Civil Registry and Identification Service of Chile

Civil Registry and Identification Service

Government Logo.

Central offices of the Civil Registry in Santiago.
Civil registry overview
Formed| July 17, 1884 (1884-07-17)
Preceding Civil registry|

* Civil Registry of Chile (1884-1943)

Jurisdiction|  Chile
Headquarters| Catedral 1772, Santiago, Chile
Employees| 3103 (2022)
Annual budget| 155 860 810 thousand Chilean pesos (2020)[1]
Civil registry executive|

* Omar Morales Márquez

Parent department| Ministry of Justice and Human Rights
Child Civil registry|

* See Registers

Website| https://www.registrocivil.cl/

The Civil Registry and Identification Service (SRCEI), sometimes simply referred to as the Civil Registry, is a decentralized public service in Chile, with its own legal personality and assets, under the supervision of the President of the Republic through the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.[2] It is responsible for maintaining records related to the civil status of individuals and other duties assigned by law. Since December 2022, the organization has been headed by Omar Morales Márquez, under the government of President Gabriel Boric.

Its tasks include issuing birth certificates, marriage and civil union certificates, death certificates, criminal records, identity cards, passports, Unique Key, vehicle registrations, and inheritance probate for intestate succession.[3]

To carry out its duties, the Civil Registry and Identification Service operates 16 regional offices,[4] 476 offices and sub-offices, 300 self-service kiosks, 95 mobile service units, and a maritime office, known as Civilsur. It employs approximately 3,100 staff members.[3]

## History

[edit]

Since the Colonial Chile era, personal identification was carried out through ecclesiastical records (such as baptismal, marriage, and death certificates) of the Catholic Church, which remained the state religion until 1925. On July 17, 1884, President of the Republic Domingo Santa María enacted the Civil Registry Law,[5] as part of the secular laws, establishing a Civil Registry official responsible for maintaining duplicate records of births, marriages, and deaths.[6]

With the evolving role of the State in economic, social, political, and cultural matters, the Civil Registry had to assume new functions of great importance to society. An example of this is the creation of the "General Registry of Convictions" in 1925, which was linked to identification, to establish the legal individuality of people and record their criminal history.[3]

Decree Law 26, published on November 18, 1924, established the mandatory personal identification service, creating the identity card, which became mandatory for all citizens.[7]

On August 28, 1930, the "Civil Registry Service" was organized, absorbing the tasks of the "Identification and Passport Service" in 1943,[6] which until then had been under the responsibility of the Investigations Police (PDI).[3]

Starting in 1980, the use of computer equipment was introduced, and later, in the 1990s, the incorporation of technology, process redesign, and the acceleration of procedures were promoted, resulting in reduced processing times and a clear orientation towards user satisfaction.[3]

Since then, the adoption of cutting-edge technologies, the establishment of an extensive computer network linking offices, and the development of modern service systems have made the advances of the Service a model to follow for similar institutions in Latin America.[3]

In 2017, the first self-service kiosks of the Civil Registry were inaugurated in high-traffic public locations where certificates are needed, such as town halls and hospitals across Chile, in line with the policies of automation and modernization of the public sector, implementing digital government initiatives.[8]

## Registers

[edit]

The Civil Registry and Identification Service is responsible for the following twenty-two registers:[9]

* Birth Register (1884)
* Marriage Register (1884)
* Death Register (1884)
* General Register of Convictions (1925)
* Identity Card (1943)
* Passport Register (1943)
* Register of Professionals (1981)
* National Register of Motor Vehicles (1985)
* National Register of Motor Vehicle Drivers (1985)
* National Register of the Disability (1994)
* National Register of Domestic Violence (1994)
* Special Register of Offenses related to Drug Consumption and Psychotropic Substances (1995)
* Register of Personal Data Banks managed by Public Bodies (1999)
* National Register of Land Freight Transport (2003)
* National Register of Probate (2003)
* National Register of Wills (2003)
* National DNA Register System (2004)
* National Register of Non-Profit Legal Entities (2011)
* Register of Non-Possessory Pledges (2011)
* Register of persons prohibited from working with minors (2012)[note 1]
* National Non-Donors Register (2013)
* Special Register of Civil Union Agreements (2015)
* National Register of Child Support Debtors (2022)[11]

## National Directors

[edit]

