Immigration guide · Colombia
Colombian birth certificate (registro civil) for USCIS
The Colombian birth certificate for USCIS is the registro civil de nacimiento, not the baptismal record. What it shows and how to get a copy from the U.S.
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A Colombian birth certificate for USCIS is the registro civil de nacimiento, the civil birth registration issued by the Registraduría, a notary or a consulate. It is not the partida de bautismo, the church’s baptismal record. Mixing up the two is a common reason files come back with questions.
Which document the filing needs
The civil birth registration is the government document. The Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil, notaries and Colombian consulates abroad all record it. It shows the serial number, the NUIP (Número Único de Identificación Personal), the office and date of registration, the parents’ details and a space for marginal notes.
The baptismal record is a church document. For births before the civil registry it served as substitute proof, and it still turns up in older applicants’ files. It can’t stand in for the civil registration, so don’t present it as one.
The same registration also comes in two versions: the plain copy and the authenticated copy. The authenticated copy bears the signature and seal of the official who certifies that it matches the original folio.
Where a Colombian file gets complicated
The NUIP versus the cédula. The NUIP identifies the person from birth. The cédula de ciudadanía is issued at 18 and often uses the same number, but not always in older files. If the registration and the cédula show different numbers, that isn’t a defect in the document. It reflects how the ID system changed over time. The translation shows both numbers exactly as they appear.
The folio and the serial. A Colombian civil registration is identified by a serial number printed on the form. That number is different from the folio number in the registry book. The two look alike, sit side by side and are easy to confuse, so we translate each one separately and by name.
The marginal notes. Acknowledgments of paternity, adoptions, name changes and sex corrections go in the notes space on the folio itself. On older forms that space is small, and the cramped handwriting can be hard to read. This is where the most information gets lost.
Consular registrations. A Colombian born abroad may have the birth recorded at a consulate. The result is a full Colombian civil registration, but it names the consulate as the recording office and a foreign country as the place of birth. Both details must be clear in the translation.
The registration without a source document. Some older folios were recorded without a supporting record, such as a live birth certificate or a witness statement, or without noting one. The registration is still valid. But if your case calls for showing where the data came from, the gap shows. The translation doesn’t fill it or hide it: it reflects what the folio says and leaves blank what the folio leaves blank.
Requesting the copy from the United States
If the registration is held by a digitized office, you can request the copy online through the Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil and receive it electronically. If the folio exists only on paper, which is common for older registrations and small towns, you request it from the office that recorded it. That may be the Registraduría or a notary, and you’ll usually need a representative in Colombia.
Colombian consulates in the United States issue copies of registrations recorded with them and can advise on those recorded in country.
Colombia is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille replaces consular legalization when a receiving agency asks for one.
Before you send us the document
Check that you have the civil birth registration and not a baptismal record. If the folio is old and the marginal notes are cramped, also send us a close-up photo of that area. That’s enough for us to confirm the scope before we start.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Colombian birth certificate called?
It's the registro civil de nacimiento. On a USCIS form, that's your Colombian birth certificate. Look for the NUIP and the serial number printed on the form; a partida de bautismo (baptismal record) has neither.
How do I get a copy of my Colombian birth certificate from the United States?
It depends on where the folio is kept. Digitized registrations can be requested online through the Registraduría. Paper-only folios usually need someone in Colombia to request them from the recording office. If a consulate recorded your birth, ask that consulate.
I have a baptismal record from before 1938. Does that count as a civil registration?
It depends on the case. For births before the Colombian civil registry, the church record served for decades as substitute proof. If it's all that exists, we translate it in full and label it clearly as a baptismal record, so the officer knows exactly what they're reading.
My registration was recorded at a notary rather than the Registraduría. Is it valid?
Yes. Notaries keep the civil registry in Colombia alongside the Registraduría and the consulates. The translation names the notary that recorded it, because that detail is what makes the record verifiable.
Official source
Review the applicable federal requirement directly at 8 CFR § 103.2(b)(3) on eCFR .
Fidelis Certified Translations is an independent translation service and is not affiliated with, authorized, or endorsed by USCIS or any U.S. government agency. Final acceptance of any document rests solely with the receiving agency or institution.