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This country’s legal measures were reviewed by our legal staff in consultation with in-country lawyers and/or CRVS legal experts. All efforts were made to ensure the accuracy of the legal analysis, however, if you consider there to be any discrepancies or if there have been changes in the law of the country since our staff last updated the legal analysis, we welcome any additional information or insights. Please contact us via this form.
Birth Registration
Bolivia
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Bolivia
Birth Registration
Procedure and Certificates
Procedure and Certificates
Place
Where must births be reported?
Unclear
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Registration may be place of occurrence of place of residence. The civil registration law should clearly state the place where births must be reported. Reporting in the place of occurrence usually makes the registration process faster and easier for the informant. The determination of the place of usual residence may be in fact complicated for some people who have more than one residence or often move. In addition, reporting at place of occurrence facilitates declaration or notification by a health facility.
Countries with electronic systems for civil registration may allow more flexibility and allow reporting from anywhere the civil registration system can be accessed.
Bolivian law does not specify where must births be reported. However, the Medical Certificate of Live Birth form includes a space for "place of birth" of the newborn, and "place of habitual residence" of the mother.
What are the reporting periods for birth registration specified in law?
1 year if born in urban areas, 2 years if born in the provinces
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
A clear deadline for reporting a birth, especially a short one, reduces the risk of misreporting or underreporting. The deadline is typically between 14 and 30 days.
A late birth registration occurs when a birth is reported after the legally specified time period, but within a grace period, usually one year after the vital event.
Delayed birth registration is the registration that occurs after the grace period has expired. Delayed birth registration may occur many years after the event, and may require additional evidence.
The deadline to request the registration of births is one year in the cities and two years in the provinces countable from birth. After this term, the registration can only be made in the Departmental Directorates in a special book after delivery of the testimony of the final judgment that determines the parentage of the person.
Are there any fees or fine for late or delayed birth registration?
Unclear
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Fees are not effective in preventing late or delayed registration and may act as a disincentive for registration. If fees are charged for delayed or late registration, policymakers should consider having a fee-waiver process for those for whom fees are a hardship. More effective results to increase registration rates are observed through educational programmes aimed at the public. Some countries have opted to impose a penalty for failure to register or, more precisely, refusal to register, rather than impose a fee for late registration.
The law is silent on fees for late and delayed birth registrations.
Law Source
Information
What is the minimum information required for birth registration?
unclear
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The information required for legal purposes is minimal, and usually consists of: given name; surname; date of birth; birthplace; sex; and names of both the parents. It is preferable that information on both parents is provided but registration should not be denied if the mother cannot or will not name the father. Registrars should be authorized to complete registration with the available information to strive for universal registration. Failure to provide statistical data elements such as the weight of the child, should also not prevent birth registration.
The minimum information required to register birth is captured in the Supreme Decree 24247 and Ministerial Resolution No. 533 of 2017.
According to the Supreme Decree, the following information must be entered in the birth record and corresponding registration card. The following list is not exhaustive:
a) Name and surname of newborn, b) place, time, day, month and year of birth, c) sex of newborn, d) parents' names and surnames, e) nationality of parents and f) parents' address.
According to the Ministerial Resolution No. 533 of 2017, the following information is required for birth registration:
a) Newborn’s data: full name; place of birth; location where the birth occurred; time and date of birth; sex; person attending the birth; gestational age; weight and length at birth; indication of live birth; number of products of the pregnancy; and presence of any congenital malformations.
b) Mother’s data: full name; habitual residence; identity document number; date of birth; and cultural identification.
c) Person certifying the birth: full name; occupation; identity card number; and date of certificate issuance.
d) Fingerprint and institutional seal: mother’s signature and the institutional seal of the certifying entity.
What evidence is required for on-time birth registration?
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Registrars should require proof as to the veracity of the information to be registered. Proof or evidence required for registration must be sufficiently stringent to provide assurance of the accuracy of the information without being so burdensome so burdensome as to discourage or prevent registration. Documentary evidence is always preferred. For birth registration, the most common form of documentary evidence is the notification of birth (from health sector or local leader), but if this is not available, testimony or affidavits of witnesses may be substituted.
Under Supreme Electoral Tribunal Resolution No. 616 of December 29, 2004, the main evidence required to register a birth in Bolivia is the Medical Certificate of Live Birth. This document is issued by authorized health personnel and certifies that the child was born alive. It contains key details such as the newborn’s name, date, time and place of birth, sex, and the parents’ names and identification information.
If the Medical Certificate of Live Birth is not available, other forms of evidence may be accepted, including a school record, any document showing the child’s name, or the declaration of two adult witnesses with valid identification.
Are there additional or alternative documents required for late or delayed birth registration?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
While late and delayed reporting should be discouraged, the procedures should not be so restrictive as to prevent late and delayed reporting of events. Laws that require a court order for late or delayed registration present a significant barrier to registration. For late registration (within 1-year grace period), the provision of a notification of birth, or other evidence required for on-time registration, should be sufficient. For delayed registration (after 1 year), the law may require additional evidence such as a witness statement.
In cases for late registration, the law requires the live birth certificate, or alternatively, evidence in the form of school record, any document with the child’s name or a declaration from two adult witnesses. For an adolescent, the same documents apply, but if using unofficial proof, two witness declarations are additionally required.
Does the registrar (local or other level) have the authority to correct minor errors (such as data entry errors and typographical errors)? If yes, are such changes free of charge?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The civil registration agency should have authority to correct errors such as obvious spelling, date or typographical errors.Providing the registration agency with authority to make these types of corrections relieves the applicant of having to spend time and money applying to courts. No fee should be charged for minor clerical errors.
Yes. The Plurinational Electoral Body Law No. 18 of June 16, 2010 states in article 73 that the SERECI can make minor corrections such as typographical errors, add uncontested information like amending or altering names. Additionally, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal issued the TSE-RSP Resolution No. 80 of 2012 for the rectification, supplementation, ratification, replacement, cancellation, and transfer of civil regsitration elements, which regulates the administrative processes for correcting and ammending civil registers
Does the registrar (local or other level) have the power to add omitted information (such as name of baby, in the case of late naming, and paternity information)? If yes, are such changes free of charge?
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The civil registration agency should have authority to add information omitted in the original record, such as the late addition of a baby name within the time frame for late naming, or adding uncontested paternity information. Providing the registration agency with authority to make these types of amendments elieves the applicant of having to spend time and money applying to courts. No fee should be charged for adding omitted information
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Law Source
Birth Certificate
Is the original birth certificate provided free of charge?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Legislation should require the registrar, upon completion of registration, to issue an original birth certificate to the parents of the child free of charge. Ideally, the local registrar has the power to issue a birth certificate, as this will shorten the time frame for certificate issuance.
Yes. According to Law No. 548 of July 17, 2014 (Children and Adolescents Code), Article 114-I, every child must be registered in the Civil Registry and is entitled to receive the first birth certificate free of charge.
