Bolivia has a national level agency, called the Servicio de Registro Cívico—SERECI (Civic Register System) that is responsible for procedures of birth and death registration, and stillbirth reporting. The powers and functions of the SERECI are regulated through Law No. 18 of June 16, 2010, and the Supreme Decree No. 24247 of March 7, 1999. Through these legal instruments the SERECI has broad and sufficient powers to fulfill its functions for Civil Registration. The legal instruments that govern the SERECI largely accord with international guidelines on civil registration. However, these instruments do not mention whether transmission of information between the local civil registration offices to SERECI, and between SERECI and the national statistics agency must be conducted on regular basis.
Summary
Bolivia
Bolivia
Civil Registration System
Does the law designate a national level agency responsible for civil registration?
Does the law provide for a uniform process to complete civil registrations across the country?
At what level of civil division are primary registration offices located?
Does the law establish, or authorize the establishment of, secondary civil registration offices under the jurisdiction of the primary civil registration office?
Is the local civil registrar empowered by law to register vital events? If yes, do they have the power to issue certificates of registration?
Does the law require the local civil registration office to transmit registration records to the national civil registration authority on a regular and timely basis?
Does the law provide for a right and a process to appeal a decision of a civil registrar?
Does the law authorize the local civil registrar to use mobile registration to reach remote or rural areas?
Does the law require that the civil registration authority share data with the agency responsible for producing vital statistics, on a regular and timely basis?
Does the law block the use of technology, such as electronic collection, transmission and storage of data, within the civil registration system?
Is there a national coordinating committee to address issues on the functioning of the civil registration system and its integration with other systems, such as the health sector, vital statistics, national identity system, medicolegal death investigation, and others?
Birth Registration
Birth registration in Bolivia is governed by different legal instruments including, laws, Supreme Decrees and Ministerial Resolutions. Each of these instruments regulate different aspects of birth registration, such as the legal obligation to register all births (Law No. 548 of July 17, 2014), the functions of the SERECI (Law No. 18 of June 16, 2010), and the procedure to register birth (Supreme Decree 24247 of March 7, 1999). The forms used for declaration and notification of births are provided in the Ministry of Health issued Ministerial Resolution No. 090 of March 6, 2018. Additionally, the Manual for Medical Certification of Vital Events of 2016 instructs medical professionals on how to fill the form of the declaration and notification of births form. Our legal analysis of Bolivian laws reveals that under the law, birth registrations are universal, compulsory, and free. There are clear processes laid in the law governing the registration procedure. The roles for informants and the health sector are also clearly identified.
Is birth registration available and compulsory for all births occurring within the country's jurisdiction?
Does the law provide a clear definition of live birth? If yes, does the definition accord with international guidelines?
Where must births be reported?
What are the reporting periods for birth registration specified in law?
Are there any fees for on-time birth registration?
Is the original birth certificate provided free of charge?
Who is designated as the primary informant for births occurring in health facilities?
Who is designated the primary informant for births occurring outside health facilities?
Are there additional or alternative documents required for late or delayed birth registration?
Is a Unique Personal Identifier (UPI) assigned at birth registration for every child born in the country?
Death Registration
Death registration in Bolivia is governed by different legal instruments, including, laws, Supreme Decrees and Ministerial Resolutions. Similar to birth registration, each instrument regulates different aspects of death registration, such as the functions of the national registration agency SERECI (Law No. 18 of June 16, 2010) and the procedure to register deaths (Supreme Decree 24247 of March 7, 1999). The forms used for medical certification of cause of death are provided in Ministerial Resolution No. 291, 7 of May 2002. Death registrations are compulsory, available and free for all deaths occurring in the territory of Bolivia. There are clear procedures laid in the law governing the death registration process. However, the hierarchy of informants is not clearly identified.
Is death registration available and compulsory for all events occurring in the country's jurisdiction?
Where must deaths be reported?
Does the law provide a clear definition of death? If yes, does the definition accord with international guidelines?
What are the reporting time periods for death registration specified in the law?
Who is designated as the primary informant for natural deaths that occur in a health facility?
