If the entity receiving your documents does not require a Colombian apostille, you don't need to do anything, just upload them. here to receive a quote.
However, if the institution requires you to have your documents (degree certificate, grades, diplomas, etc.) apostilled in Colombia, here are the steps to follow:
1. Validate your documents with the Ministry of National Education or the Department of Education
If your documents correspond to primary and secondary education, the first thing you should obtain is a legalization at the Education Secretariat of your city or department.
If your documents pertain to higher education (undergraduate or postgraduate), visit the website of the Ministry of National Education to upload your documents and obtain the legalization prior to the apostille., this link: https://www.legalizaciones.mineducacion.gov.co/legalizacion/
You can also visit the Ministry of Education offices in person, located at Calle 43 N° 57-14, Centro Administrativo Nacional (CAN). Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The Secretary of Education or the Ministry of Education (as applicable) will verify that your documents meet the following requirements:
- That the higher education institution that issues your academic degree and other documents is registered in the National Education Information System of Colombia.
- That the document to be legalized is duly signed and the person who prepared it is identified.
Remember that the documents to be legalized must be presented in original and duly endorsed by the higher education institution. The documents that can be legalized are, for example, the degree diploma, degree certificate, certificate of qualifications, academic program and / or curriculum or program content.
2. Apostille or legalize your documents before the Chancellery according to the country of destination
The next step is to enter the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website (http://www.cancilleria.gov.co/) to process the apostille or legalization of each document. This process is done in the option Apostille or Legalization Online available in the main menu of the page. Before doing so, it is important that you validate if the entity to which you will present the documents requires an apostille, if not necessary, you can skip this step.
Documents that you can apostille or legalize before the Chancellery:
Pre-school, basic primary, secondary education documents
| DOCUMENT TYPE | REQUIREMENTS AND ENDORSED BY |
|---|---|
| Diplomas, program content, academic programs, proof of existence of an educational establishment | Departmental or District Secretary of Education, where the educational establishment is registered. |
| Other education related documents | They must be endorsed (signed) by the Secretary of Departmental, District Education or perform signature recognition of the person who issues the document of the academic institution, before a Notary Public.
In case of not being at the notary, the signature of the official who issued the document, may be recognized with a personal presentation before a Notary Public. |
Higher education documents
| DOCUMENT TYPE | REQUIREMENTS AND ENDORSED BY |
|---|---|
| 1. Certificates of Study from higher education institutions. 2. Diplomas 3. Acts of degree 4. Study plans 5. Programmatic Contents 6. Diplomas of honor 7. Evidence of study 8. Registration proofs. 9. Evidence of educational establishment 10. Program Certificate 11. Academic programs |
Ministry of National Education. |
| Other related higher education documents | Ministry of National Education. |
Other education documents
| DOCUMENT TYPE | REQUIREMENTS AND ENDORSED BY |
|---|---|
| Civil Aeronautics education documents | Aeronautical Studies Center (CEA). |
| Documents issued by SENA, ICFES and ICETEX | Endorsed (signed) by the official of the corresponding Entity. |
| Professional cards | You must request authentication at the sight of the photocopy of the document at the notary of your choice. |
Non-formal education documents
| DOCUMENT TYPE | REQUIREMENTS AND ENDORSED BY |
|---|---|
| Intensity greater than 160 hours: Diplomas, seminars, workshops and courses with an intensity of more than 160 hours. | Secretary of Departmental, District Education, or make recognition of the signature of the person who issues the document of the academic institution before a Notary Public.
In case of not being at the notary, the signature of the official who issued the document, may be recognized with a personal presentation before a Notary Public. |
| Intensity less than 160 hours: Diplomas, seminars, workshops and courses with an intensity of less than 160 hours. | Perform signature recognition of the person who issues the document of the academic institution before a Notary Public.
In case of not being at the notary, the signature of the official who issued the document, may be recognized with a personal presentation before a Notary Public. |
3. Finally, send them to translation
Scan documents and Request your quote here, or send them to the mail contacto@traductores.co (if you have an apostille do not forget to attach it). You will receive a description of the costs and delivery time.
One thought to “Traducción Oficial de Documentos Académicos Colombianos para el Exterior – Guía 2026”
Pingback: The 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions About Official Translation in Colombia
Comments are closed.