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Need a fresh copy of a Colombian registro civil that you registered at a consulate? Start by checking what kind of copy the receiving office needs and whether your record is available through the official online service. You may be able to avoid a trip to Bogotá.
For context: I am an American-born citizen with dual citizenship in Colombia. In Colombia, I have both a Colombian passport and cédula de ciudadanía. I registered my registro civil de nacimiento at the Colombian Consulate in Orlando, Florida and, after an atrocious experience there, decided to apply for my passport, register my marriage, and the registro civil de nacimiento for my oldest child who was born in the U.S. at the Colombian Consulate in San Francisco, California. I’ve lived in Colombia since December 2022 and have needed an updated copy of my registro civil de matrimonio for my partner’s Colombian visa application. Sharing that before you read further to be sure this will be helpful for you and the answers you’re looking to receive.
My experience was with a registro civil de matrimonio registered at the Colombian Consulate in San Francisco. In 2024, I obtained copies through Notaría Primera in Bogotá, both in person and by requesting a physical copy by email for courier delivery in Colombia.
I’ve since needed another copy for my husband’s visa. The process was unchanged and the cost had increased only slightly. I even came back to this guide to jog my own memory! For that application, we only needed the copy; marginal notes weren’t required.
Official options and requirements below were reviewed on October 24, 2026. The detailed trip, cost and delivery-time tables describe my 2024 experiences, including the approximate USD amounts. The repeat-request update above reflects my later experience.
Before choosing a route, ask the office receiving your document how recent the copy must be, which format it accepts, and whether it needs marginal notes. That will help you avoid paying for a version you cannot use.
This post will cover:
Current Options for Getting a Registro Civil Copy
Start here to work out which route fits your request:
| Your situation | First step |
|---|---|
| Your record is available online and the receiving office accepts that version | Use the official digital-copy portal. Check suitability before paying. |
| You need marginal notes, or cannot get the required version online | Confirm which office holds your record. If unsure, start with the consulate or office where it was registered. |
| Notaría Primera confirms it holds your record and can send the required copy | Ask for current email-request instructions and a delivery quote. My experience below was delivery within Colombia. |
| You need to collect a physical copy in person | Confirm the record location, requirements and collection arrangements before travelling. |
The Registraduría’s online copies are emailed with a QR code and digital signature, but do not include marginal notes. If the record is unavailable in the system, you may need the office holding it. Official procedure, section 7.4 and activity 2.
Current fees, separate from my 2024 costs
| Route | Published amount checked October 24, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Registraduría physical copy in Colombia, copy fee only | COP 10,800 |
| Registraduría online copy in Colombia | COP 18,750 |
| Notaría Primera’s listed national dispatch package | COP 42,150 |
The Registraduría fees took effect March 1, 2026. Official fee schedule.
Notaría Primera lists COP 10,800 for the copy, COP 18,000 for national shipping and COP 13,350 as a bank commission. Confirm applicable charges before paying. Its published contact is registrocivil@notaria1bogota.com.co, at Calle 16 No. 4–62, Bogotá. For use abroad, request instructions and a separate quote; this domestic total does not cover international delivery or a completed apostille. Notaría Primera’s current instructions.
What Is a Registro Civil in Colombia?
A registro civil is Colombia’s official civil registration document, the equivalent of vital records in the U.S. There are three types and they’re all mouthfuls:
- Registro civil de nacimiento (birth certificate)
- Registro civil de matrimonio (marriage certificate)
- Registro civil de defunción (death certificate).
This guide covers how to get a copy of any of the three, though for most people reading this, you’ll likely need either a registro civil de nacimiento or de matrimonio. If you’re registering a newborn’s birth for the first time, I’ve covered that separately in my Colombian birth registration guide.
The registro civil de nacimiento records a birth, while the registro civil de matrimonio records a marriage. I’ve needed copies of my marriage registration for my partner’s Colombian spouse visa applications (Visa M Cónyuge).
Not every copy must come from the original notary. The Registraduría lists authorized offices that can issue copies; its original-office restriction for tomo y folio records should not be applied to every record. Official copy-request guidance. Notaría Primera held my marriage record, but confirm where yours is held rather than assuming all U.S.-consulate records follow the same route.
Documents You’ll Need: A Quick Checklist
For my Notaría Primera requests, I used the following. Confirm the current requirements and payment method with the office handling your record:
- Identification: I brought my cédula de ciudadanía.
- A copy of the registro civil, with the Indicativo Serial visible.
- The consulate or country where it was registered.
- Payment using the method the office specified.
- For my email request: proof of payment, contact details and the Colombian delivery address.
Why You Might Need a Recent Registro Civil Copy
My registro civil de matrimonio was registered at the San Francisco Colombian Consulate in February 2020. We needed a recent copy when we first applied for my partner’s spouse visa in 2023 (his visa was only granted for a year) and again in 2024, when he was granted a two-year visa.
The current Visa M Cónyuge checklist requests an authentic copy of the Colombian marriage registration issued within the three months before the visa application. Check the requirements for your own visa category. Cancillería’s spouse-visa checklist.
