Recognition of foreign qualifications in Colombia

hi priscilla,
i am a veterinarian (degree from India) with a MSc (from India) and a PhD (from USA) working as scientist in Colombia. I had to get all my degrees including bachelor's, apostillated in country of study then get them translated (including the apostillation) and then submit them to ministry of education, Colombia for convalidacion. the submission and payment for same can be done online. they say it will take not more thsn 4 months. while that was true for my bachelor's degree, i am still waiting for news on my phd and it has been 8 months. luckily, my employers agreed to go with the assumption that it will be approved. also you have to get translations from an official translator. you can find a list on the min of edu website. of course you will need some Spanish skills to be able to do all this. took me a month and more even with colombian friends helping! Also, if you have a thesis or dissertation based degree or diploma, you will need to get the abstract translated, too. here is the link to the min of edu website. you can read it in english by opting for it on the page. www.mineducacion.gov.co/1759/w3-article-355508.html

hope this helps. feel free to ask me for further clarifications and I will try my best to help.
good luck!

The main site for the Ministry of Education is:

http://www.mineducacion.gov.co/portal/

Here is some information on the steps necessary for the recognition of degrees from foreign institutions:

http://www.mineducacion.gov.co/1759/w3- … 96471.html

binrag wrote:

i am a veterinarian (degree from India) with a MSc (from India) and a PhD (from USA) working as scientist in Colombia....

they say it will take not more than 4 months. while that was true for my bachelor's degree, i am still waiting for news on my phd and it has been 8 months....

feel free to ask me for further clarifications and I will try my best to help.

Dear Binrag,

Welcome to the Colombia forum.

So, on what visa-basis are you staying legally in the country while these 'formalities' are dragging on?

Did the ministry give you an extension of time during which you can stay in Colombia?  Were you granted the coveted salvoconducto?  Did your employer help you obtain a provisional visa?

Or did you find another strategy?

cccmedia in Medellín