Englishman wants to marry his Colombian Girlfriend..... in Colombia

Hello El Bato.

Welcome to Expat.com!

This thread could help perhaps -> Getting married in Colombia.

Thank you,
Aurélie

Hi all

I'm posting this reply here because, with all due respect Aurelie, and no disrespect to those who have written in that thread, I find it a little messy. It covers different nationalities which might have different rules - a good example is that a British national needs a birth certificate apostile within THREE months of the date of marriage, not the six months stated on the other forum, which appears to be for US nationals...and I don't need to stress how that little detail could be so critical for a UKer. [I got the info from the British Consul itself and our wedding planner.]

Therefore, I'm posting more detail within this thread, in the hope that it can be 'UK-focused' :-) and other threads can be set up for specific nationals.

It would be super great if other UK nationals or those who know the process for the UK could add further information to this forum thread, or correct any errors.

If what you read here seems daunting, please don't be put off, it's actually all very straightforward - what you most definitely need is time...and the right timing! So it helps you have time to get everything sorted.

I wrote an email to the Cartagena British Consul in Colombia and they were really helpful in detailing what I require to marry, so if what you read here isn't clear, or you want to double-check, write to them. You will need to be in contact with them at some stage anyway to arrange an appointment to get some of the paperwork sorted.

Ok: I'll detail where I am up to now (our marriage is end of July).

a.  Birth Cerificate (BC) apostiled.

b. To sign an Oath-Affidavit (at a British Consul in Colombia)

c. Get a Certificate of No Impediment (CNI).

Now more detail:

a. if you have your BC, send it to offices in Milton Keynes, they will 'legalise' it (other word for apostile): you'd need to send it to the address here https://www.gov.uk/get-document-legalised. They attach the Apostile onto the back of your BC confirming you are who you say you are

Now, the nice thing; the Apostile is also in Spanish and French, so it comes already translated. [I am not sure if the actual birth certificate needs translating too, I wouldn't have thought so, but we'll need to double check].

[if you haven't got your birth certificate you can easily get a copy of it from the local authority where you were born...that's what I did, and had it couriered to me, and then sent it off to be apostiled.]

But...an important note: as I've stated, in Colombia, that apostile must have been done within three months of your marriage date, so timing is everything!

If you have been married previously, you'll need to sort out your documents to show your marriage has been annulled. [i can't help you there as i've not been married...but I do know that any certificate of annulment also needs to be apostiled before you can marry in Colombia...so chase that up if it applies to you - Spanish translation most likely required here too, but it may well already be translated, as is the case with the BC Apostile.]

b. You go to a British Consul in Colombia. You sign an Oath-Affidavit which the Consul witnesses. [You'll need your passport.] This is your 'Notice to be Married'.

That is posted at the Consul for a minimum of 21 clear days. After 21 days, you are free to move on to...

c. ...return to the Consul and get a 'Certificate of No Impediment' (CNI) [This will be issued in Spanish]

Then you go to your notary in Colombia with those two certificates (Apostiled BC and CNI), your passport, (a cert of previous marriage annulment if you need it), and you are cleared to marry.

There are a few other things:

1. you and your fiancee must be living in the area you are to be married for at least 21 days. [You prove that by going into the Consulate and signing the Oath-Affidavit and return for the CNI] Your fiancee will need to provide actual evidence of residency, usually with utility bill etc. My fiancee has residency in Colombia so that is straightforward for us.

The only thing to be aware of is that you MUST get that 21 day notice in the area where you are to be married. So, for e.g., you/fiancee live in Bogota but want to marry in Cartagena. No can do unless you both reside in Cartagena.

2. getting all the paperwork done costs money, naturally;

3. if you need a translator at your wedding, the British Consul has a list, so contact them.

4. you will read that some notaries don't require you to have a CNI...in our case, we checked, and they do require it.

You should definitely contact the notary where you want to be married as its possible they will have some other conditions...in fact you may well find a notary that doesn't require a CNI, and then it'd save you that British Consul visit and paperwork. (Personally I would set your mind on doing the paperwork rather than take the risk of a notary saying you don't need a CNI only to get there on the day and saying you do need it, etc., but it is up to you.)