For reference, the image below shows the notary seal and date on my physical copy. For me, this has usually been on the back of my registro civil de matrimonio. It illustrates my document, rather than the appearance of every accepted copy.
In the applications described here, this was one of the final documents we needed to submit, and we did so about a week after the stamp was issued.
Other reasons you’d need to get a copy of a registro civil:
- You lost the copy you had.
- You need a birth-registration copy for a child’s departure from Colombia. I was previously told by a notary and an immigration officer to obtain a copy within 30 days of the flight, while other parents reported using older copies. The current Migración Colombia departure checklist asks for a physical copy or legible image of the birth registration and does not state a blanket 30-day issuance rule for it. Check that checklist for your situation; parental permission is a separate requirement.
Below are the two ways I obtained my own record from Notaría Primera, followed by the authorized Registraduría option. Confirm which route is available for your record before making plans.
Option 1: My In-Person Request at Notaría Primera (2024)
What I Brought in April 2024
These are the items and payment options from my April 2024 visit. Confirm the current requirements before going.
- Identification (I brought my cédula de ciudadanía)
- Copy of the registro civil you need issued. They should be able to find it by your name, but at the very least I’ve always been asked for the “Indicativo Serial.” (I brought my registro de matrimonio)
- Payment for the copy in cash or you can pay via transferencia to their Bancolombia account (In April 2024, it cost 9.800 COP$. Cost can be found on the Notaría Primera website under “Valor del Registro Civil”)
Step-by-Step: My April 2024 Registro Civil Copy Request
The steps below describe my April 2024 visit, including the office layout and places nearby. Ask staff for current directions when you arrive.
- Go to the Notaría Primera de Bogotá – Calle 16 No. 4 – 62, Bogotá.
- Reference the image at the top of this post. You’ll see #4-62 is the main entrance in the middle of the building with double doors. To the right is #4-60. First you enter through #4-60 and head upstairs. Wait in line to speak to the person behind the desk on the right. You’ll see two doors on the left, ignore those.
- Tell them you need a copy of the registro you need with that day’s date.
- Make the payment
- They’ll give you a receipt and tell you roughly how long it’ll take to receive the copy. DO NOT THROW AWAY THE RECEIPT. That day they told me it would be about 45 minutes.
- Up to you where you want to wait. There’s a Mexican restaurant a couple doors down from the Notaría and a Juan Valdez next to that. There’s also a seating area with tables and chairs available in the main entrance directly next to where you pick up your copy.
- When it’s time for you to grab your copy or you want to sit in the seating area provided, enter through the main entrance (#4-62) and walk past desks on the left hand side. You’ll run into the seating area when you see wooden chairs and tables.
- To see if your registro is ready for pick up, wait in the “Secretaria de Despacho” line to the right of the seating area.
- Once it’s your turn, give them your receipt and let them know you’re picking up the copy of the registro. They’ll take your receipt and give you the copy that has that day’s date!
Pro Tip: Keep a Scan for Your Records
This is what I did after collecting my copy in April 2024. The shop details and price below are from that visit.
- Especially helpful when you’re on a time crunch or if you’re like me and want to move along with the application process immediately —I digitize the document so I can forward it to who it needs to go to and save for my records. Right across the street from the Notaría there’s a little shopping center where there’s a souvenir shop, jewelry store, and photo copy/internet cafe with a sign “Internet Banda Ancha Papeleria Fotocopias Impresion Laser.” When you exit the Notaría go across the street, down the stairs, and it’ll be a few doors down on the right hand side
- 5 minutes and 3.500 COP$ later the registro de matrimonio was scanned and sent to my WhatsApp. I saved it to my Google Drive and immediately forwarded it to the lawyer submitting our application. It’s possible to submit on your own without help, but this is a task we chose to delegate and pay a service to help us with the process. Very worth it IMO.
My April 2024 Trip Costs
| Item | Cost (COP$) |
|---|---|
| Round trip one-day flight from MDE to BOG purchased day before | 383.860 |
| Uber to notary from airport | 40.000 |
| Notarized copy with date and stamp | 9.800 |
| Scanned copy sent to me via WhatsApp | 3.500 |
| Taxi from the notary to the airport | 60.000 |
| Total: | 497.160 or ~$130 USD |
My April 2024 Trip Timing
| Item | Time (Hours) |
|---|---|
| Time from my front door to the gate and back home (no checked bags) | 2 |
| Flight time to BOG and back to MDE | 1.8 |
| Time to request the copy at the notaria and receive it | 1.25 |
| Drive time to and from the notaria and back to the airport | 2 |
| Getting the document scanned and digitized | .15 |
|
Total: |
7.2 hours |
Plus an extra 3 hours at the airport lounge in Bogota before my return flight. I scheduled my return flight the same day but after business hours in case I ran into problems at the notary. Thankfully it was a breeze with no problems, but you just never know in Colombia or with traffic in Bogotá. Plan accordingly.
