What to Do When Someone Dies in Colombia: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Obtain the Medical Certificate of Death (RUAF-ND) or Forensic Autopsy Clearance

   Every civil registration and sanitary permit in Colombia requires the official Antecedent Certificate of Death for the Civil Registry (Certificado de Defunción Antecedente para el Registro Civil), issued through the Births and Deaths module of the Single Registry of Affiliates (RUAF-ND of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection and DANE) [1][3]:

   • Natural death in a clinic, hospital, or under home medical care: When the deceased dies under medical care in a healthcare institution (Institución Prestadora de Servicios de Salud - IPS, for example in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla, or Bucaramanga) or under home medical care with an active medical record, the attending physician verifies the death and issues the Antecedent Certificate of Death (RUAF-ND) free of charge [1][3]. Provide the deceased person's Colombian citizenship card (cédula de ciudadanía), foreigner ID card (cédula de extranjería), or passport so that personal particulars match civil registry records [1].
   • Sudden death, unattended home death, death in a public place, or violent or undetermined cause: Call the single national emergency number 123 immediately so the National Police (Policía Nacional) and the Technical Investigation Corps (CTI) of the Attorney General's Office (Fiscalía General de la Nación) can perform urgent judicial inspection acts [2]. In these cases, the body is transferred to the regional branch of the Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal y Ciencias Forenses for a mandatory forensic autopsy (necropsia médico-legal) [2]. Once full identity is verified and the prosecutor issues the release order, the Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal y Ciencias Forenses issues the antecedent death certificate and authorizes release of the body to the funeral home appointed by the family [2].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the Civil Registry Within the 2-Business-Day Deadline

   Under Decree-Law 1260 of 1970, every death occurring in Colombia must be registered within two (2) business days of learning of the death [1]:

   • Competent registry office (Registraduría or Notary): Death registration is completed before any office of the Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil or before a Notary (Notaría) in the municipality or district where the death occurred (institutional inquiries regarding registry updates and cancellation of identity cards can be sent to [email protected]) [1]. Present the original Medical or Forensic Certificate of Death together with the deceased's identity document [1].
   • Late registration and certified copies of the Civil Registry of Death: If more than two (2) business days elapse without registration, Colombian law requires a written order from a Police Inspector (or competent judicial/forensic authority) authorizing late registration (inscripción extemporánea) [1]. Once the serial registry entry is recorded, request several certified copies (copias auténticas) of the Civil Registry of Death (Registro Civil de Defunción) for banking, pension, and succession filings, while the Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil cancels the deceased's citizenship card in the National Identification Archive (ANI) [1].
3. 3

   Appoint a Licensed Funeral Home, Obtain Sanitary Permits, and Arrange Repatriation or Apostille

   The family must appoint a licensed funeral provider in Colombia to collect the deceased, prepare final disposition, and obtain local sanitary permits [3][4]:

   • Sanitary permit for burial or cremation (Licencia de Inhumación o Cremación): Before contracting private services out of pocket, check whether the deceased held a pre-need funeral plan (plan exequial), life insurance policy, or travel assistance policy. The appointed funeral home applies to the municipal or district health authority (such as the Bogotá District Secretariat of Health / Secretaría Distrital de Salud de Bogotá through its digital portal Agilínea, or the relevant municipal health secretariat) for the Burial or Cremation Permit, submitting the RUAF-ND Death Certificate and, for cremation, the written authorization of the legally entitled family members (plus explicit prosecutor authorization whenever criminal investigation or violent death was involved) [2][3].
   • International repatriation and electronic Hague Apostille: If the deceased was a foreign citizen, if the family decides to repatriate the embalmed body in a hermetically sealed coffin or cremated ashes abroad, or if the Colombian Civil Registry of Death must be used legally in another country, obtain the online Hague Apostille (available 24/7 in PDF format with a verification code) through the official portal of the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Cancillería) [4]. For international transport of casketed human remains or cremated ashes, the funeral home also secures the international sanitary transfer permit, embalming certificate, and consular clearance from the destination country [3][4].
4. 4

   Notify Pension Funds (Colpensiones / AFP), Health Insurers (EPS), Banks, and Insurers

   Once the Civil Registry of Death is issued, notify entities of the Comprehensive Social Security System and financial institutions in Colombia [1][5]:

   • Funeral grant (Auxilio Funerario) and survivor pension with Colpensiones or private pension funds (AFP): Any person who proves having paid the burial or cremation expenses of an affiliated worker or pensioner (by submitting original paid invoices and the Civil Registry of Death) is entitled to claim the statutory Funeral Grant (Auxilio Funerario) under Law 100 of 1993 (equal to the last contribution base salary or monthly pension, between 5 and 10 legal monthly minimum wages) from Colpensiones (Public Pay-As-You-Go Regime) or from the relevant private Pension Fund Administrator (Porvenir, Protección, Colfondos, or Skandia) [5]. Eligible surviving spouses or permanent partners, minor children, student children up to age 25, or disabled children can apply for the Survivor Pension (Pensión de Sobrevivientes) or pension substitution (or a lump-sum substitute indemnity / balance refund if minimum contribution weeks were not met) [5].
   • EPS, commercial banks, credit life insurance, and DIAN: Report the death to the Health Promoting Entity (EPS) and to all Colombian banks where your family member held savings or checking accounts, CDTs, or loans (and request activation of debtor group life insurance - seguro de vida grupo deudores - covering mortgage or consumer loan balances). Colombian banking regulations allow direct release of small-balance deposits without formal succession proceedings (entrega directa de depósitos sin juicio de sucesión up to the annual statutory threshold set by the Financial Superintendency), above which funds require a notarial succession deed or court judgment.
5. 5

   Complete Estate Succession Before a Notary or Court and Tax Filings (DIAN)

   Settlement of the marital or patrimonial partnership and inheritance succession in Colombia can proceed either before a notary or before a court depending on whether all heirs agree [1][4]:

   • Uncontested notarial succession (Decree 902 of 1988) vs. judicial succession: When all heirs, legatees, and the surviving spouse or permanent partner have full legal capacity and are in complete agreement, succession can be completed rapidly by public deed before a Colombian Notary (Notaría) (with mandatory representation by a licensed attorney whenever net estate assets exceed 15 legal monthly minimum wages). If there is any disagreement among heirs or a dispute over a will or estate property, judicial succession proceedings must be filed before the competent Family or Civil Court (Juzgado de Familia o Civil) of the deceased's last domicile in Colombia.
   • Tax obligations before DIAN (undivided estate RUT) and cross-border coordination: The estate representatives or heirs must update the deceased's Single Tax Registry (RUT) with the National Directorate of Taxes and Customs (DIAN) as an undivided estate (sucesión ilíquida), file income tax returns, and obtain tax clearance from DIAN before the notary or court finalizes the partition (paying occasional gain tax on inheritances - impuesto de ganancia ocasional - above statutory exemptions). If an heir resides outside Colombia, they can grant a special power of attorney to a Colombian lawyer before the nearest Colombian consulate or before a foreign notary legalized with a Hague Apostille through the channels validated by the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores [4].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Civil Registry of Death (Registro Civil de Defunción) - Requirements and Registration — Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil
2. [2]
   Citizen Services, Forensic Identification, and Release of Bodies — Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal y Ciencias Forenses
3. [3]
   Burial, Cremation, and Human Remains Transfer Permits — Secretaría Distrital de Salud de Bogotá
4. [4]
   Online Apostille and Legalization Portal — Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Colombia (Cancillería)
5. [5]
   Funeral Grant (Auxilio Funerario) and Survivor Benefits — Colpensiones