Colombia K1 Fiancee Visa Processing Times

Embassy of the United States in Bogota, Colombia

The processing time, from the day our law office files your I-129F Petition with the USCIS, to the day the K1 Visa is issued by the US Embassy in Bogota, Colombia is approximately:

4-7 Months

All Colombian Nationals residing in Colombia must have their K1 Visa applications processed at the US Embassy located in Bogota, Colombia. The application can only be adjudicated after the approved I-129F Petition is forwarded to the post by the National Visa Center in the United States.

If you are a Colombian National residing in a country other than Colombia, you may be eligible to process your k1 visa application in that foreign country. Contact our law firm today to find out if you or your fiancee meet the eligibility requirements.

Muchos Gracias! To Erika and Michael and everybody there, thanks so much for helping me and Claudia…we were very thankful for your help with her daughter too since you know we were stressing out about Jose’s reluctance to allow her to immigrate…let’s keep in touch! Arif, Michigan
Claudia, Medellin Colombia

About Arif, Michigan
Claudia, Medellin Colombia

Calle 22D-Bis # 47-51 (building entrance)
Carrera 45 # 24B-27 (mailing address)
Bogotá, D.C. Colombia

Time it takes for an interview appointment after petition is received by embassy:

1-2 Months

Time for issuance of k1 visa after the interview

3-10 days

Our Colombia Overseas Support Staff Speak Fluent English and
Spanish and have been through the k1 visa process too!

Below, please find more useful information about some of the required documents the K1 Visa Applicant will need prior to going for the interview. Please note that this list is not comprehensive and there are many other items and evidence that must be brought to the interview. Prior to interview, our office and/or your Overseas Support Staff will instruct you on all items and give you a mock interview for preparation.

The information about the documents below was excerpted from the Department of State Website section on Visas

Birth, Marriage, and Death Certificates

Decree No. 540 of March 13, 1934 provided for the civil registration of births in Colombia with notaries, with municipal authorities where a notary has not been appointed, and with Colombian consular representatives in foreign countries. However, this system was not effective before 1940. Decree No. 540 of March 13, 1934 also provided for the registration of marriages, adoptions and deaths in the same procedure as required for birth certificates.

Complete copies of the page of the book where the birth, the marriage, and/or the death was registered (copia del folio) are issued on plain white paper and signed by the notary public.

Notaries often issue summarized birth, marriage and death certificates. It is advisable to request the “copia del folio” since it is a copy of the book itself and has all the information regarding the parents, the exact place where the person was born (hospital’s name, home, etc.), grandparents names, date of registration, etc. All this information is very helpful in verifying applicant’s relationship to petitioner and helps to detect possible fraud.

Catholic marriages in Colombia have legal effect and, after it has been performed by the Church authorities, it is registered with the civil authorities. Both records are available to applicants. Civil marriages are presently performed by a Notary Public or a Family Judge (Notario Publico o Juez de Familia).

Complete copies of baptism, religious marriage, and religious funeral records may be obtained from the church parish where the ceremony took place. The Catholic baptismal certificates always have a line for marginal notes. Usually, the marginal notes indicate if the person had been married under a religious ceremony. They are issued on official paper, letterhead paper of the church, or plain white paper signed and sealed by the issuing priest. To avoid fraud, the issuing priest’s signature may be authenticated by the competent ecclesiastical or civil authority.

Police Records

Police certificates (Pasado Judicial) may be obtained in Bogota at the Identification Division of the Department of Administrative Security (DAS), Colombia’s equivalent of a federal law enforcement agency. Colombian police certificates contain information regarding outstanding warrants only. They contain no information regarding prior arrests and/or criminal convictions. Police certificates have a validity of one year.

The immigration division of DAS can provide a Colombian citizen’s record of entries and departures from Colombian national territory since 1990.
Military Records

Unavailable. Colombian citizens over 18 years of age should have their Military Carnets (Libreta Militar), First Class for those who have served with the armed forces and Second Class for those who have obtained an exception.

Divorce Certificates

Under the new law No. 25 of 1992, divorce is now legal in Colombia for both civil and Catholic marriages. Mutual consent divorces are processed by the Notary Publics, and divorces by cause are processed by the “Juzgados de Familia”, they are issued on plain white paper. Catholics who do not want to process a divorce can get an annulment of their marriage. Annulments are issued by the “Tribunal Eclesiastico” of the Roman Catholic Church on letterhead paper.

Passport and Other Travel Documents

The Government of Colombia issues diplomatic, official, regular, border, collective, and provisional passports to Colombian citizens:

* Provisional Passports: are issued by the Colombian Consulates abroad to (a) Colombian citizens who are abroad and who are extremely poor, repatriates, or deportees, who have lost their documents and whose return to Colombia is imminent, (b) the son or the daughter of a Colombian citizen who was born abroad and whose nationality is not yet determined. (Provisional passports issued under the above circumstances are only valid to travel to Colombia), (c) Colombian citizens who have lost their documents or who, due to exceptional circumstances, cannot use their passport and whose return to Colombia is not (repeat not) imminent. (These passports are issued with a note indicating the countries to be visited and are valid for two months.

* Border Passports: are issued by the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Relations and the Colombian Consulates abroad to Colombian citizens who are at that moment in a border country with Colombia. These passports are only valid for the country where it was issued.

Documento De Viaje

The Government of Colombia also issues this document, which together with a cedula de extranjeria constitute a “passport”. The documento de viaje supplies the bearer’s origin and identity, while the cedula states the bearer’s nationality.

K1 Fiancee Visa processing times for Colombia’s bordering countries:
Ecuador K1 Fiancee Visa Processing Times
Brazil K1 Fiancee Visa Processing Times
Venezuela K1 Fiancee Visa Processing Times