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Disclaimer / Limitations
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.
Death Registration
Colombia
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Colombia
Death Registration
Universal Coverage and Definition
Universal Coverage and Definition
Universal Coverage and Definition
Is death registration available and compulsory for all events occurring in the country's jurisdiction?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
To increase death registration rates, the law should provide that registration is available and compulsory to all deaths occurring in every geographical area and for every population group in the country, without discrimination. Examples of possible discriminations are: sex; race ethnicity, religion or population group; marital status; nationality, citizenship, residency or regugee/asylum status; or any other characteristic such as prisoners or persons with disabilities
Colombian law makes death registration compulsory and universally applicable to all deaths occurring within the country, regardless of nationality, residency, or status. Decree 1260 of 1970, Article 77(1) requires registration of all deaths that occur in Colombian territory. Articles 73–74 of the same decree impose a duty on family members, household members, medical personnel, institutions (hospitals, clinics, prisons, etc.), funeral homes, and police (for unidentified bodies) to report deaths. Articles 76–80 regulate certification and the mandatory information to be recorded. Together, these provisions ensure that death registration is available and obligatory for every death within Colombia’s jurisdiction.
Is registration of death available to citizens living abroad?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The death of a national who is abroad should be reported and registered in the country where the death occurred either by the next of kin or other person with knowledge of death. The death should also be reported to the embassy or consulate of the home country of the deceased.
Yes. Colombian law allows citizens living abroad to register deaths through Colombian consulates. Decree 1260 of 1970, Article 118, states that civil status registration abroad—including death registration—is carried out by consular officers of the Republic. Additionally, Decree 1010 of 2000, Article 5 assigns to the civil registration authority the responsibility to ensure “trustworthy and effective registration of vital events abroad,” which includes deaths of Colombian citizens occurring outside national territory.
Does the law provide a clear definition of death? If yes, does the definition accord with international guidelines?
No death is not defined by law
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The provision of clear definitions in the law is an important tool to ensure the continuous and permanent recording of vital events in all areas. The UN's definition of death is: "The permanent disappearance of all evidence of life at any time after live birth has taken place (post-natal cessation of vital functions without capability of resuscitation)."
Colombian law does not contain a standalone, explicit definition of “death.” The Civil Code only establishes that “the existence of people ends with death” (Civil Code, Article 94) and defines when a person begins to exist through live birth (Civil Code, Article 90). From these provisions, it can be inferred that death marks the end of the existence of someone who was alive after birth, which is consistent with international guidelines such as the UN definition. However, the law itself does not provide a direct or self-contained definition of death.