Finally....
We are not having a church wedding, so our formal marriage is equivalent of a registry office in UK: we'll have a ceremony separately.

Others may want to advise on church weddings process.

I haven't got as far as checking out how to ensure the marriage in Colombia has legal status in the UK. I think your marriage would have legal status but you'd have to 'register' it. But I'm not 100% sure.

There is one worrying rule if you and your spouse marry and want to settle in UK. Rules for UK immigration are changing all the time, and I would strongly advise any UK national married to a Colombian national to check it all out: because I understand that the UK Coalition government has bought in new stricter rules whereby the spouse of a UK national needs to be earning £18,500k a year to remain in the UK (more if the couple have children) dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2296267/New-bride-ordered-leave-UK-husband-told-hes-British-

With regards to work I've read a lot of stories about UK nationals finding work and settling in Colombia, check out other forums too.

I won't have answered every single question, but have given as much detail as possible, based on my experience so far.

Hope all this is helpful and good luck with your preparations!

I really love Colombia, and am disappointed with the image it has in the UK. I love the people, the culture, and, of course, my gorgeous fiancee!

Steve

Hi El Bato and welcome.

I can't advise on getting married here. We married in the UK and moved out a few months later to Bucaramanga. I can give you more impressions about Bucaramanga if this is where you plan to live. Good climate, fairly safe, relatively prosperous in parts, overcrowded, property prices are relatively high and climbing, construction industry at least is booming. Very few people speak English, and they're not used to foreign accents in Spanish.

Do think about how you might return to the UK together if you don't like it here! The new UK Borders Agency rules are tough as steve said, so worthwhile to know about it.

Aurélie wrote:

Hello El Bato.

Welcome to Expat.com!

This thread could help perhaps -> Getting married in Colombia.

Thank you,
Aurélie

Hi Aurelie

Thanks for the advice! I have read that thread but like my countryman said it seems to be geared up for US citizens, who have different rules to the UK

I am starting to get a better picture of what I need to do now - Thanks

Hi Rob

Thanks for your reply. I have been to Bucaramanga, only once - but I loved it there. My Spanish is not fluent yet, but given time living there I think I would become fluent. To be honest, I would love to live there but my primary concern is not being able to come back to England if we needed to once we were married. I'm going to look into the Border agency rules and see where that leaves us

Another concern is finding work in Colombia. I do have money saved but not an endless supply and obviously I need to support myself and if we have children, my wife and child. My girlfriend in intelligent, qualified and works hard so she can always get work there. Obviously if we came back to England the roles would reverse until her English came up to scratch.

I would be interested to know about property prices in comparison to England. And any laws that might prevent me from buying or once I had bought somewhere, have it taken away by the government eg. Spanish property market. Any other information greatly appreciated

Property prices in Bucaramanga are high for Colombia but still much lower relative to the UK. Prices are rising and maybe there is a bubble that will burst, but who knows? Mortgage rates are very high in Colombia.

Due to the geography, there's not much space for expansion for the city, so every house it seems is being converted into a 12 floor or more apartment building. Prices for new apartments go from about 40,000 pounds -  for a smaller place in not best location to 300,000+ pounds for large "luxury" place in best area (East part of the city) . Most will have private security, parking etc and all will be liveable but perhaps noisy.

There are still plenty of older houses around in some areas but I guess they are often worth more for the development value! There are some new developments of houses, but they are often very crammed together and not cheap. Probably Piedecuesta to the south will be where the metropolitan area will grow. There is a little more space there and it doesn't take long to travel.

Housing is rated in "strata". Strata 1 is the lowest and pays lower taxes and less for water/gas/elec/telephone. Strata 6 the highest.

I'd say 50,000 - 70,000 pounds would give you lots of options for a good apartment here.

I don't know much about the laws for foreigners, but I don't think there's much risk of losing a property in the city except if you don't pay your mortgage. However, if you ever sell here and want to take the money back the UK, you might be hit with high taxes. You can easily rent a place out though.

