Guidance

Colombia: Knowledge Base profile

Published 9 July 2025

About: Colombia

This document contains useful information about Colombia which will assist His Majesty’s Passport Office staff process passport applications.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the document and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the document has factual errors then email HM Passport Office’s Guidance team.

If you notice any formatting errors in this document (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the document then you can email the Guidance team.

Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

• version 2.0
• published for Home Office staff on 3 July 2025

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated with formatting changes.

Colombia: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Colombia.

Names in Colombia consist of:

• 1 or more forenames
• 1 or more surnames, which consist of:
  • father’s surname as their first surname
  • mother’s maiden name as their second surname
  • mother’s maiden name as their only surname if father is unknown

Change of name

Name changes are allowed in Colombia; citizens can only change their name once.

Customers can change their name at any time. They can do this through marriage, affidavit and statutory declaration.

If a Colombia citizen wants to change their name, they must amend their birth record at a Notaria or a Colombia Consulate. When they have amended their birth record, they must change their name on their Colombia identity card before they can change it on their passport.

Colombia: nationality

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Colombia.

Dual nationality is recognised in Colombia.

Colombia: legitimacy and parental responsibility

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy and parental responsibility in Colombia.

Legitimacy

Columbia recognises a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births.

A child will be considered:

• legitimate if the parents
  • are married at the time of birth
  • marry after the birth of the child
• Illegitimate if the parents never marry

Parental responsibility

Both parents have parental responsibility if they are:

• married
• unmarried but both named on the birth certificate

The mother has full parental responsibility if the father:

• is unknown
• is not named on the birth certificate

Colombia: adoption

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in Colombia.

Adoption is legal in Colombia.

Colombia: civil partnerships and marriage

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about civil partnerships and marriage in Colombia.

Since 2007 same sex couples can apply for all the rights that opposite sex couples have in de facto unions (unions de echo). De facto unions are legally equal to opposite sex marriages.

Civil and religious marriages are allowed in Colombia.

All marriages in Colombia must be registered with a civil registry office to be legally recognised.

Colombia: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents in Colombia.

All documents issued in Colombia are written in Spanish.

Birth certificates

The Colombia Registrar’s Office is the central register for births. Birth certificates are issued to everyone. The Registrar’s Office will re-issue the certificate, without marginal notes or records of amendment if the parents identify an error.

The parents must register their child’s birth before the child is one year old. Late registrations are allowed.

Marriage certificates

Marriage certificates must be issued by the Registrar’s Office to confirm the marriage is legal.

Death certificates

Deaths in Colombia must be registered within 2 days of the date of death. Late registration of a death is allowed by a court order.  Death certificates are issued.

Identity documents

Colombia issues an identity card. It is:

• mandatory for Colombia citizens who are resident in Colombia
• voluntary for Colombia citizens who are resident outside of Colombia

Foreign nationals can get a Colombia identity card.

Identity documents in Colombia are issued on a national level.