Civil Unions and Same-sex Marriage

Find out about the marriage and civil union laws for same-sex couples in Colombia...

Currently the only form of union for same-sex couples is a de facto union known as union marital de hecho. Since 2007 it affords same-sex partnerships, having lived together for two years, the legal status and rights as heterosexual de facto partnerships and married couples.

The couple must be co-habiting in a stable, continuous, monogamous relationship, neither party can be married and they must be resident in Colombia for no less than six months.

The union marital de hecho can performed and registered through a public deed before a notary, at a Centro de Conciliación or in front of a judge. They usually have the following requirements:

  • Passport with a copy of page with current visa stamp
  • Birth certificate (translated into Spanish, affixed with an Apostille and no more than 90 days old)
  • Proof that neither party is married (a personal declaration notarised in the home country or official documentation such as a Certificate of No Impediment, if applicable)
  • Legalised signed declaration that both applicants fulfil the requirements for a union marital de hecho

Same-sex Marriage

The laws relating to same-sex marriage are less clear cut, and are changing rapidly. There have been cases where civil courts have married same-sex couples and the Bogotá High Court maintained the validity of one such marriage in October 2013. In May 2014, the Colombian President, Juan Manuel Santos, publicly backed same-sex couples' marriage rights.