I’ve been living in Medellín since 2017 and have gone on plenty of dates with women from all around Colombia, including Cali, Medellín, Bogotá, Cartagena, and even a few small towns (pueblos). None of them really connected with me until I met someone through a mutual Colombian friend. To spare the details of my dating life, this article is about the marriage and divorce process, so I’ll keep it short. After two years of dating, we got married.
Why We Chose Marriage
Apart from my deep love for my wife to be. It happened that my business visa was expiring, and I had to leave the country because immigration was playing games with my lawyer and me. Every time we submitted paperwork, they asked for more information, and each time, it took them one to two weeks to respond. My lawyer and I started the business renewal process two months ahead of time, but by the time we submitted all the necessary documents, my visa had already expired. I was really pissed about this because I only needed 1 year left from the 5 consecutive years to qualify for Colombian residency. Since I was in a long term relationship with my girlfriend (2yrs) we figured the marriage visa would be the best option.
Marriage Requirements
I never thought ordering a piece of paper could turn into a months-long odyssey, but here I was—stuck in a bureaucratic maze that spanned two countries and drained both my patience and my wallet.
It all started with my birth certificate. Simple enough, right? Just order it from the city where I was born—New York City. I used VitalCheck, an online service that handles these things for most U.S. cities. Processing time? About two weeks.
But that was just the beginning.
The Apostille Nightmare
To use my birth certificate in Colombia, I needed it apostilled in the same state it was issued. This is where things went sideways. VitalCheck could send it directly to an apostille agency, which sounded convenient, so I went with the first one I found. Big mistake.
They took two months. Two. Long. Months.
Then, they charged me $150 for the service, plus another $40 for DHL to Medellín. By the time it finally arrived, over three weeks later, it was over 90 days old. And guess what? The notary rejected it.
“Birth certificates must be issued within the last 90 days,” they told me.
It made no sense. It was still my birth certificate. My birthdate hadn’t changed. But rules were rules.
Defeated but determined, I had to start over. This time, I had the birth certificate sent to my home in Florida. From there, I overnighted it to another apostille agency that promised expedited service. For $200, they had it back to me within 48 hours. No delays, no excuses.
I booked my flight and carried that precious document with me back to Medellín like it was the Holy Grail.
The Translation Hustle
Next hurdle: translation.
In Colombia, all foreign documents need to be translated into Spanish by a certified translator. I found a guy named Daniel in a Facebook group, though some notaries also offer the service. He did a solid job, and finally, I was one step closer to being done.
The Single Affidavit
The last requirement was a sworn statement confirming I was single. A notary had to stamp it for it to be valid. Luckily, I found a UPS Store in Florida that did it for $10. Quick, easy, and painless—something I wished the entire process had been.
Cost Breakdown
Birth Certificate: $25
- Apostille Service (Expedited): $200
- Single Affidavit Notarization: $10
- Certified Spanish Translation: $50
The Marriage Process
Once all the paperwork is submitted, you must sign a pre-marriage document and wait a few weeks while the marriage is publicly posted for objections. Once the waiting period is over, you set an appointment at the notary, where they read the vows, you sign the document, and you’re officially married.
The notary then issues a Marriage Certificate, which is required to apply for the marriage visa.
Legal Note: The standard marriage certificate is a basic agreement, but be aware of any additional clauses. For example, if you owned property before the marriage, it wouldn’t typically be included in the marriage agreement. However, a clause could be added to include all pre-marital assets. If you don’t understand what’s being said, be careful before signing.
The Divorce Process
After two years of marriage, things didn’t work out. The honeymoon phase was over, emotions ran high, and unfortunately, I only needed one more year to qualify for residency. Bad luck struck again.
During the split, I consulted multiple lawyers. Each one had a different strategy and, honestly, some were just using scare tactics to make money. My property was owned by my business and purchased before the marriage, but some lawyers claimed my wife could take it, while others said she couldn’t. In the end, lawyers are just freelancers looking for a quick payday.
After many expensive consultations, my wife and I cooled down and spoke directly with notaries that handle divorces. I learned that if you go to a different notary from where you got married, you have to redo the entire birth certificate and apostille process (as a foreigner). However, if you return to the same notary where you got married, the process is much easier.
We negotiated a Liquidation Agreement, which stated that neither of us wanted any financial claims against the other (property, finances, etc.). This is required for the divorce to proceed. If children or financial claims are involved, the divorce process becomes much more complicated.
Once we signed the liquidation and divorce paperwork at the notary, it took up to 30 days for the judge to sign off on it. In my case, it was finalized in just 36 hours. I was officially divorced. I went to the notary and picked up my official Divorce papers / certificate and finished. Back to the dating scene again.
Divorce Requirements
- Return to the Same Notary
- The notary where you were married will already have your records and marriage certificate, making the process smoother.
- Marriage Certificate
- This is required to process the divorce.
- Liquidation Agreement
- Both parties must sign an agreement stating that neither will claim financial assets from the other.
Resources During the Marriage Process
- Notary 13 – Full Service Notary for anything that has to do with Notary, Marriages etc.. Diego is one of the top guys there and speaks perfect english and is certified to translate documents from English to Spanish.
- Apostille Services – Colleen offers Apostille services in Florida. She can also receive the documents and handle the process of getting them apostilled in specific states.
- Single Affidavit: Here is the link to the Single Affidavit in Google Doc you can download as a Word Document from there.
- Daniel Sanchez – Certified English / Spanish Translator if you need someone to help you with other documents and translation services
- Daniel Visa Lawyer – If you’re getting married and want to obtain a Marriage Visa talk with Daniel. Him and his wife are very well knowledgeable in marriage laws and visa laws.
- Notary Services: You can use notarize.com to get the Single Affidavit notarized. I wish i knew about this earlier.
The resources I provided i wish i knew about earlier, it definitely would have saved me a lot of money and time.
Final Thoughts
Marriage and divorce in Colombia can be a bureaucratic nightmare, especially as a foreigner. If you’re going through this process, be aware of the costs, timelines, and legal implications. If you’re planning to marry, make sure you fully understand any clauses in the agreement. If you’re getting divorced, try to negotiate directly with your spouse before involving lawyers, as they often just look for ways to make money off you.
Would I do it again? Probably not, but I did learn a lot from the experience. If you’re going through something similar, I hope this guide helps!