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2024)

|

Director  | Party  | Start  | End  | President

|
|
|
|

Hernán Díaz Arrieta[12] | Ind. | 1925  | ¿?  | Arturo Alessandri Palma
|  | 1925  | 1927  | Emiliano Figueroa Larraín
|  | 1927  | 1931  | Carlos Ibáñez del Campo
Fernando Jaramillo Valderrama | LP | December 4, 1931  | June 4, 1932  | Juan Esteban Montero
December 24, 1932  | December 24, 1938  | Arturo Alessandri Palma
December 24, 1938  | 1939  | Pedro Aguirre Cerda
Luis Felipe Laso Pérez Cotapos | RP | 1939  | November 25, 1941
November 25, 1941  | April 2, 1942  | Jerónimo Méndez Arancibia
April 2, 1942  | 1945  | Juan Antonio Ríos
Luis Alberto Cuevas Contreras | 1945  | June 27, 1946
Washington Bannen Mujica | June 27, 1946  | 1947  | Gabriel González Videla
Desiderio Bravo Ortiz | 1947  | 1952
November 3, 1952  | 1953  | Carlos Ibáñez del Campo
Luis Ignacio Pérez Labra  |  | 1953  | 1953
Fernando Sergio Montaldo Bustos | Ind. | 1953  | November 3, 1958
November 3, 1958  | November 3, 1964  | Jorge Alessandri Rodríguez
November 3, 1964  | 1965  | Eduardo Frei Montalva
Jorge Zapata Santos  | PDC | 1965  | November 3, 1970
November 3, 1970  | 1971  | Salvador Allende Gossens
Heriberto Benquis Camhi  | PS | 1971  | September 11, 1973
Desiderio Herrera González  | Ind. | September 12, 1973  | 1973  | Augusto Pinochet Ugarte
Luis Henríquez Valenzuela  | 1974  | 1978
José Bernales Pereira  | 1978  | 1980
Juan Bennett Urrutia | February 1980  | June 1982
Luis Larroulet Ganderats  | 1982  | 1985
Enrique Tornero Figueroa  | 1985  | 1990
Berta Belmar Ruiz  | PDC | March 11, 1990  | March 11, 1994  | Patricio Aylwin Azócar
March 11, 1994  | 1997  | Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle
María Alejandra Sepúlveda Toro  | PS | 1997  | March 11, 2000
March 11, 2000  | 2003  | Ricardo Lagos Escobar
Aldo Signorelli Guerra  | PRSD[13] | 2004  | March 11, 2006
Guillermo Arenas Escudero  | PPD | March 11, 2006  | 2008  | Michelle Bachelet Jeria
Christian Behm Sepúlveda  | Ind. | March 1, 2009[14] | March 11, 2010
March 11, 2010  | January 1, 2011[14] | Sebastián Piñera Echenique
Rodrigo Durán López  | May 25, 2011[15] | October 11, 2013
Claudia Gallardo Latsague  | October 11, 2013[16] | August 7, 2014[16]
Teresa Alanis Zuleta  | August 21, 2014[note 2] | October 23, 2015[18] | Michelle Bachelet Jeria
Luis Acevedo Quintanilla | PDC | October 23, 2015[19] | October 24, 2016[20]
Jorge Álvarez Vásquez | Ind. | October 24, 2016[20] | March 11, 2018
March 11, 2018  | October 16, 2020[21] | Sebastián Piñera Echenique
Sergio Mierzejewski Lafferte | June 11, 2021[note 3] | March 11, 2022
March 11, 2022  | March 22, 2022  | Gabriel Boric Font
Jorge Núñez Silva (s)  | March 22, 2022  | December 13, 2022
Omar Morales Márquez | PR  | December 13, 2022  | Incumbent

## Non-profit organizations

[edit]

The Register of Non-Profit Legal Entities in Chile is a mandatory and centralized registration system, managed by the Civil Registry and Identification Service, aimed at formalizing associations, foundations, community organizations, neighborhood councils, and communal unions that do not seek profit.

The entities that must register in this system are divided into two main categories: those constituted under Title XXXIII of Book I of the Civil Code, such as corporations and foundations, and those governed by special laws, such as sports, religious, indigenous organizations, and some educational institutions that become non-profit legal entities.[23]

### Registration Process

[edit]

Since 2023, the registration of new entities, as well as the modification of statutes and dissolutions, is carried out through the Municipal Secretariats corresponding to the entity's domicile. Once the procedure is completed in the Municipal Secretariat, it is responsible for sending the information to the Civil Registry, where the final registration in the national register is carried out.

### Requirements and Documentation

[edit]

To complete the registration, various documents are required, including the registration form, a copy of the founding documents of the act, and in some cases, express authorization issued by the entity's constitutive body. These requirements vary depending on the type of organization and the nature of the procedure (registration, board modification, etc.).[24]

### Obligations and Benefits

[edit]

Once registered, non-profit legal entities acquire a series of obligations, including the regular updating of their information in the register and compliance with accounting and tax regulations. In return, these organizations can access various benefits, such as the ability to receive tax-exempt donations, participate in public tenders, and apply for competitive funds.

