Best way to married in Colombia..San Andres Island ONLY PASSPORT REQUIRED

nueva york bombero says on Apr 1, 10:12:

Is it much harder elsewhere to get married? Let's say medellin or Cali?

Ctg Bound says on Apr 1, 10:14:

nueva york bombero,

Yes you need more paperwork, like a certificate to say you are single, which many Countries don't have, so you have to get a letter from your Embassy and go through the rules Colombia has placed on getting that letter.

Juanes says on Apr 1, 10:21:

this is a good way to go when thinking of getting married...

http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Juanes/

GregYohn says on Apr 1, 10:25:

Hola!

You need birth certificate and last divorce decree with STATE Apostille within 90 days of age.

In my case, I need another Birth Certificate and then the State of Illinois say their own notary is correct. It gets mailed back to me. The same is true with the divorce decree for the State of PA. The additional fees could be an additional $15 per document, plus delivery and the fee for the original document too! An Apostille is english for Apostilla and used for foreign governments to believe your notary from your State.

The prices are cheaper to get the Apostille and marry in Cali, instead of flying to San Andres and paying hotel bills, but not so fast! Helen at Notario 19 in Cali knows us.

12VOIP.com gives free calls to Colombia.Greg

SiV says on Apr 1, 10:28:

Yeah, I got married there last year. Easier and cheaper. What you save on paperwork, (as a Brit, about $1.500.000) you can spend on your honeymoon.

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Mahatma Gandhi

bamacellist says on Apr 1, 12:07:

I saw last summer a study of the business climate of various latin-american countries and how they compare. Colombia was surprisngly low on the list. The reasons had nothing to do with the political climate or the overall stability and level of growth of the economy, nor the workforce nor the security of investing. It wasn't taxes or inflation. Colombia seems to have a fetish for regualtion and paperwork. Not only does it consume time and money, it is also typically confusing, redundant, and often capricious. This seems to apply to marriage as well. San Andres is a way to bypass all this if your fiance and her family aren't going to feel cheated out of "that special day". O/W, you'll find it's been explored ad nauseum here, but reading all the information and anecdotes you'll find here might cause you to need a drink. Somebody like GregYohn, who is willing to tell you the name of his notary and what that notary required is your best bet.

"The great thing about human language is that it prevents us from sticking to the matter at hand."

Albatross says on Apr 1, 12:34:

The OP says non-Colombians need ONLY a passport in San Andreas, the others say a birth certificate, apostille-signed divorce decree, ect are required... ???

“Democracy - a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H.L. Mencken

Mononoke28 says on Apr 1, 13:38:

Albatross,

San Andrés has different laws than the rest of Colombia to make it easier for foreigners to get married there. It's a way for them to promote tourism. If you want to get married in any other city of Colombia, then you do need to get all the other stuff which makes it a bit more complicated.

Diana

ColombianoGringo says on Apr 1, 13:53:

If you are a foreign citizen born outside of Colombia, then you only need a passport. If you were born in Colombia, regardless of your current citizenship, you will need your cedula and your "Registro Civil de Nacimiento con Notas Largeness"(birth certificate). The Colombian born person would be wise to bring divorce papers, but they are not required of the foreign born spouse. I know all this to be fact as I was married in San Andres less than a year ago.

adrienne79 says on Apr 1, 14:46:

Yep, we tied the knot in San Andres back in August thanks to this law that they have. We figured paying the trip was worth much more than the headache and stress of doing it on the mainland. No regrets and the mission of getting married easily was accomplished.

ColombianoGringo says on Apr 1, 14:55:

It makes for a nice wedding/honeymoon trip. Just don't go during peak seasons like right after school lets out, easter week, etc.

We stayed at the Sol Caribe Campo, which was outside the city and nice although it is more of a "campestre" hotel. Here is a flickr set with some pics.

http://flickr.com/photos/colombianogringo/sets/72157600406722530/

If you want a beach wedding instead of just getting married in the UGLY notario office, check out http://www.saiweddings.com. That is the site for a San Andres wedding planner. They are very reasonably priced and really take care of the details. They can even help with the notario.

GregYohn says on Apr 1, 16:02:

Hola!

You need the Apostille for your Birth Certificate and one for your divorce paper.

12VOIP.com gives free calls to Colombia.Greg

ColombianoGringo says on Apr 1, 18:51:

If you mean in San Andres, then that is incorrect.

