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Certified Colombian Legal Separation Translation
Certified translation of the documents that record a legal separation in Colombia, including the registry annotations and endorsements that carry the legal effect and that a reader unfamiliar with the system will otherwise skip.
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Flat rate per page, up to 250 words. No hidden fees.
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Most 1-3 page documents are delivered within 24 hours. Same-day available.
Separación de cuerpos, and separación de bienes
Colombia distinguishes separación de cuerpos — which suspends the obligation to cohabit while the marriage continues — from separación de bienes, which dissolves the marital property regime without touching the personal relationship. They are different remedies and a couple may have one, the other or both.
A translation that renders both as "separation" tells a US reader nothing about what was actually decided. We name the remedy and reproduce the operative order.
The notarial route
Since 2005 a consensual separation, like a consensual divorce, may be effected by escritura pública before a notary where the parties agree, rather than through a judge. A judicial route remains for contested matters and where minor children require a defender's involvement.
A notarial deed is a public instrument with full legal effect, not a private agreement, and we translate it as such. The notary and the deed number identify it.
The nota marginal on the registro civil de matrimonio
The effect is recorded as a nota marginal on the registro civil de matrimonio, and a copy issued afterwards carries it. Short extracts frequently omit the marginal notes entirely.
If your copy shows no annotation, ask the Registraduría or the notary holding the registration for the full copy before paying for a translation of the wrong document.
Unión marital de hecho, which is not marriage
Colombia recognises the unión marital de hecho, a de facto partnership with a property regime (sociedad patrimonial) that can be declared and dissolved by notarial deed or judicially. It is not a marriage and its dissolution is not a separation or divorce.
The distinction is routinely lost in translation and it changes the answer to almost any question a US office is asking. We name the institution. See our Colombian marriage certificate page.
Ordering, and what the certification covers
Upload the document, choose certified translation at $24.95 per page of up to 250 words, and it comes back typically within 24 hours as a PDF formatted to mirror the original, with a signed certificate of translation accuracy on letterhead. Marginal annotations are translated in place, in the margin, and every seal, stamp and registry endorsement is translated with the text. See how we translate and certified versus standard.
Frequently asked questions
Separación de cuerpos or de bienes?
One suspends cohabitation and leaves the marriage; the other dissolves the property regime. Different remedies and we name which.
Can it be done without a judge?
Yes, by escritura pública before a notary where the parties agree. It is a public instrument with full effect.
My registry copy shows no note.
Short extracts omit marginal notes. Ask for the full copy from the Registraduría or the notary holding the registration.
Is a unión marital de hecho a marriage?
No. It is a de facto partnership with its own property regime, and dissolving it is not a separation or a divorce.
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Upload the document and receive the certified translation, typically within 24 hours.