Marriage Green Card · Colombia

Colombia Marriage Green Card: Country-Specific Guides

Colombian nationals applying for a marriage green card go through Consular Processing at the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá, the only U.S. immigrant visa post in the country. Two things shape the Colombia path: you need the full copia del folio of your civil registry, not the summarized certificate, and because documents are in Spanish you apostille them through the Cancillería and add a certified English translation for filings that require it. These guides cover the documents, the apostille and translation, the medical exam, the interview trip, and what to do if you receive a 221(g).

Embassy

U.S. Embassy Bogotá (only immigrant visa post)

Civil documents

Registro Civil, the full copia del folio (not the summarized certificate)

Apostille

Colombia is a Hague member, apostille online via the Cancillería

Panel physicians

Bogotá-designated clinics, exam before the interview

Start here: your path, in order

1
Confirm your path. If you are already married, you are on the CR-1/IR-1 consular route through Bogotá. Start by getting your civil-registry documents in order.
2
The U.S. citizen or LPR files Form I-130, the petition that starts the case.
3
Order the full copia del folio of your Registro Civil de Nacimiento and Registro Civil de Matrimonio, plus the police antecedentes.
4
Apostille the documents online through the Cancillería, and add a certified English translation for any filing that requires it.
5
After I-130 approval, the National Visa Center reviews your documents and you pay the fees.
6
Do the medical exam before the interview at a Bogotá-designated panel physician.
7
Attend the interview at the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá; plan the trip and what to bring.
8
If you receive a 221(g) at the interview, identify which of the three tracks you are on and respond accordingly.

What makes this pathway different

One Immigrant Visa Post: Bogotá

Every Colombia immigrant visa interview happens at the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá (Calle 24 Bis No. 48-50). The medical exam and the interview both point to Bogotá.

Get the Copia del Folio, Not the Summary

U.S. immigration needs the full copia del folio of your civil registry, not the summarized notary certificate, and not the online digital copy that omits the marginal notes (notas marginales) where a divorce or correction is recorded.

Apostille Online, Then Translate

Colombia is a Hague Apostille member, so you apostille documents online through the Cancillería. Spanish documents need a certified English translation for filings that require it, such as adjustment of status, while the Bogotá interview itself accepts Spanish.

Free Online Police Antecedentes

The Colombian police record is pulled free online from the Policía Nacional, with the Procuraduría certificate as a companion. There is no in-person police visit for most applicants.

Guides for Colombia applicants

Registro Civil de Nacimiento (Colombian Birth Certificate) for U.S. Immigration: Copia del Folio, Apostille & Translation (2026)

Get the full copia del folio (not the summarized notary certificate or the apostille-incompatible online digital copy), apostille it through the Cancillería, and add the certified English translation USCIS and the NVC require.

Registro Civil de Matrimonio (Colombian Marriage Certificate) for U.S. Immigration: The Copia del Folio (2026)

How to get the right Colombian marriage certificate for a green card: the copia del folio (not a summarized certificate), why the online copy omits marginal notes, the prior-divorce documents NVC requires, the Cancillería apostille, and when a certified English translation is needed.

Colombia Police Certificate (Certificado de Antecedentes Judiciales) for U.S. Immigration

How to pull the Colombian police certificate free online from the Policía Nacional or via the DIJIN for foreigners, who needs it, why no apostille or translation is required for the Bogotá interview, and what the antecedentes wording means.

Colombian Apostille via the Cancillería (and Certified Translation) for U.S. Immigration

Order a recent copia del folio, apostille it online at the Cancillería (electronic, with a QR code), then get a certified English translation. Covers the adjustment-of-status versus consular-processing rule on when each is needed.

Bogota Immigrant Visa Interview Trip: U.S. Embassy Logistics & Medical (2026)

The day-of guide for the U.S. Embassy Bogotá interview at Calle 24 Bis: register your appointment and passport-return method, the medical with one of the accredited doctors, what originals to bring, the electronics ban, and passport return by courier.

Bogota Panel Physicians: The U.S. Embassy-Designated Clinics for the Immigrant Visa Medical Exam (2026)

The U.S. Embassy-designated panel physicians for the Colombia immigrant visa medical exam in Bogotá, with how to book, the cash fees in pesos, what to bring, vaccinations, and how sealed results reach the Embassy.

Common 221(g) Refusals at the U.S. Embassy Bogota

A 221(g) is a pause, not a denial. The three tracks (document deficiency, administrative processing, possible ineligibility), how to read your letter to find yours, where to resubmit documents, and when a refusal is a legal matter for an attorney.

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