With a Colombian wife, your Spanish should improve quickly and you'll be fine.

I've just found out that British Nationals also need to be resident in Colombia for 21 full days BEFORE they go to the British Consul to sign the Oath-Affidavit!

After signing, you need to reside there for a further 21 days before you can get your Certificate of Impediment and thereafter marry.

Therefore, overall time required in Colombia is 42 days not 21 as originally thought.

This is obviously really important: I am not sure what evidence the Consul needs to prove you have been residing in Colombia for 21 days. Presumably visa stamp on passport would do it, am waiting their reply.

T

Hi everyone!! I would like to know if you could help me...
I am from Colombia and my boyfriend is from Hungary but he is currently living in the UK. We would like to get married in December. Yet, we don't know if it is better to marry in the UK or do it in Colombia and then ask for the partner visa to settle in England.

We know the Immigration's laws to entry to the UK as a fiance or wife have changed. Therefore, we are quite worried about the right procedure and the best decision in order to get married.

We would be really glad if you could help us!

Thank you so much

Hi Andrea

I'm from the UK and just got married to a Colombian woman, in Colombia :-)

I'm assuming your boyfriend is a Hungarian national working in UK, and doesn't have UK citizenship; but that he has rights to work in the UK as an EU citizen.

If you want to marry in Colombia: I think the first step is to find out what a Hungarian national requires to marry in Colombia. Although on paper it appears straightforward getting the paperwork together for a foreigner, there are time restrictions and legal requirements that take time to process, and it helps to know these so you can plan ahead.

Likewise, to marry in UK: find out what's required of you from the Colombian and Hungarian consuls in the UK.

The British Consul in Colombia were extremely helpful to me.

With regards to settling in the UK, I do know that you, as a Colombian national, would need to be earning around £18k a year, regardless of your married status, so the UK has toughened up lately. Even though we are married, and I'm a British citizen, my wife would still need to be earning to remain in UK and apply for residency after 3 years.

You can get advice from your consuls on marrying, but I would really make sure you get solid legal advice on your rights to stay and work in UK from a specialist in immigration law, given that you are both not UK citizens.

Wishing you both all the best of luck for your marriage in December and your attempts to settle in the UK :-)

Steve

Andrea,

I would say the same as tigerbeesteve in that getting solid advice from a professional is worth doing. I would also add that it is really worth reading as much as you can from the UK Border Agency website as well because I've had some personal experience of some of the professionals not giving quite as solid advice as you'd hope. It will mean reading a lot of long documents, but if you can manage that it will help you I think! 6 years in the UK for my wife and 4 different visa applications completed what I am confident of is that it is a painful process with or without help!! Sorry and good luck!!! :-)

As for your specific question and bearing in mind I am not a professional, I don't think it makes any difference where you were married for visa applications to the UK. The UK immigration does want to know that it was a proper marriage but it isn't so concerned about where in the world it happened.

Cheers,

Jon

Andrea,

We are in the same situation, I'm a Hungarian man trying to merry a Colombian women here in Bogota.
Hungarians definitely needs to bring a Certificat de Naciamiento and a Certificat de Solteria translated and apostilled from Hungary. I don't know if he can get these documents through the consulate in London, he might have to fly back to Hungary to the town where he was born, and the procedure takes a couple of days there.

Anyway, the Notaria has rejected us, saying the foreigner needs to stay in Colombia for 6 month before he can get married. I hope this will be solved.

Andrea, please keep me updated about your procedure, and let me know which notaria has been helpful.

Thank you all for your help!!

We are still collecting information about the requirements to marry in Colombia and then ask for the partner visa... In fact, it is not an easy task.

I would like to ask you Steve if my boyfriend and I would contact you to ask you about the procedure to get the partner visa. My boyfriend email is: [email protected]

Donpeter: If you do not mind my boyfriend and I like to contact you in order to help each other... You can contact my bf in the same email mentioned above...

We would be really grateful.

