experience to perform and host marriage in Colombia. We have already helped many men in getting married in Colombia.
Marriages in Colombia can be contracted in a civil or religious ceremony. Civil weddings are performed by a Colombian official known as a notary (called a notario in Spanish). Notary offices are located throughout Colombia and are plentiful in large cities like Bogota, which is the capital and the largest city aswell. Additionally there are some Notary offices that we recommend. The first step is to contact a notary and we will discuss required documents and other procedures with you.
Because Colombian marriage laws leave room for interpretation, marriage requirements sometimes vary from notary to notary.
Some notaries can demand different things from you. It is different from notary to notary really. Some notaries won´t even accept to realize a marriage with a foreigner, because they don`t have any experience with it and they don`t want to make mistakes. This is why it`s important to get the right notaries that are experienced in marriages with U.S citizens. We only work with notaries in Bogota, which are professional and competent.
In all cases, the notary will require certified copies of both spouses’ birth certificates. For birth certificates issued in the United States, you will need to obtain a Spanish-language translation of the document, as well as an apostille. It is cheaper to let your documents be translated by one of our official translators in Bogota. Colombia.
Both spouses will also be asked to present proof that they are eligible to marry — in other words, that they are not currently married. We only work with Colombian Women, which are either single, divorced or widowed.
For a Colombian, this is a quiet simple matter of requesting a copy of his or her civil registration, a document issued by the Colombian National Registry that indicates marital status.
No such document exists in the United States.
Colombia is aware of this and will instead accept a sworn affidavit testifying to your freedom to marry.
You can acquire this affidavit in two ways:
- A sworn statement can be made at the American embassy or consulate in front of a a consular official in Colombia.
- An affidavit prepared by a lawyer licensed in the USA and/or in Colombia.
It is usually necessary for both parties to the marriage to attend when such a statement is being made.
Some notaries may allow you to present signed, notarized letters from friends or family, swearing that you are unmarried. If prepared in the United States, these notarized letters would have to be accompanied by a Spanish-language translation and an apostille.
Religious weddings in Colombia are handled by individual religious officials and involve similar documentary procedures, along with additional religious requirements. After a religious wedding, the marriage must be registered at a notary’s office. For further details about religious weddings in Colombia, we may contact the religious organization that will perform the ceremony.
Once you are married, there is no legal requirement that you notify the Embassy of your marriage, or that you otherwise register the marriage with the U.S. government, except in the process of requesting a foreign spouse’s immigrant visa, in order to get your wife to the USA.
In summary, when you decide to book our VIP TOUR, we will support you 100% regarding marriage in Colombia.
Given that the necessary requirements are met, we can guarentee you that your marriage in Colombia will run smoothly, successful without the need of an external lawyer.
