Objectives Congenital disorders of N-glycosylation (CDG) are a large group of rare metabolic disorders caused by defects in the most common post-translational modification of proteins. CDGs are often difficult to diagnose as they are manifested with non-specific symptoms and signs. Analysis of serum transferrin (TRF) isoforms, as the classical procedure used to identify a CDG patient, enables to predict pathological steps in the N-linked glycosylation process. Methods We devised a new strategy based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) for the analysis of TRF isoforms by combining a simple and fast sample preparation with a specific chromatographic cleanup/separation step followed by mass-spectrometric measurement. Single TRF isoform masses were obtained through reconstruction of multiply charged electrospray data collected by quadrupole-MS technology. Hereby, we report the first analyzed serum samples obtained from 20 CDG patients and 100 controls. Results The ratio of desialylated isoforms to total TRF was calculated for patients and controls. CDG-Type I patients showed higher amounts of bi-sialo isoform (range: 6.7–29.6%) compared to controls ( Conclusions This LC-MS-based approach provides a simple, sensitive and fast analytical tool for characterizing CDG disorders in a routine clinical biochemistry while improving diagnostic accuracy and speeding clinical decision-making.