Are there any fees for on-time death registration?
Who is designated primary informant for natural deaths occurring outside a health facility?
Are there additional or alternative documents required for late or delayed death registration?
What role do local leaders or local authorities have in the registration process for deaths that occur in the community?
Does the law link retirment of a UPI and/or identity credential to death registration?
Is the original death certificate provided free of charge?
Cause of Death
Medical certification of causes of death are governed by the Supreme Decree 24247 of March 7, 1999 and the Manual for Medical Certification of Vital Events of 2016. The Supreme Decree imposes a legal duty upon medical officers to issue Medical Certificates of Cause of Death (MCCDs). The forms used for medical certification of cause of death are provided in Ministerial Resolution No. 291, 7 of May 2002.
Does the law require a cause of death (CoD) to register a death?
Does the law clearly state who is responsible for medically certifying cause of death, for natural deaths occurring in a health facility?
Does the law designate a certifier of cause of death, for natural deaths occurring under medical supervision but outside a health facility?
Does the law provide a form to certify cause of death? If yes, does the form accord with WHO Medical Certificate of Cause of Death Form?
Does the law clearly state who is responsible for medically certifying cause of death when deaths are unnatural or suspicious, or otherwise referred to the MLDI authority?
Does the standard form death certificate include cause of death information?
Does the law allow for the use of verbal autopsy when there is no MCCD?
Medicolegal Death Investigation
Bolivia has a hybrid coroner-medical examiner system for medicolegal death investigations. The medicolegal investigation entity is the Instituto de Investigaciones Forenses – IDIF (Forensic Investigations Institute), which was established under Law No. 260 of June 11, 2012. Additionally, Ministry of Health and Sports issued Ministerial Resolution No. 499 of May 10, 2012, which adopts the Manual for the Medical Certification of Vital Events, determines the types of cases that must be referred to the IDIF, and identifies the process by which the IDIF must certify the causes of suspicious or unnatural deaths.
Who is designated as the primary informant for unnatural or suspicious deaths?
What type of medicolegal death investigation (MLDI) system does the country have?
Does the law clearly state what types of cases must be referred to the MLDI authority and is this in accordance with international guidance?
Does the law mandate that law enforcement and/or heads of custodial institutions report all deaths in custody to the medicolegal death investigation authority?
For a death referred to the MLDI system, does the law specify how cause of death information is transmitted to the civil registrar and/or statistics agency?
Stillbirth Reporting
Stillbirths are reported through the health sector in Bolivia, according to the Ministerial Resolution No. 499 of May 10, 2012 (Ministry of Health and Sports), which adopts the Manual for the Medical Certification of Vital Events. The law provides a definition of fetal deaths but does not define stillbirths.
Does the law provide a definition of fetal death? If yes, does the definition of fetal death accord with international guidelines?
Does the law provide a definition of, or criteria for stillbirth? If yes, does the definition of or criteria for stillbirth accord with international guidelines?
What system(s) are used to report stillbirths?
Is stillbirth registration available and compulsory for all stillbirths occurring within the country's jurisdiction?
Who is the designated primary informant for declaring stillbirths to the civil registrar?
What is the role of the health sector in stillbirth registration?
Where must stillbirths be reported?
Are there any fees for stillbirth registration?
Does the civil register contain a separate register for stillbirths, distinct from birth and death registers?
Does the law mandate reporting of all stillbirths through the health sector?
Does the law require or request medical certification of cause of death for stillbirths? If yes, does the medical certificate of cause of death used, accord with the WHO MCCD form?
Vital Statistics
Law No. 1405 of November 1, 2021 establishes the national statistical agency called Instituto Nacional de Estadística – INE (National Statistics Institute) in Bolivia. Vital statistics data is derived from Bolivia’s civil registration system. The data is produced for the entire country at a central (or national) level, enabling uniform standards for vital statistics data collection. However, the law does not provide clear procedures or timeframes for the transmission of data between the civil registration system and vital statistics agency in Bolivia. The law obligates the INE to anonymize data and protect the privacy and confidentiality of individuals.