Expert: MRZ - 2/4/2008

Question
QUESTION: i am getting married to a Colombian woman in may and i am a 33 year old us citizen who would like to stay in Colombia and live what do i have to do to stay there with her and start a family

ANSWER: Well, once you are married to your fiance you will be able to apply for residency and later on for citizenship. It is an involved and sometimes painstaking process, but if it is well done you can save yourself a lot of headaches. If you have more specific questions as to the process please email me at info@colombianpossibilities.com I will be happy to help.
Thanks
Marta

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: what papers do i need to get married in Colombia?
i have read that in San Andreas all you need is a passport is that legal and binding marriage or should we do it through a notary

Answer
Even if you do it in San Andres you still need to do it in front of a notary or judge, I know in the past all you needed was a passport, however I am not sure that is still the case.
In any other city you need a certificate of singlehood, document certifying that you are single and have never been married if that is the case. You need this document notarized and apostilled. Our agency handles the apostille for documents if you need that service. If you have been married, then you need your divorce papers, apostilled as well. If you want to apply for her visa to the US, then that is a whole different story, more paperwork, a lot more time, etc...
Happy to help you out in any way, info@colombianpossibilities.com