The Civil Registry is the mechanism by which the State identifies individuals and their marital status within society, with regard to their family relationships, a situation from which rights and obligations are derived. This is basically contained in Decree Law 1260 of 1970. The State has progressively sought to offer a more practical and secure service in the civil registry of individuals, and has implemented various policies to modernize it.

Notaries were authorized to provide this service on a shared basis by Resolution 5296 of November 15, 2000.