Colombian civil registry adopting face biometric authentication for remote processes

The National Registry of Civil Status and the Collegiate Union of the Colombian Notary have agreed to allow civil registration to be processed digitally and secured by face biometrics.

The agreement, reported by local media, was signed by the head of the registry, Alexander Vega, last Thursday. It enables the exchange of biometric data between the two entities, and therefore remote civil registration and updates.

“In the coming weeks, together with the notaries of the country, we will formally launch this platform, which will enable people to access the civil birth register anywhere in the world directly on the page of the registry,” Semana (in Spanish) quoted Vega saying.

Further, he said, notary actions are now linked to marriage and death records to enable the community and the public to benefit from digital services further.

And notaries are able to verify citizens’ identities with biometric checks against data held in the registry.

The shift marks the registry’s second digital document, following the establishment of face biometrics-enabled national ID cards last year.

Also in 2022, the registry contracted digital ID firm Thales for fingerprint biometric scanners to defend against fraud attempts and facilitate enrollment processes.

The addition of face biometrics allows civil registration to be completed remotely, either online or at ATM-style kiosks placed in high-traffic locations like shopping centers, according to Semana.

Colombians are beginning to digitalize their chipped national IDs on mobile phones. They can create the credentials via a face biometrics checks. As of September, more than 500,000 had already done so.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  civil registry  |  Colombia  |  digital ID  |  face biometrics  |  identity verification  |  remote authentication