How to get an Apostille for a Colombian Visa
When applying for certain Colombian visas, the Cancillería (Colombian foreign ministry) requires that foreign documents be apostilled in order to be deemed valid. For many expats, this is their first encounter with an apostille and they are left confused as to what exactly they are being asked to do. With this in mind, I have written a general overview of the apostilling process and how you can obtain one for your Colombian visa.
What is an apostille?
An apostille is a method by which a country certifies that a public document is authentic so that it will be accepted by another country. Not every country issues and accepts apostilles (only signatories to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention), though Colombia, the US, and most European countries, do. If your country does not grant apostilles (such as Canada), you must go through another process to authenticate public documents. A full list of countries that issue and accept apostilles can be found here.
What does an apostille look like?
An apostille is a piece of paper that will be attached to the public document you are authenticating (E.g. birth certificate). On the apostille you will find:
title of Apostille (and usually a reference to 1961 Hague Apostille Convention)
Country of origin of the document
Information about the document being authenticated, including: Title of document, who signed it, their title, and the seal/stamp affixed
Information about the public official certifying the document, including: Public official’s name, signature, title, location, date, and seal/stamp
What documents can be apostilled?
Only documents containing a public official's signature or seal can be apostilled. Examples include birth certificates and marriage certificates, which are signed by government clerks, and criminal background checks, which are signed by law enforcement officials.
An apostille vs. a notarized document
Though superficially similar, an apostille and a notarized document are not the same things. As stated above, an apostille is a country’s acknowledgment that a public document is authentic (through authenticating a public official’s signature/seal). A notarized document, on the other hand, just means that a public notary has witnessed the signature of the person signing a document. Notarized documents are important in cases such as wills or property deeds, to eliminate later conflict about the authenticity of the signature, but notarization does not by itself prove that a public document is authentic in an inter-country immigration matter.
Where to get an apostille
You must always get an apostille from the country where the document you are authenticating is from. So if you are trying to authenticate an FBI background check, you will need an apostille from the United States.
Apostilles can only be granted by specific apostilling authorities within a country so you need to figure out which public entity you must apply to. Common apostilling authorities include the ministry of foreign affairs, records offices, the courts, and the prosecutors-general. You must also be aware that some countries break authority up by geographic region or federal jurisdictional lines, meaning you may need to get the apostille in the locality of the official who signed the document.
This all sounds more complicated than it really is and, with a little bit of internet research, it is generally pretty easy to figure out which governmental authority you will need to apply to.
How to apply for an apostille
Once you determine which government entity you need the apostille from, the simplest way to figure out the application procedure is by consulting its website.
Standard requirements will include:
An application - typically a standardized government form
The document you wish to be apostilled
A pre-paid envelope or a return address (if you are having it mailed back to you)
Payment
Location/Method of application
As an example, here is the apostille website for the United States Department of State, which has the authority to grant apostilles for the United States Federal Government. On it, you find that in order to apply you need:
Documents: Request of Authentications Service DS-4194 form; and,
Document(s) requiring authentication services; and,
One self-addressed, prepaid envelope for the return of your document
Payment: $20 per document for all services.
Method: Mail your packet to the following address: Office of Authentications, U.S. Department of State
Note that the method of application may be more varied with other apostilling authorities as some have drop-off locations or even same-day in-person apostilling services. Colombia even allows online apostilling of documents.
How to apply for an apostille for your Colombian visa
If you are physically in your home country, getting a document apostilled tends to be straightforward. Following the instructions on the apostilling authority’s website, it is generally a matter of mailing in your application and having it mailed back to you or driving to the government office and having them issue an apostille while you wait.
If you are already in Colombia and need to get a document apostilled, you have the following options:
Mail in the apostille application and have it mailed back to you
Use an for-profit apostille service
Fly to your home country and get your apostille there
One thing to keep in mind, that many expats get wrong, is that embassies and consulates do not issue apostilles, meaning that you always have to apply to your home country to receive one. The confusion lies in that embassies do provide notary services. But, as explained above, this is not the same.
Applying for an apostille by mail from Colombia
Applying for an apostille by mail from Colombia is possible, and many people do it, but you must be aware of the following issues:
Never use Colombia’s national postal service 4-72 to mail in your apostille application as they are famously unreliable. This also applies to any return mail (i.e. the finished apostilled document) which may be sent to you directly from your home government. Make sure that Fedex, DHL, USP, etc.. will be used on both legs of the journey, or find another option.
Some governments will not mail back apostilles to addresses outside the country (this is the case for the US government). Make sure you check on this before you send in your application. In this instance, you may have to have it mailed to a family member or freight operator to then forward it to your address in Colombia.
Keep in mind that there is a time limit on how long an apostille is valid. So if you come from a country where the mail service and/or government functions are notoriously slow, it may be worth paying to fast-track the process if possible. You can often check on the apostilling authority’s website on how long the process is taking and if there is a backlog.
For-Profit Apostille Services
There are for-profit apostille services in almost every country that charge a premium to streamline the process. When an applicant is in-country, these services are only generally needed if there is some extraordinary deadline that needs to be met. Otherwise, they are not worth the cost when it is so straightforward to do it yourself.
But it may be worth looking into these services if you are applying from abroad, for all of the reasons mentioned above (i.e. untrustworthy mail, can’t have it mailed back, deadlines). These services do not apostille the document for you, but, instead, receive your application, physically take it to the apostilling authority, receive the finished apostille, and then mail it to you in Colombia using a trusted carrier.
This is not to dissuade anyone from doing the apostille application process themselves from Colombia but if you have time constraints or your budget allows, it may be worth looking into these services to avoid future headaches.
How long are apostilled documents valid for in Colombia?
Apostilled documents are valid for three months for immigration purposes in Colombia. After that, Cancillería may reject your apostilled document as invalid and ask you to provide a new one. This rule was slightly bent during Covid, due to backlogs in many government offices around the world, but this three-month rule should be kept in mind when determining when to file your visa application.
What Colombian visa application documents may need to be apostilled
A non-exhaustive list of documents that may need to be apostilled include:
Mercosur Visa - Criminal background check
Marriage Visa - Marriage Certificate (if married outside Colombia)
Parent of a Colombian Child - Birth Certificate (if a child is born abroad)
** Retirement Visa - Social Security benefits letter ** - THERE IS AN EXCEPTION TO THIS
Conclusion
If you have any questions about the apostilling process, or need help with any other aspect of your Colombian visa, feel free to contact Restrepo Legal today.