The death certificate in RUAF-ND
- Procedure
The doctor who confirms a death issues the death certificate in the Ministry of Health's RUAF-ND system, with the chain of causes that led to it.
What it is
The death certificate proves the death to the civil registry, is required for the burial permit and feeds vital statistics. Under Ministry of Health Resolution 435 of 2025, every birth and death in the country is reported in the RUAF-ND application; when that is not possible, the certifier fills in a paper contingency certificate that is uploaded later. It is signed by the doctor, including the doctor doing the mandatory social service, and where there is no doctor, by authorised health staff. Violent deaths and deaths of unclear cause go to Legal Medicine for an expert opinion. The cause-of-death section follows the WHO international model: from the direct cause back to the underlying cause.
What to document
- Underlying cause: the disease or injury that started the chain of events leading directly to death or, for injuries, the circumstances of the accident or violence that produced the fatal injury.
- Decree 780 of 2016, art. 2.7.2.2.1.3.6: the certificate has sections for general data, fetal deaths and deaths under one year, pregnant or postpartum women, violent deaths and causes of death.
- Decree 780, art. 2.7.2.2.1.3.7: the doctor signs it, including the mandatory social service doctor; without a doctor, nurses and, in hard-to-reach areas, trained and registered auxiliaries or health promoters.
- Resolution 435 of 2025, art. 7: the doctor must arrange access to RUAF-ND, certify the deaths they attend, report them promptly and truthfully and correct the information if needed.
- Resolution 435, art. 3, paragraph: the INMLCF makes sure deaths with a medico-legal autopsy are reported in RUAF-ND.
- DANE instructions: in a violent death the certificate is completed only by a forensic doctor or by the rural doctor where they take on that role; the «under study» option is reserved for Legal Medicine.
How it is done
- Confirm death and record date and time; if the time is unknown, say so.
- Decide the probable manner of death: natural or violent. If violent or doubtful, inform the authority and do not certify it as natural.
- Log in to RUAF-ND with your own user; if there is no access, use the institution's paper contingency certificate.
- Fill in the deceased's general data as on the identity document, with no abbreviations or blank fields.
- Complete the sections for fetal deaths or deaths under one year and for women of childbearing age when they apply.
- Part I: one condition per line, from the direct cause (a) back to the underlying cause on the lowest line used.
- Record the approximate interval between the onset of each cause and death; it must be longer on each lower line.
- Part II: other conditions that contributed to death without being part of the chain.
- Review, sign and give the family the certificate for the civil registry; correct it in RUAF-ND if needed.
The chain of causes: example from the DANE instructions
| Line | What goes there | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Part I (a) | Direct cause | Bronchopneumonia |
| Part I (b) | Intermediate cause | Dehydration |
| Part I (c) | Underlying cause: started the chain | Gastroenterocolitis |
| Part II | Other contributing conditions | Moderate malnutrition |
Next step: what to do and document
- If the death is natural and the cause is known, certify it without delay: the family needs it for the civil registry and burial.
- If the death is violent, suspicious or of unclear cause, notify the judicial police or the prosecution service; the body goes to a medico-legal autopsy.
- If the death occurred in the institution and is a medico-legal case, hand the medical record to the director to be kept as evidence (Decree 786 of 1990, art. 8, paragraph 1).
- Keep contingency certificates in safe custody and check that they are uploaded to RUAF-ND.
- Official text checked on 2026-11-05 at minsalud.gov.co (Decree 780 of 2016 and Resolution 435 of 2025), dane.gov.co and funcionpublica.gov.co (Decree 786 of 1990).
Common mistakes
- Writing several conditions on one line, or using acronyms and abbreviations.
- Reversing the chain: the underlying cause goes on the lowest line used in Part I, not the first.
- Certifying a violent or doubtful death as natural to avoid the legal process.
- Leaving fields blank, or destroying a damaged paper form: it is voided and returned, not destroyed.
- Using the «under study» option outside Legal Medicine.
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
On which line of the certificate is the underlying cause of death written?
On the lowest line used in Part I (b, c or d); line (a) carries the direct cause.
What is the underlying cause of death?
The disease or injury that started the chain of events leading directly to death or, for injuries, the circumstances of the accident or violence.
Who may mark the manner of death as «under study»?
Only Legal Medicine doctors or a doctor given forensic duties by the authority, when the autopsy did not clarify the manner of death.
What is done if RUAF-ND is not accessible when a death must be certified?
A paper contingency certificate is completed, which the vital-statistics officer later reviews and uploads to the application (Resolution 435 of 2025, art. 6).
What is recorded in Part II of the death certificate?
Other significant conditions that contributed to death but are not part of the chain in Part I.
Elsewhere in DurgiPedia
Connections
Educational content on forensic and legal medicine; not legal advice and no substitute for the technical guides of Colombia's National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences. Laws change: each page links the official text and says when it was last checked. For a real case, follow the guide in force and ask the competent authority.
Sources: Decreto 780 de 2016, Decreto Único Reglamentario del Sector Salud y Protección Social (Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social, 2016); Resolución 435 de 2025, reporte de nacimientos y defunciones y aplicación RUAF-ND (Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social, 2025); Instrucciones para llenar el certificado de defunción (Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE), 2019); Decreto 786 de 1990, autopsias clínicas y médico-legales (Función Pública, Gestor Normativo, 1990).
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Representative model, for educational purposes only.