## See also

[edit]

* Civil Registry

## Notes

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1. ^ Also known as the "National Offenders Register".[10]
2. ^ Assumed as acting national director (s) on August 7, and was confirmed in the position on August 21.[17]
3. ^ Assumed as acting national director (s) on October 16, 2020,[21] being confirmed in the position —as national director— by the Minister of Justice and Human Rights Hernán Larraín on June 11, 2021.[22]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Dipres. "Public Sector Budget Law Year 2020" (PDF). Retrieved May 22, 2020.
2. ^ Ministry of Justice and Human Rights (2022). "Services - Ministry of Justice and Human Rights". Retrieved August 23, 2022.
3. ^ a b c d e f "Civil Registry; Who we are". www.registrocivil.cl. 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
4. ^ Civil Registry and Identification Service (2022). "Our offices". Retrieved August 22, 2022.
5. ^ Andrés Irarrázaval Gomién (2014). "The beginnings of the Civil Registry in Chile: Rupture or continuity with ancient ecclesiastical records?". www.scielo.cl (36). Valparaíso: 315–341. doi:10.4067/S0716-54552014000100011. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
6. ^ a b "History Ministry of Justice and Human Rights". Ministry of Justice and Human Rights of Chile. 2017. Archived from the original on April 21, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
7. ^ Ministry of the Interior of Chile (November 18, 1924). "DECREE LAW 26, WHICH ESTABLISHES THE MANDATORY PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION SERVICE". LeyChile. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
8. ^ "Civil Registry presented self-service kiosks available at 70 locations nationwide". SoyChile. Soychile.cl. October 19, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
9. ^ "Civil Registry; What we do". www.registrocivil.cl. 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
10. ^ Ministry of the Interior and Public Security Undersecretary of the Interior (June 19, 2012). "LAW 20594 | Creates Disabilities for Convicted Sex Offenders Against Minors and Establishes Register of Such Disabilities". Ley Chile. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
11. ^ MINISTRY OF JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS (November 18, 2021). "LAW 21389 | Creates the National Register of Child Support Debtors and Amends Various Laws to Improve the Child Support Payment System". Ley Chile. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
12. ^ Zig Zag, N°1057, May 23, 1925.
13. ^ "Aldo Signorelli appointed new general coordinator of Transport". Emol. March 19, 2003. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
14. ^ a b "Decree 7 - ACCEPTS INVOLUNTARY RESIGNATION OF MR. CHRISTIAN BEHM SEPÚLVEDA, FROM THE POSITION OF NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF THE CIVIL REGISTRY AND IDENTIFICATION SERVICE". www.vlex.cl. 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
15. ^ "Senior executive of company linked to Sonda is the new director of the Civil Registry". El Mostrador. May 25, 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
16. ^ a b "Civil Registry director takes vacation and leaves her position in suspense". La Tercera. August 7, 2014. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
17. ^ National Civil Service Directorate of Chile (August 21, 2014). "President Bachelet appoints Civil Registry Director selected by the Senior Public Management System". Retrieved August 23, 2022.
18. ^ Ministry of Justice (October 23, 2015). "ACCEPTS INVOLUNTARY RESIGNATION OF MS. TERESA ANGÉLICA ALANIS ZULETA, FROM THE POSITION OF NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF THE CIVIL REGISTRY AND IDENTIFICATION SERVICE". Retrieved August 23, 2022.
19. ^ "Lawyer Luis Acevedo Quintanilla appointed as new National Director (TP) of the Civil Registry and Identification Service". Government of Chile. October 23, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
20. ^ a b "Minister of Justice dismisses Luis Acevedo from the Civil Registry". Radio Universidad de Chile. October 24, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
21. ^ a b "Government requested the resignation of the national director of the Civil Registry for "need for new leadership"". CNN Chile. October 16, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
22. ^ "Ministry of Justice and Human Rights confirms Sergio Mierzejewski as new National Director of the Civil Registry and Identification Service". www.serviciocivil.cl. June 11, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
23. ^ Register of Non-Profit Legal Entities. Civil Registry and Identification Service. April 4, 2024.
24. ^ Manual for the Constitution of Non-Profit Legal Entities in Chile: Foundations and Corporations (PDF). Pro Bono Foundation and Guerrero Valle Garcés. 2024.

### Bibliography

[edit]

* Department of Financial Studies of the Ministry of Finance. 1958. Manual of Organization of the Government of Chile. Santiago de Chile. Talleres Gráficos La Nación S.A.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website of the Civil Registry and Identification Service
* Civil Registry and Identification Service of Chile on Twitter
* Civil Registry and Identification Service of Chile on Instagram

Site to book an appointment at the Civil Registry