Kind regards

DONT DO IT DUDE! DONT MARRY HER! BE SMART ABOUT THIS! WHATEVER YOU DO....SIGN A PRENUP! SIGN A PRENUP! IF SHE REFUSES, THEN LET HER GO!

Hi Stevens925,

Welcome to Expat-Blog

Can you please avoid using caps lock when posting on the forum so as to ease the reading

Thank you

Maximilien
Expat-blog Team

Dear Steve:

First of all, thank you very much for the information/time that you provided.  Just to clarify and with regard to weddings in Colombia, the rules are the same for ALL foreigners, but they also depend on their personal situation  (if they were marrried, if they have children, if they are widow(er)s, if they are divorced).  One of the partners must be a Colombian resident, which means that this person should have been in Colombia for six months before the wedding.  The period of three months apply only for documents especially for those that have to be issued abroad.

My British boyfriend and I are planning to get married in Colombia, but what is a Oath-Affidavit?  I have been to two notaries so far and they have not mentioned anything about it.  What is that for?  Do you know if that document is necessary to apply for a spouse visa?  (We are currently gathering all that paperwork too).

On the other hand, as my fiancé needs to bring the birth certificate, the ‘cert of non impediment' to Colombia and also those documents translated into Spanish,  does he need to get all the docs apostilled or just the English or Spanish ones?

Thank you very much in advance to you or to someone that wants to help!!

Kind regards,

Where do you live in colombia?

I live in Medellín.  Now I have part of the answer to my question.  In the Notary 6 they told me that my boyfriend has to bring:  1)  A certificate of no impediment  (apostilled -not legalized as it comes from the UK-) and  2.  His birth certificate  (apostilled).  The translation of both documents into Spanish has to be made by a certified translator in Colombia  -who has a certificate by the Ministry of International Affairs  (NOT ANY translator)-.  Here are the ones that live in my city:    https://tramites.cancilleria.gov.co/ciu … tores.aspx , but they are all over the country.  My boyfriend will scan the papers several weeks before coming, I will show them to the Notary and he/she will give them the O.K. so when my boyfriend arrives in my city everything will be all right for us to get married there.

Just to say Thank You for the advice, it's very helpful and much needed.

David

Hi Steve,

Being in my shoes, I was hoping you could help me?

I'm a British citizen, I met my Colombian girlfriend in Miami where we were both working, we packed in our jobs and we are currently staying with her family in Rionegro in Colombia. Our plans are to go to the UK in May (she has a UK visitor tourist visa), i'll find work and stay, while she returns to Colombia in Jul to plan our Sept Colombian wedding. (She'd then apply for her UK spouse visa from Colombia in Sept).

After reading your post, I got very worried about costs/time needed for me to fly to/from Colombia pre-wedding in order to sign things before our Sept wedding. I will be working in the UK from May and therefore don't think I can afford to take much time off jet setting.

What can you advise in my scenario? Do I need to be living in Colombia for 2 months to marry or is that just for someone who wishes to remain in Colombia to settle? I'd be interested to know the steps, costs and timelines between now (March 2018) to when we hope to marry in Colombia (Sept 2018)?

Thanks, Adam

Hi Adam

First of all congratulations on your relationship, my wife and I remain very happily married in the UK and I wish the best for you too.

My above post is from 2013 so I would check these rules remain the same: I stayed for 42 days altogether in Colombia. This didn't have anything to do with the fact I remained in Colombia to work and live after the wedding. My remembrance is that these were the minimum residency requirement regulations, and I'll explain what that could mean for you in practice.

So let's say, for example, you are marrying on Friday 14th September you'd need to be in Colombia on Friday, August 3rd. Obviously, you stay there continuously for 21 days and then you go to the British Consul to sign the Oath-Affidavit on Friday 25th August.

And then, on Friday 14th September you need to return again to the Consul to get your Certificate of Impediment before you can actually get married on the same day.

So 6 weeks is the tightest you can do it in. Not really something I'd recommend given that the documents need to be translated into Spanish and there's the potential for delays.