In other places, it really boils down to what a particular notario will accept. Still, it is pretty easy to find one that is more "forgiving". It pays to shop notarios. You didn't hear it from me, but a little "mordida" might smooth things with a notario. Of course, it could also land you in jail.

adrienne79 says on Apr 1, 18:52:

Greg, Not in San Andres.

GregYohn says on Apr 1, 20:29:

Hola!

In San Andres you get to pay for the airfare and hotel room that you miss in Cali or another place in Colombia.

12VOIP.com gives free calls to Colombia.Greg

ColombianoGringo says on Apr 1, 21:00:

True, but you can get married on a beautiful carribean beach instead of some drab notario's office.

It isn't really about saving money. For me, avoiding the hassles of getting documents apostilled in the US and doing all the other BS notarios can require when you have kids was well worth the few thousand dollars that it cost to go to San Andres. The whole vacation on a beautiful island was just a nice bonus.

We are also going to have big church ceremony later this year so she and her mom can do their thing.

peteyw says on Apr 2, 01:19:

Did the San Andres wedding myself and it was a lot less hassle. Two days in and out. No cumbersome paperwork.

Question on the 'big church ceremonies"... A friend invited me to his sister's wedding last year. It was at a large church and had a big crowd of folks waiting to get in.

Well come to find out, there was not one wedding but THREE weddings all held at the same time with one priest and the three couples (who did not know each other by the way). It was so weird to watch the priest say everything 3 times and ask all the same questions over and over.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not shocked. I once attended a wedding in Vegas in the middle of the night with a Tony Bennett impersonator presiding (I kid you not...like they couldn't afford Elvis).

But is this 'a fun Latin American thing' or is it just cheaper to get married in a church with other couples who are complete strangers?

Albatross says on Apr 2, 04:41:

Thanks for the info... I like the idea of getting married right on the beach.

“Democracy - a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H.L. Mencken

nueva york bombero says on Apr 2, 06:26:

Check this out.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h8Pf266wig

chester says on Apr 2, 07:03:

we tried to get married in Cali year last, but the paperwork requirements and stamped dates within the last 90 day stuff killed that idea.

we did not now then about San Andreas.

ended up going with K1 visa and getting married in the US.

Lovelysanandres says on Apr 2, 12:48:

check on the beach weddings
http://www.saiweddings.com/Cristina&Olav
Great couple who made their dream come true......like them many had made it,
Forenger people with their sweetheart Colombian
We Colombian are just beautiful.....jijji just kidding......

nueva york bombero says on Apr 2, 12:52:

Sorry, I almost through my monitor out the window for that one.....

Lovelysanandres says on Apr 2, 13:09:

I don't get you,,,,,

Robert Jorge says on Apr 2, 17:45:

Imagine the amount of money Colombia misses out on because of the difficulty of getting married there. Chester's explanation is the same reason why I didn't get married in Colombia. The government would get revenue, the church would get revenue, families would be able to participate, local businesses would have cash flow .... what's up Colombia?

Lovelysanandres says on Apr 2, 18:01:

I know ..they created the law for the island becouse they want to keep up with the rest of the caribbean islands.and deffently the tourims has improve a lot with the law 915, it just not for the wedding issue, also holds the duty free matter and other facts.

Mononoke28 says on Apr 3, 11:36:

And don't even try to get married in a Catholic church because it doubles the paperwork you have to give them. It's a hassle!

Diana

ColombianoGringo says on Apr 3, 11:53:

We are going to do a big church "wedding ceremony" later this year. Hopefully, they won't hassle us too much since we are already married, but I'm sure a donation to the "candle fund" will clear up any problems.

Juanes says on Apr 3, 14:43:

can i please suggest that you employ a decent wedding photographer there who concentrates on the happy couple ?

http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Juanes/

mranderson says on Apr 3, 14:55:

I did the same thing as colombianogringo. It was very easy and made for a great honeymoon at the same time. No regrets.

I'm also doing the medellin church wedding in a couple months for her and her family. We talked to the minister and I just need my birth certificate and baptism certificate.

Lovelysanandres says on Apr 3, 19:05:

Oh.....My God..that's such a Hilarius picture!!
Thanks God in San Andres is almost not allowed topless, they can do it but in the hidden beaches and one thing for sure.in here the wedding team is always becareful in letting know the courious people that go for the other side......
Jessuuuss!!

Robert Jorge says on Apr 3, 22:49:

German tourists in the background?

Juanes says on Apr 6, 12:22:

and the guy seems to have his eyes on some of the other sun bathers too, probably taken in cancun

http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Juanes/