The legal system of Ivory Coast
A French-tradition civil-law system and the seat of OHADA's Common Court of Justice and Arbitration in Abidjan, which makes it the practical centre of gravity for francophone African commercial litigation. The 2016 constitution created a Senate and a formal Chamber of Kings and Traditional Chiefs.
Legal tradition
Ivory Coast belongs to the civil law (french tradition) tradition. A French-tradition civil-law system and the seat of OHADA's Common Court of Justice and Arbitration in Abidjan, which makes it the practical centre of gravity for francophone African commercial litigation. The 2016 constitution created a Senate and a formal Chamber of Kings and Traditional Chiefs.
How power is divided
Presidential system with a Vice-President and Prime Minister, a bicameral Parliament of National Assembly and Senate, and a judiciary headed by the Cour de cassation, Conseil d'État and Cour des comptes after the 2018 reorganisation.
Where law comes from
- Constitution
- Supreme domestic norm.
- OHADA Uniform Acts
- Directly applicable; the CCJA sits in Abidjan.
- Treaties
- Superior to ordinary statutes on ratification and publication.
- Laws and ordinances
- Parliamentary statutes and presidential ordinances.
- Codes
- Civil, penal, criminal procedure, labour, and the 1998 rural land law.
- Customary law
- Recognised in land tenure and personal matters within statutory limits.
The legal profession
Avocats admitted through the Barreau de Côte d'Ivoire; notaires, huissiers and commissaires-priseurs are separate ministerial officers.
Law by topic in Ivory Coast
- Tax LawCode général des impôts with 18% VAT and a 25% corporate rateVAT is 18% under WAEMU harmonisation; corporate tax is 25%. Côte d'Ivoire operates investment-code incentives and taxes cocoa exports through a stabilisation mechanism managed by the Conseil du Café-Cacao.
- Employment & LabourCode du travail 2015 with a 40-hour week and CDD limitsLoi n° 2015-532 sets a 40-hour week, regulates fixed-term contracts, and requires labour inspectorate involvement in collective redundancies. It introduced protections against harassment and clarified subcontractor liability.
- Criminal LawCode pénal 2019 with the death penalty abolished since 2000Loi n° 2019-574 recodified criminal law. The death penalty was abolished by the 2000 Constitution and the abolition is retained in the 2016 text. A specialised cellule handles economic and financial crime, and post-conflict prosecutions have proceeded slowly.
- Civil ProcedureCommercial courts with an appellate commercial chamber and CCJA final appealCôte d'Ivoire has a dedicated Tribunal de Commerce in Abidjan and, since 2016, a Cour d'Appel de Commerce. General civil procedure follows the 1972 Code. Enforcement runs through the OHADA Uniform Act, with CCJA appeal on Uniform Act points.
- Immigration & NationalityECOWAS free movement with a residence card and a long-standing large foreign populationECOWAS nationals enter visa-free for 90 days; others need an e-visa. A carte de séjour is required beyond three months. Roughly a quarter of the population is of foreign origin, and statelessness among long-resident West African families is a recognised problem.
- Constitutional Law2016 Constitution of the Third Republic with a Senate and a Conseil constitutionnelThe Constitution of 8 November 2016 founded the Third Republic, created a Senate and a vice-presidency, and removed the contested nationality-of-both-parents eligibility rule that had fuelled the ivoirité crisis. A 2020 revision followed, and the Conseil constitutionnel rules on elections.
- Family LawMarriage law reformed in 2019 to abolish the husband's status as head of householdLoi n° 2019-570 on marriage removed the designation of the husband as chef de famille, giving spouses joint authority, and set a uniform marriage age of 18. Polygamy has been prohibited since 1964. Loi n° 2019-572 reformed succession.
- Business & CorporateOHADA Uniform Acts as directly applicable commercial law, with the CCJA as final appealCommercial law is not primarily national. The OHADA Uniform Acts apply directly and take precedence over conflicting domestic provisions, and the Cour commune de justice et d'arbitrage (CCJA) in Abidjan — not the national supreme court — is the final instance on their interpretation. Abidjan hosts the CCJA itself, and Côte d'Ivoire has a dedicated commercial court with an appellate commercial chamber — the most developed commercial judiciary in the union.
- Property & LandRural land law of 1998 requiring certificates convertible to title within a statutory windowLoi n° 98-750 reserves rural land ownership to Ivorian nationals and required customary holders to obtain a certificat foncier convertible into a Titre Foncier. The original ten-year window proved unworkable and has been repeatedly extended.
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