Procedures
Belgian-derived procedure with residence courts at community level
Civil procedure follows the received Belgian model under the 2019 code. Tribunaux de résidence hear small claims and family matters at community level and apply custom where relevant, with appeal to the tribunaux de grande instance.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Tribunaux de résidence, tribunaux de grande instance, Cours d'appel and the Cour suprême; the EACJ for Treaty questions.
- Deadline — Appel: 30 days from service
- Deadline — Prescription: thirty years for real actions, shorter periods for personal actions
Governing law
- Loi n° 1/20 du 31 décembre 2019 portant Code de procédure civile
- Loi portant organisation judiciaire
- Code civil — prescription
In practice
The tribunaux de résidence are the layer most Burundians encounter: they sit locally, hear small civil and family matters, and apply custom in succession disputes precisely because succession is not codified — which makes them the de facto source of Burundian inheritance law.