Established under the Island Courts Act, these courts sit with justices knowledgeable in custom and a supervising magistrate, and they apply custom rather than the common law. Since roughly 98% of Vanuatu's land is customary and inalienable — Article 73 of the Constitution vests all land in the indigenous custom owners — the Island Courts and the custom land tribunals created by the Custom Land Management Act 2013 handle the questions that determine who may grant a lease.
How the court is constituted
- Tier
- specialised
- Court type
- Customary court
- Jurisdiction
- Minor civil and criminal matters and customary land questions within their island jurisdiction, applying custom.
- Seat
- Island centres
- Established
- 1983
- Composition
- Three justices knowledgeable in custom, with a magistrate presiding on questions of law.
- Appointment
- Justices are appointed by the Judicial Service Commission on local recommendation.
- Languages
- Bislama, English, French, local languages
Where an appeal goes next
Appeal to the Supreme Court, or to the Magistrates' Court depending on the matter.
Filing at this court
- Appeal from an Island Court
- Within 30 days of the decision
- Custom land disputes
- Now largely routed to custom land tribunals under the 2013 Act
Found something out of date on Island Courts?
Corrections are reviewed against the primary source before anything changes.