Procedures
The 2008 code of civil and administrative procedure, unifying both branches
Law 08-09 replaced the 1966 code and governs civil, commercial, social and administrative procedure in a single instrument, with administrative tribunals and a Council of State at the apex of public law.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Tribunals, appeal courts and the Cour Suprême for private law; administrative tribunals and the Conseil d'État for public law.
- Deadline — One month to appeal a judgment in ordinary civil matters
- Deadline — Two months to petition the Cour Suprême
- Deadline — Arbitral awards: annulment within one month of notification
Governing law
- Code de Procédure Civile et Administrative, Law 08-09
- Law 98-01 on the Conseil d'État
- Ordinance 08-09 provisions on arbitration and mediation
In practice
Law 08-09 is notable for regulating civil and administrative procedure in one code, which is unusual and means practitioners work from a single instrument across both hierarchies. It also brought arbitration into the code, distinguishing domestic from international arbitration and permitting the latter broadly for cross-border commercial matters; Algeria is a New York Convention party. Mandatory pre-litigation conciliation applies in defined categories including family and social matters. Enforcement runs through court bailiffs, and enforcement against public entities is materially constrained because state property is not readily executable, so contracting with public bodies raises collection risk that a favourable judgment does not resolve.