If I were you, I'd work from now (or from May) in the UK until, say, late July. Go to Colombia and stay there for 7-8 weeks to formalise the marriage, and then return to the UK straight after it. That way you only need to make a single return trip.

BUT, even if you COULD return to the UK on, say, August 25th, and then back to Colombia on 14th September for the wedding, it would be costly, time-consuming and very tiring, especially if you are also working full-time and then need to fly back to the UK again after the wedding to work again.

So if it was me, I'd make plans to stay for 7 to 8 weeks (work extra time before and after it if necessary), and do as much preparation as you can beforehand (e.g. check the Consul is going to be open on the dates you will be there, phone and talk to them, get a registered Spanish translator booked, etc.).

(As a side note: please double check your spouse has the correct English language proficiency documents. The Home Office is *very* fussy about it, and it was so hard to work out whether my wife needed any documents.)

I do hope this helps and wish you all the best.

Steve

Hi Adam,  like Steve, things have changed since we married, I married my Colombian Wife in 2012, but I stayed here (I am also a Brit), timing is the all important thing, as the documents required have to be apostilled, and notorised, then translated, bearing in mind that Colombia only gives them a three month validity, so the timing has to be right.

If you are to be married by a Notary, rather than in a Church, then you also have to find a Notary who will marry you, fortunately we sorted this out early, as many wouldn't marry a Foreigner to a Colombiana, if you have a problem in Rio Negro, then try Notaria Quinta in Medellin, if it is the same Notary he is excellent.

Find out from your chosen Notary what documents they want, because they all differ, and it is they who make the decision. In my case they accepted photo copies scanned and sent to them, as long as I produced the originals at their office, during the week prior to the wedding.

With regard to obtaining a UK spousal Visa, things have definitely tightened up, I have a friend in the UK, came here married his girlfriend, (also from Rio Negro), and applied for a spousal visa, for it to be refused, as there was not enough evidence of genuine marriage, they are at the moment relying on her visiting on Tourist Visas, when they can afford it, how they manage to conduct a long distance marriage, I've no idea, all credit to them. At the moment they are trying to get enough paperwork together for a second application,  don't think it's a walk in the park.

Pardon the bad joke, but your Intended, may have a better chance by joining the rabble at Calais, they seem to have no problem being accepted once they make it over the channel!

Good Luck with the whole process, I hope it goes ahead without any problems, If I can help at all, message me
Phil

Hi Steve and Phil,

Huge thanks for the speedy reply and glad you're both enjoying life in Colombia. Such a great and underrated country!

All of what you say makes sense. I have one follow up question however, as taking 8 weeks off work in the UK I think will be very difficult... Can any of the consulate stuff be done in the UK in order to reduce my stay in Colombia or must it all be done through the consulate in Bogota?

Thanks!! Adam

Hi Adam,

I'm not sure why you think you need any contact with the British Embassy in relation to you marriage, you don't, that can all be done yourselves, with help from the Notary of your choosing.

With respect to your future Wife's UK spousal visa, I personally have no idea on the process, as it has never been an issue for us, as I have no intention of returning to the UK except for holidays. However if you can message me with your email, I can ask my friend if he will contact you and help, as he has recent knowledge of this.

Cheers Phil

Hi Phil,

Sorry, bit of a misunderstanding - I was talking about the requirements just for us to get married in Colombia (not the spouse visa). Steve mentioned above about going to the British Consul to sign the Oath-Affidavit and then returning again to the Consul to get the Certificate of Impediment - a 6 week min duration. I was wondering if any of that could be done from the UK so I don't have to stay in Colombia for 8 weeks.

My email is *** if it's easier - thanks!

Adam

Hi Adam

Sounds like a good idea to contact Phil's friend - I do think it's important to be aware that notaries can vary in what they require - some just won't marry you at all, it's best to find a reputable one first that will actually marry you both...and find out what they require exactly and go from there.

The good thing is you are planning well ahead so you have time to get the documents together.

We ended up going to a very small notary in a village outside Cali as the ones in the city were impossible to deal with, but we did sort it eventually.