Option 2: Request a Physical Copy by Email for Courier Delivery
How My 2024 Email Request Worked
This was my 2024 request for a physical copy sent by courier in Colombia. Confirm current charges, payment instructions and delivery arrangements before sending payment.
- Email registrocivil@notaria1bogota.com.co. I would check to confirm the contact is the same as it is on this website.
- I would first reach out to confirm you can receive your recently issued copy and what information they’ll need from you. That’s what I did and below is the information they required at the time I inquired in March 2024.
- In the body, I wrote:
- “Necesito una copia del registro de [which registro civil you need you need] identificado con número serial [insert serial number here] que incluya el sello de la fecha en que fue emitida la copia.”
- And included the following information:
- Nombre
- No. Indicativo Serial del registro de matrimonio
- País de registro
- Dirección
- Ciudad para el envío
- Teléfonos del contacto y a nombre de quien se envía el sobre
- Correo electrónico
- The screenshot of my Bancolombia transfer for proof of payment for the copy and mailing fee. (Use the current payment instructions from the notary, linked in the first bullet)
- A copy of my registro de matrimonio to reference
- I received an email the following day confirming receipt and that my request was being processed.
- I received my physical copy in the mail 2.5 days later via ServiEntrega.
My 2024 Courier Costs
| Item | Cost (COP$) |
|---|---|
| Notarized copy with date and stamp | 9.800 |
| Mail within Colombia fee | 15.000 |
| Total: | 24.800 or ~$6.50 USD |
My 2024 Courier Timing
| Item | Time |
|---|---|
| Original email confirming they can send me a physical copy by courier and what information they need. This is the time it took from when I sent it to when they responded. I’m sure this will vary so plan accordingly for delayed response times. | 12 hours |
| Email the information and payment on a Wednesday evening. | 10 minutes |
| Wait time until receiving the physical copy via ServiEntrega the following Saturday afternoon | 2.5 days |
| Total: | 3.5 days |
Option 3: Ask an Authorized Registraduría
In my original experience, I went to three different offices in Medellín and they all told me I had to go to Bogotá or email Notaría Primera. That was frustrating, but it does not mean a local office cannot help with your record. The Registraduría’s current list of authorized copy-issuing offices includes Medellín. Confirm availability for your record before going.
You can find where your local Registraduría offices are located at this link or Google “Registraduría [insert city here].”
Ask the authorized office what record details, identification and payment it needs before visiting. Having an existing copy and its serial number handy can help you explain the request.
Which Option Is Best for Getting Your Registro Civil Copy?
I would start by checking whether the official digital service offers your record and whether that version is accepted for your procedure. If you need a physical copy and the office holding it can arrange courier delivery, ask about that before booking a trip. My email request was for a physical copy delivered within Colombia; it was not delivery of the document by email.
If you’ve never been to Bogotá and want to make a little trip out of it, there’s plenty to do and see. In 2023 when I first needed a copy, we spent a few days with family which is always nice. In 2024 we were in a bit of a time crunch which is why I flew in that morning and returned to Medellín that evening.
If you have any questions about either of the processes that I didn’t cover, please comment below and I’ll be happy to answer if I’m able.
How Recent Does Your Registro Civil Copy Need to Be?
How recently your copy must have been issued depends on the procedure. A requirement for a recent copy for one application is not a universal expiration period for every use.
- Spouse visa: the Visa M Cónyuge checklist requires the marriage-registration copy to have been issued within the three months before applying.
- Children leaving Colombia: the departure checklist specifies a physical copy or legible image of the birth registration, without a blanket 30-day issuance rule for that document.
- Other procedures: ask the receiving authority about recency, format and marginal notes before ordering.
Frequently Asked Questions About Getting a Colombian Registro Civil Copy
Q1: Can I get a copy without travelling to Bogotá?
Possibly. Check whether the official digital service offers your record and whether the receiving office accepts that version. Otherwise, ask the office holding the record about remote requests. My 2024 email request resulted in physical delivery within Colombia; it does not establish delivery terms to the U.S.
Q2: Does my registro civil copy expire?
Check how recently the receiving authority requires the copy to have been issued. Use the procedure-specific examples above as a starting point, rather than applying one deadline to every use.
Q3: Can I get a Colombian registro civil online?
Check the official digital-copy portal for your record. The digital version is emailed with a QR code and digital signature and excludes marginal notes. Confirm that it meets the receiving office’s requirements before paying. Official procedure.
Q4: Is a registro civil the same as a cédula?
No. A registro civil records a civil event such as a birth or marriage. A cédula de ciudadanía is an identity document. Ask which document the receiving office needs; they are not interchangeable.
Q5: How much does a registro civil copy cost?
See the dated current-fee table. The copy fee, delivery and additional services are separate costs. My trip and courier tables show what I paid in 2024.
Q6: How long does it take?
For my 2024 email request, I received confirmation the next day and the physical copy arrived about 2.5 days later. That is my experience, not a promised processing time. Ask the issuing office for its current estimate.
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