Why is an official translation of apostilles needed?
Every document to be legalized from a signatory country to the Hague Convention of October 10, 1961, must have a certificate attached to it. The National Government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, validates the authenticity of the signature and the official’s capacity to sign the document. This attached certificate legalizes the document and is called an apostille. There are 110 member countries of the Convention. The largest non-signatory country is Canada, and other countries in our hemisphere include Bolivia, Dominica, Cuba, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Haiti.
Official translations of apostilles
The documents to which the apostille refers must be translated, and in some cases the apostille must be translated as well.
It is important to note that for non-signatory countries, the requested documents must be taken to the notary for subsequent translation of the respective seals.
Legalization can be done online, on the Foreign Ministry’s website. It’s a fairly easy process, and the website offers instructions on how to complete the process.
As official translators, we translate the requested pages. The translated document bears our official seal and signature, which is registered with the Ministry.
Now, to legalize these documents before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombia (Apostille), two requests must be made.
1) Request to apostille the translation (the Ministry charges COP 31,000 for all documents. This process can be done online.)
2) Request for translation of the apostille (the Ministry charges COP 31,000. This process can be done online.)
3) You have to determine whether the country where you want to send the document requires the translation of the apostille.
Translation of apostilles from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chancellery
The Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ apostille is available in English, Spanish, and French, as are the diplomas. Therefore, no translation is required. There are some sections in Spanish that can theoretically be translated, but they refer to the translated attached document, which makes this information available for review by the requesting entity.
Translation of apostilles from other signatory countries
Apostilles from signatory countries to the convention must be translated into Spanish if they are not available in Spanish.
If you go to the office facilities you must bring :
- Citizenship card
- Original documents with the name of the country to which they are addressed (upper right corner).
- The documents must be signed by a public official, as follows:
- Issued by a public entity: the signature of the public official signing the document must be registered in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs database.
- Issued by individuals: the individual’s signature must be authenticated by a notary public, or, failing that, the individual must appear in person at the office. The signature to be apostilled is that of the notary public, which must be in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ database.
If the document to be apostilled requires submission in a language other than Spanish, it must first be translated by an official translator registered in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs database. After the translation, the translator’s signature must be apostilled.
At the Apostille and Legalization Office located at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you can ask questions and receive guidance on your procedures. The office is located at Av Carrera 19 No. 98-03, sixth floor, Torre 100 Building.
Note: Documents larger than letter or legal size must be printed in reduced size with the original.
Online Apostille Application
To apostille physical documents online, you must keep the following in mind:
- Scan the document into a PDF file no larger than 11MB
- Only one document may be apostilled per registered application.
- The public official’s signature must be legible, as must the content of the document.
To begin filing your application, go to the «Procedures» tab on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. You can complete the necessary procedures to legalize your documents through this section.
Once your application registration is complete, your email will be sent within 24 hours to determine whether your application was successful or if there were any inconsistencies. If your application is rejected, you will need to submit a new one with the corrections.
If the application is accepted, the next step is to pay online or at the counter (Sudameris or Servibanca) for the legalization of the documents.
You can complete the entire apostille and legalization process online at the Cancilleria.gov.co website.
Apostille and translate documents
The importance of an apostille is essential if a document issued in one country is required to have legal effect in another. The apostille seal will authenticate and certify the content of the document in any other signatory country to the Hague Convention. However, it should be noted that if the official language of the destination country is not the same as the country of origin where the document was issued, a translation of the document must be completed into the official language, or whatever language is required, of the destination country.
In this regard, it is important to remember that when someone wishes to issue a document, they must be very clear about the process by which it is first apostilled and then translated. There are countless documents required to file legal proceedings abroad. People generally request the translation and apostille of their own or their children’s birth certificates, as well as university diplomas and marriage certificates. At the corporate level, these documents include certificates of sale, contracts, and other documents required by the company to conduct legal proceedings abroad.
Although the vocabulary of Spanish-speaking countries in both South America and Spain tends to vary, the Spanish apostille template tends to be the same for all countries. Below is an example:
(Hague Convention of 5 October 1961)
- Country:
This public document:
- has been signed by:
- who acts as:
- and is covered with the seal/stamp of:
Certificate
- on: 6. the day:
- by:
- under the number:
- Stamp/seal: 10. Signature:
If a person wishes to translate an apostille into English, either because they wish to study in the United States or England, or because they wish to sell their products in one of these countries, they must have the apostille translated into English. This process is actually very quick, allowing the person to conduct business or complete their enrollment process without language being an obstacle. It is important to keep in mind that choosing a good translator is crucial when obtaining an official translation, as a poor translation can lead to major problems in the future.
Although there are several places where official document translations can be performed in Bogotá, you should consider the quality of the translation provided by the translator or translation agency. You should consider their experience and commitment to the work. For example, missing a deadline can be very detrimental if there is a deadline for submitting a document. That’s why you should select a reliable company if you want to translate a document. Another fundamental aspect of this is confidentiality. You must ensure that the company you select to translate your documents will keep your information safe and secure. Since these documents are legal documents, the apostille on a certified translation must maintain strict privacy to prevent your information from falling into the hands of third parties. Therefore, it’s important to consider the support and experience of the company that will perform the translation. Along these lines, it’s essential to choose a company or individual with certified experience so that the information in your documents always remains in your hands, and solely in the hands of the translator.
Official translations in Bogotá are performed by various companies or individuals. Since this is almost a mandatory process for filing any document abroad, it is always advisable to apostille all documents you plan to use abroad, even if they are not required for the legal process you intend to carry out. Why should this be done? To avoid inconveniences when carrying out any legal process. There are cases in which any document, whether an individual degree certificate or any other academic supporting document, will greatly facilitate any process and prevent wasted time or money trying to apostille and translate said document from a location outside the country due to lack of knowledge or foresight.
If you have a document with an apostille and an official translation made in Bogotá, and your translation is completely reliable and faithful to the original text, you will never have any problems abroad and you can rest assured that your documents will help you achieve any objective you have for said document, and will also reflect your professionalism in your personal and professional spheres.
