Procedures
Portuguese-derived civil procedure with a two-tier court system
Civil procedure follows the received Portuguese Código de Processo Civil, with written pleadings. The court system is compact: the Tribunal de Primeira Instância at first instance and the Supremo Tribunal de Justiça on appeal, with the Tribunal Constitucional for constitutional review. Ordinary prescription is twenty years.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — The Tribunal de Primeira Instância hears all first-instance matters; the Supremo Tribunal de Justiça is the appellate court.
- Deadline — Ordinary credits prescribe after 20 years
- Deadline — Appeal: 30 days from notification
Governing law
- Código de Processo Civilreceived Portuguese code
- Código Civil 1966 — prescrição ordinária 20 years
- Lei Orgânica dos Tribunais
In practice
The scale of the judiciary — a handful of judges for the whole country — means capacity rather than doctrine is the binding constraint, and Príncipe's autonomy includes its own local court presence.