I was living permanently in Colombia at the time we were getting married and the notary required a sworn oath from the British consulate as my intention to marry, so that was quite straightforward for me. Again, it will depend on what the notary wants.

I am not sure why I needed to be in Colombia for three weeks first, all I remember is that it was a requirement for me at that time.

I'm not actually in Colombia as I struggled to find work and had to return to the UK, but I assure you I would much rather be in Colombia, and we intend to move back when I can get work sorted.

Best of luck and feel free to ask anything more.

Steve

@tigerbeesteve hi Steve I just read your long message.  Very much in line to what I've been reading online.

@ROSS19811 Unfortunately you responded to a years-old thread...  any  response you get will be a matter of sheer luck, since the users have probably moved on.

@tigerbeesteve hi Steve I just read your long message.  Very much in line to what I've been reading online.

One thing I noticed is. I can get the Cni proof of single status in uk and translate it into Spanish here in england. Its also an oath. This saves time of travelling to the consul in colombia?

Question for you is. She's living in Bogota. I'm here in england. Do I need to register anything on my own in England? Some sort of notice? Assuming she registers solo In Colombia? Let me know. Ta bro

- @ROSS19811

@tigerbeesteve I have read your response, and find it to be very informative. I am also planning on marrying my Venezuelan boyfriend in Cartagena, so I will begin preparations soon using your guidance as a starting point. Thank you.

Hi Everyone, hoping some of you are still checking into this thread and may be able to help.

My Colombian Fiancé and I (GB National) have lived together for 6 Years in the UK. We were hoping to get married in Cali next July (2024) to celebrate with her amazing family. Both having UK jobs our holiday entitlements would not really allow for anything other than 3 weeks away visiting Colombia.

Looking at the threads above would trying to get married in Colombia(Civil Ceremony) and then returning to the UK  (to live) in this period of time be totally undoable?

I have my decree absolute from my divorce in 2019 and understand i would need to have that translated

I also know I have to take an Oath(and again have that translated) , can this only be done at the Consul in Bogata ?

Most importantly is it still a requirement for one of us to be resident in the country prior to marriage for a minimum of 6 weeks? If so  I think this would totally change our plans and we would need to Marry here then go to Colombia for more of a celebration than actual marriage

Any help gratefully  welcomed

Thanks!

Ben

Ben, I married my soulmate Ximena in Bogota.  I am from USA (Texas) and had to get my prior marriage divorce apostilled in Austin, Texas.  Ximena had to meet the same requirements in Colombia as she was Colombian but no Apostille required on her end as it was already in Spanish.  We got married there, and waited for the USCIS to provide entry in USA for her so we had some apart time.  However if your spouse to be already can come and go freely to UK, I am not sure what would be a problem with getting married in Colombia and just go back to UK to live. I would take the evidence of marriage in Colombia (have it apostilled to the Queen's English) and present that to your UK equivalent to the USCIS.  Then it would normally just be a change of status from whatever visa form she has to what we would call a green card in the US.  The good news if that is how it works in UK, then she would already have lived with you in UK over the required time (if you can also declare common law marriage there) so that here residency requirement would be met and it would shorten the time to UK citizenship if it is similar to the USA.  Hope this helps; con gratulations by the way!

Decreto 2668 de 1988  (widely available in PDF form from many Colombian notaries, government sites, etc) is the decreto that me and my wife used understand the legal requirements of a Colombian and a foreigner getting married in Colombia.   After getting so many strange requirements from different notaries, we decided to search for the authoritative decreto, my wife printed it out, and from then on, at the very start of the conversaton with any asesor at any notary, she stated clearly that she was looking for a notary that would process our marriage according to the law as stated in the decreto, a notary who would not add extra requirements or burdens absent in the decreto.  That is how we found a proper notary, I hope this info helps, and I do not know if there are any other decretos touching on the same theme, especially any published after July of 2023.

@rf2023 Notaria shopping is a thing. I had to "explain" the requirements to the one that married performed our ceremony many years ago. For that matter priest shopping is a thing as well if you are doing a church ceremony as well.

elp