A Guide to Belgian Courts

The organisation of Belgian Courts

The judicial authority in Belgium is provided by the Belgian courts that operate within the legal framework and according to the constitutional provisions.

In Belgium, judicial courts are organised hierarchically. Since the 2014 reform Belgium has 12 judicial districts; separately, there are 28 Houses of Justice. Brussels has two houses of justice (a French speaking one and a Dutch speaking one) and Flanders and Wallonia each have 13 houses of justice. The houses of justice are not courts: since 2015 they are services of the Communities (offender supervision, victim support, legal first-line help).

The five judicial areas in Belgium are divided into 12 judicial districts. Each has a Court of First Instance; Enterprise Courts (formerly Commercial Courts) and Labour Courts sit mostly at provincial level.

The five Belgian judicial areas are:

• – Antwerp;
• – Ghent;
• – Brussels;
• – Mons; and
• – Liege.

Accordingly, there are five Appeal Courts in Belgium, each corresponding to a different judicial area in Belgium. Brussels has several Justice of the Peace courtsand each judicial district has several of them (one per judicial canton).

Our Belgian lawyers can help take the proceedings to the specific court, according to your area of residence.

The Court of Cassation in Belgium

The Court of Cassation is the supreme judicial court and the head of all judicial courts in Belgium. Its jurisdiction covers the entire country, however, the Court of Cassation in Belgium only examines if the decisions referred to it contravene the law.

The Court of Cassation in Belgium is the main court of last resort. The court is organised in three chambers and has 30 judges. Each chamber has a French and a Dutch department. It is only possible to appeal to the Court of Cassation in case of a judgement against which no ordinary appeal is possible anymore.

Our experienced Belgian lawyers can detail the appeal procedures for the Courts of Appeal and the Labour Courts.

If you need help solving a legal matter in a Belgian court or if you are looking for an alternative dispute resolution method, such as arbitration, our Belgian law firm can offer you quality legal services. Contact us for detailed information.