Expert: MRZ - 3/2/2008

Question
My daughter is 15, was born in Colombia and is interested in dual citizenship. What are our steps to do this? Will this create any advantage or disadvantage for her in attending College?

Answer
You need an original notarized copy of her birth certificate issued in the last 3 months, you need both her parents birth certificates, also notarized, and if the parents are not Colombian born citizens, their birth certificates need to be apostilled. With these documents you will go to your closest Colombian consulate and apply first for her Colombian tarjeta de identidad, which is Colombian version of the U.S. social security number, this number will change once she turns 18. She will receive a temporary tarjeta de identidad, the permanent one will take about 6 to 8 months. With the temporary card she can then apply for her Colombian passport, with these two documents she is considered a Colombian citizen.
As far as the issue of colleges, it all depends on where she plans to attend college, in the U.S. or in Colombia?
If you need any help with all the process or with any of the steps please contact me directly at info@colombianpossibilities.com or call me at 703-652-3850.
Thanks for writing
Marta