Justice in figures
Key figures
- Courts
- 229
- plus 118 divisions and seats
- Judicial cantons
- 162
- one justice of the peace each
- Judicial arrondissements
- 12
- Court of appeal areas
- 5
- Municipalities
- 565
- 17 split over several cantons
- Postal codes
- 1,149
- 127 over several cantons
- Prisons and detention houses
- 39
- Houses of justice
- 27
Courts by type
A court can have several divisions (or, for a justice of the peace, seats): they are in the table.
Show as a table
| Type of court | Courts | Divisions or seats |
|---|---|---|
| Justice of the peace | 162 | 2 |
| Police court | 15 | 33 |
| Court of first instance | 13 | 23 |
| Enterprise court | 9 | 24 |
| Labour court | 9 | 29 |
| Court of appeal | 5 | 0 |
| Labour court of appeal | 5 | 7 |
| Court of assize | 11 | 0 |
Per court of appeal area
A municipality over two cantons counts once per area. Justices of the peace: with their extra seats.
| Court of appeal | Arrondissements | Cantons | Municipalities | Justices of the peace | km² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antwerpen | 2 | 34 | 105 | 34 | 5,264 |
| Brussel | 3 | 38 | 109 | 38 | 3,366 |
| Gent | 2 | 38 | 117 | 38 | 6,202 |
| Luik | 4 | 32 | 165 | 34 | 11,951 |
| Bergen | 1 | 20 | 69 | 20 | 3,800 |
| Total | 12 | 162 | 565 | 164 | 30,583 |
Show as a table
| Arrondissement | Cantons | Court of appeal | Municipalities | Justices of the peace | km² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brussel | 26 | Brussel | 52 | 26 | 1,108 |
| Antwerpen | 23 | Antwerpen | 67 | 23 | 2,845 |
| Oost-Vlaanderen | 21 | Gent | 55 | 21 | 3,016 |
| Henegouwen | 20 | Bergen | 69 | 20 | 3,800 |
| West-Vlaanderen | 17 | Gent | 62 | 17 | 3,186 |
| Luik | 17 | Luik | 75 | 17 | 3,001 |
| Limburg | 11 | Antwerpen | 38 | 11 | 2,419 |
| Namen | 8 | Luik | 38 | 10 | 3,663 |
| Leuven | 7 | Brussel | 30 | 7 | 1,165 |
| Luxemburg | 5 | Luik | 43 | 5 | 4,444 |
| Waals-Brabant | 5 | Brussel | 27 | 5 | 1,093 |
| Eupen | 2 | Luik | 9 | 2 | 843 |
Cantons
Area computed from the NGI’s canton boundaries, geodesically (on the sphere with the same surface as WGS 84): 30,583 km² in all. An approximation; the legal text sets a canton’s boundary.
Show as a table
| Canton | km² | Municipalities |
|---|---|---|
| Bastenaken | 1,246 | 9 |
| Neufchâteau | 1,181 | 11 |
| Philippeville | 1,030 | 9 |
| Marche-en-Famenne | 955 | 9 |
| Dinant | 880 | 8 |
| Virton | 775 | 10 |
| Eupen-Sankt-Vith 2 | 628 | 5 |
| Chimay | 611 | 7 |
| Spa | 591 | 7 |
| Ciney | 589 | 5 |
Show as a table
| Canton | Municipalities |
|---|---|
| Neufchâteau | 11 |
| Borgworm | 11 |
| Virton | 10 |
| Bastenaken | 9 |
| Philippeville | 9 |
| Marche-en-Famenne | 9 |
| Hoei 1 | 9 |
| Hoei 2 | 9 |
| Dinant | 8 |
| Turnhout 2 | 8 |
The smallest cantons
| Canton | km² | Arrondissement |
|---|---|---|
| Sint-Gillis | 2.5 | Brussel |
| Anderlecht 1 | 2.7 | Brussel |
| Antwerpen 2 | 2.9 | Antwerpen |
| Etterbeek | 3.2 | Brussel |
| Schaarbeek 1 | 3.4 | Brussel |
| Antwerpen 6 | 3.5 | Antwerpen |
| Schaarbeek 2 | 4.5 | Brussel |
| Brussel 2 | 4.5 | Brussel |
| Antwerpen 4 | 4.6 | Antwerpen |
| Brussel 1 | 5.1 | Brussel |
A canton counts for the region of its municipalities; no canton lies in two regions.
Show as a table
| Region | Cantons | Municipalities |
|---|---|---|
| Flemish Region | 86 | 285 |
| Walloon Region | 57 | 261 |
| Brussels-Capital Region | 19 | 19 |
Municipalities over several cantons
In these 17 municipalities the address decides which justice of the peace has jurisdiction: the map finds it down to the house number.
| Municipality | Cantons |
|---|---|
| Antwerpen | 11 |
| Gent | 5 |
| Brugge | 4 |
| Brussel | 4 |
| Charleroi | 4 |
| Luik | 4 |
| Leuven | 3 |
| Aalst | 2 |
| Anderlecht | 2 |
| Bergen | 2 |
| Doornik | 2 |
| Hasselt | 2 |
| Kortrijk | 2 |
| Namen | 2 |
| Oostende | 2 |
| Schaarbeek | 2 |
| Verviers | 2 |
Data quality
Not everything is known for every court. Per office (a court, division or seat; 347 in all):
| What is known | Known |
|---|---|
| Opening hours as hours (for “open now”) | 290 of 347 (84%) |
| Opening hours as text | 343 of 347 (99%) |
| Hearing days | 21 of 347 (6%) |
| Accessibility of the building | 0 of 347 (0%) |
| Address | 319 of 347 (92%) |
| NGI point on the map | 139 of 347 (40%) |
| Phone | 327 of 347 (94%) |
| 290 of 347 (84%) |
Public holidays and judicial holidays 2026
Public holidays
| Holiday | Date |
|---|---|
| Nieuwjaar | |
| Paasmaandag | |
| Feest van de Arbeid | |
| Hemelvaartsdag | |
| Pinkstermaandag | |
| Nationale feestdag | |
| Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Hemelvaart | weekend |
| Allerheiligen | weekend |
| Wapenstilstand | |
| Kerstmis |
2 of the 10 fall on a weekend.
Judicial holidays
62
1 July to 31 August (art. 334 Judicial Code): 62 days, 43 of them working days. The holidays do not stop deadlines; only an appeal or opposition deadline that starts and ends within them runs to 15 September (art. 50).
Data: belgica 0.6.1 (code MIT, data CC BY 4.0), with data from Statbel, the NGI and FPS Justice. Built on 25 October 2026. belgica