Dual Citizenship

DallasCowboy says on Oct 11, 2006, 10:52:

Contact the nearest Colombian Consulate I am sure the consulate in Boston can help you. Here's their url :
http://www.consuladocolombiaboston.com Bilingual site.

I didn't have any problem with my US passport while in Colombia. I made a photocopy of it and that's what I used for id purposes, even to exchange currency. While traveling, at the airports, I did have my actual passport to have access to the waiting areas and such.

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visas123 says on Oct 11, 2006, 15:10:

dual citizenship Colombian law allows someone born abraod, one of whose parents is a Colombian citizen, to become a citizen "upon establishing residence in COlombia." Honestly I don't know exactly what this entails. It might be helpful information, however, before you speak to the Consulate.

Steve Traylor
Immigration Lawyer
Princeton, NJ

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. says on Oct 12, 2006, 00:40:

How old are you? Angelob Are you a female or a male, those question are because if you are a male with less than 28 years on you, if you get the Colombian nationality, you will have to sort the military problem out, so think before doing that. Any way, you've got the right to get the dual nationality as per Colombian laws.

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ColombianoGringo says on Oct 12, 2006, 08:02:

It's pretty easy Angelob,

I am also the US born son of Colombian parents and have recently gone through the same process. I travel a lot inside Colombia and I can understand your desire to not flash the old blue passport around.

First off, you will have to go with one or both of your parents to the consulate. They will apply for a "registro civil" naming you as their child. If your parents cannot accompany you, there are some alternate methods, but you will have to ask your consulate for more details.

One thing to note is that the consulate that will process your case is determined by where you were born in the US, not where you live. For example, I live in Houston but was born in the suburbs of NYC. Consequently, the NY Colombian consulate processed my paperwork although we submitted the application at the Houston consulate.

Once your "registro" is processed, you can request an official copy which you can then use to request a cedula. It is all very simple. It will probably take at least a year to get your cedula, but you should be able to get a "contraseña" which is essentially a temporary cedula. You can use that in Colombia while you wait for your cedula to be processed.

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ColombianoGringo says on Oct 12, 2006, 09:31:

BTW You will need an official copy of your birth certificate and your parent(s) will need to provide proof of Colombian citizenship.

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jaime_in_uk says on Oct 13, 2006, 01:08:

Just took a while I also have dual citizenship. I wasn't able to get anything done in the U.S. I am from Chicago and I talked to the Colombian Consulate about getting my dual citizenship while I was in the states and they weren't very helpful and couldn't get it done.

When I was living in Colombia I ended up getting the Citizenship. If you are doing it in Colombia, be prepared for it to take a while. Everything moves slower. You have to have your birth certificate, your Colombian parent's birth certificate and cedula (my mother was not with me). You must go with this information to the registro civil and get your birth registered. Once you have this then you can get your contrasena. This process was the most ridiculous and slow process ever. You stand in line to get a number to come back later. The first time I stood in line for about 2 hours and they ran out of numbers, the second time I got there about at 6 a.m. and waited for a couple of hours and finally got my number and I returned around midday and they finally gave me my contrasena. About 5 months later my Cedula was ready.

Getting a Colombian passport is very easy once you have your cedula. The whole process only took about an hour.

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funkychunky says on Oct 30, 2006, 20:35:

Just to clarify... ...My father is Colombian but is a naturalised UK citizen. I was born in the UK. My family in Colombia want me to go for an extended visit- certainly at least six months- and I am studying for a CELTA qualification at the moment, so I might be able to get a job.

Can I apply for dual nationality, in order to get a cedula? Is it worthwhile? I have thought about staying in Colombia for a while, but I'd like to spend six months working there first. I doubt I could afford to travel to the UK mid-application, so is it best to sort it out first, or should I just go on a visitor's visa?

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 30, 2006, 21:08:

Yes, definitely.
Yes, definitely.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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funkychunky says on Oct 30, 2006, 21:31:

yes definitely to what? eh?

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sandramoreno80 says on Oct 31, 2006, 02:42:

Funky-Chunky, you can obtain your Colombian citizenship quite easily. The first step is to obtain your Registro Civil, which I am assuming that you haven't got. This should have been done when you were born, but I got mine done at 16 years old, so you can do it later.

I have taken this from the Consulado Colombiano en Londres website:

REGISTROS CIVILES DE NACIMIENTO

Deben registrarse todos los nacimientos ocurridos en Colombia y en el exterior de hijos de colombianos.

Requisitos para la inscripción:

1. Presentación personal del menor a registrar

2. Certificado de nacimiento británico en original donde aparecen los nombres de los padres. Este documento quedará en los archivos del Consulado. (If you don't want to give the original, go get a notarised copy from the regristry office where its from and say at the Colombian consulate that you lost it)

3. Documentos de identificación de los dos padres (cédula para colombianos y pasaporte vigente para extranjeros)

4. Certificado de Tipo de Sangre (opcional)

5. Presentación personal de uno de los padres si hay vínculo matrimonial. Deben traer Certificado o Partida de Matrimonio.

6. Presentación personal de ambos padres si no hay vínculo matrimonial.

La inscripción en el Registro Civil no tiene ningún costo. Las copias autenticas de los mismos tampoco tienen costo, a partir del 23 de noviembre de 2005 de acuerdo con la Circular 054 de la Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil.

After having your birth registered, you can then apply for your cedula and passport. Bear in mind that the cedula takes a couple of months to be ready. The passport is quicker. It costs £60 and handed over the next day.


Requisitos para la expedición de una Cédula de Ciudadanía por primera vez:

- Haber cumplido los 18 años de edad

- 3 fotografías recientes a color, de 4x5 centímetros, de frente con fondo claro, tamaño de la cara 2.7 centímetros. Debe haber un centímetro de distancia entre la cabeza y el borde de la fotografía.

- La copia autentica del registro civil de nacimiento.

- El certificado del grupo sanguíneo.

- Esta cédula no tiene ningún costo

It does seem to be quite alot of bother, but you have to see if it is worth it. Colombian nationality will mean you don't have to go to DAS and renew your visa. You just go to immigration and they don't ask you on the number of time you are staying. There is a limit on the number of days a foreigner can stay in Colombia per year. Also, you said you will be working there and you will either need a cedula or have to apply for a work visa.

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