Colombia (CO)

Authority: Ministerio de Educación Nacional (MEN) — the single authority for all foreign higher education degree convalidations in Colombia. The three evaluation criteria are: (1) Acreditación o Reconocimiento (fastest — up to 60 days — if the institution is accredited by an authority recognised by Colombia); (2) Precedente Administrativo (up to 120 days — if MEN has previously approved the same institution/degree); (3) Evaluación Académica via CONACES (up to 180 days — when the first two criteria are not met; CONACES conducts a full curriculum analysis).

Process: Fully online at convalidaciones.mineducacion.gov.co. Steps: (1) Create a user account in the MEN Information System for Higher Education Convalidations; (2) Complete the online form and upload documents — original degree with apostille, official academic transcript with apostille, sworn Spanish translation of all non-Spanish documents, copy of passport or Cédula de Extranjería; (3) Pay the fee via PSE (online banking); (4) MEN analyses the application and may request corrections; (5) MEN issues a decision (Acto Administrativo) and notifies the applicant. Timeline: 60–180 calendar days depending on the criteria applied. Follow up monthly via the portal.

Equivalency service: MEN provides the Servicio de Convalidación (convalidaciones.mineducacion.gov.co) — once convalidated, the foreign degree has the same legal status as a Colombian degree for employment and professional licensing purposes. The decision classifies the foreign degree within the Colombian National Qualifications Framework (Marco Nacional de Cualificaciones): técnico, tecnólogo, profesional universitario, especialización, maestría, or doctorado.

Apostille: Colombia is a signatory to the Hague Apostille Convention (since 2000). Documents from other Hague Convention countries (including all EU countries, USA, UK, Australia, Canada) must be apostilled. The apostille is attached to the original document in the country of origin. Colombian documents to be used abroad: the Cancillería (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores) issues apostilles for Colombian public documents — apply at cancilleria.gov.co or in-person at regional Cancillería offices.

Legalisation: For documents from countries NOT in the Hague Convention: full legalisation chain required — (1) original country authentication → (2) Colombian consulate/embassy in that country → (3) Cancillería Colombia. Countries where this applies include some African and Asian nations not party to the Hague Convention.

Sworn translation: All foreign-language documents must be translated into Spanish by an official sworn translator (traductora o intérprete oficial) certified by the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores of Colombia. Find certified translators at cancilleria.gov.co/tramites_servicios/traductores_interpretes. Cost: COP $80,000–250,000 per page depending on language pair. Languages with fewer certified translators (e.g., Korean, Thai, Arabic) cost more. The translator's certification number must appear on the translation.