In the past decade, capillary-electrophoresis (CE) techniques have been demonstrated to offer promising, effective and economic approaches for the separation of a large variety of substances, including those encountered in forensic analysis. Reliable, automated CE instruments have become commercially available and have advanced methods in forensic sciences. This article reviews applications of CE in the field of forensic analytical chemistry, covering the literature since the first publication appeared in the early 1990s and focusing on two applications: (i) explosive compounds and gunshot residues; and, (ii) inks and dyes.