The general trial courts, holding residual jurisdiction over anything not assigned elsewhere. Each is divided into a civil tribunal, a correctional tribunal for criminal matters, a family and juvenile tribunal, and an enforcement court (tribunal de l’application des peines). Alongside them sit the enterprise tribunals for commercial and insolvency matters and the labour tribunals for employment and social security. The 2014 reform consolidated twenty-seven arrondissements into twelve.
How the court is constituted
- Tier
- first instance
- Court type
- General first-instance courts
- Jurisdiction
- Twelve judicial arrondissements
- Seat
- Seats across the twelve judicial arrondissements
- Composition
- Single judges in most matters; three-judge benches for serious or complex cases
- Appointment
- Appointed for life by the King on nomination by the High Council of Justice
- Languages
- Dutch, French, German
Where an appeal goes next
Appeal to the competent Court of Appeal, then Cassation on points of law
Filing at this court
- Commencement
- Writ of summons served by a judicial officer, or joint petition
- Language
- Determined by the language legislation for the arrondissement; Brussels is bilingual
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