Frequently asked questions

Every address in Belgium lies in one judicial canton, and every canton has one justice of the peace. Which one is competent usually depends on the defendant’s domicile (art. 624, 1° Judicial Code), and for some matters on where the property lies, as for rent (art. 629, 1° Judicial Code). Type the address on the map or find your municipality in the list by municipality.

The justice of the peace as a rule hears claims up to €5,000 (art. 590 Judicial Code) and, whatever the amount, some matters the law assigns to it, such as rent disputes (art. 591 Judicial Code). The court of first instance hears the larger cases and everything the law does not give to another court (art. 568 Judicial Code); the family court and the criminal (correctional) court are sections of it. Read more about the justice of the peace and the court of first instance, or answer a few questions in Which court?.

With the justice of the peace, whatever the amount (art. 591, 1° Judicial Code). The competent one is the justice of the peace where the rented property lies (art. 629, 1° Judicial Code), not where you live. Look up the property’s address on the map to find its canton and justice of the peace.

For a company, its registered office counts as its domicile: as a rule the court of the place of the registered office is competent (art. 624, 1° Judicial Code), or that of the place where the obligation arose or is to be performed (art. 624, 2° Judicial Code). The registered office is listed in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises; type it on the map. Disputes between enterprises as a rule go to the enterprise court (art. 573 Judicial Code).

The labour court, whatever the amount (art. 578 Judicial Code). As a rule the labour court of the place where the work is done is territorially competent (art. 627, 9° Judicial Code). Look up your workplace on the map and read what the labour court does.

The police court. It hears traffic offences and, whatever the amount, claims for damage caused by a road traffic accident (art. 601bis Judicial Code). Read what the police court does or find the competent police court on the map.

The area of one justice of the peace. A canton covers one or more municipalities; large cities such as Ghent and Antwerp are split over several cantons. Cantons together form judicial arrondissements, and those the areas of the courts of appeal (art. 1 Judicial Code). Find your municipality’s canton in the list by municipality.

In civil matters, one month from the service of the judgment, or from its notification by the registry where the law provides for that (art. 1051 Judicial Code). If you live abroad, the term is extended (art. 55 Judicial Code), and a term that starts and ends in the judicial holidays runs until 15 September (art. 50 Judicial Code). Criminal cases have other terms. Work out the last day with the deadline calculator.

Then it is a default judgment. In civil matters you can as a rule oppose it within one month of its service (art. 1048 Judicial Code); the court then hears the case again. Read in the bailiff’s act of service which remedy is open, and work out the last day with the deadline calculator.

As a rule at least eight days (art. 707 Judicial Code), two days in summary proceedings (art. 1035 Judicial Code); for someone living abroad the term is extended (art. 55 Judicial Code). The day of service is not counted (art. 52 Judicial Code). The deadline calculator gives the last day the bailiff can still serve.

In civil matters, three months from the service of the decision (art. 1073 Judicial Code), longer for someone living abroad (art. 55 Judicial Code). The Court of Cassation does not judge the facts again, only how the law was applied. The petition must be signed by a lawyer at the Court of Cassation (art. 1080 Judicial Code). Work out the last day with the deadline calculator.

The fixed items are the registration fee (rolrecht, a fixed amount depending on the court), the bailiff’s costs for the summons and the contribution to the Fund for second-line legal aid; on top come your lawyer’s fees, if you have one. The losing party as a rule bears the costs (art. 1017 Judicial Code), including the procedural indemnity: a lump-sum contribution to the winning party’s lawyer’s costs (art. 1022 Judicial Code). Make an estimate with the cost calculator.

Usually not: before most courts you may appear yourself, and before some, such as the justice of the peace, your partner or a relative may too, with a written power of attorney (art. 728 Judicial Code). In civil matters before the Court of Cassation, a lawyer at the Court of Cassation is compulsory (art. 1080 Judicial Code). A first legal advice is free, and on a low income you can get a free or low-cost lawyer (art. 508/1 ff. Judicial Code): am I eligible?. Read what to do with a summons.

An address becomes a point through the region’s address register (Adressenregister, UrbIS or ICAR) or OpenStreetMap, and that point is looked up in the NGI’s canton boundaries, through the belgica package. Those map boundaries approximate the cantons’ legal description, and an address point does not always sit exactly on the building. That is why the map warns within 25 metres of another canton. For an important case, confirm the jurisdiction with the court registry.

Then the canton’s legal description decides, not the map. CourtFull warns within 25 metres of a canton boundary and shows the legal description of both cantons, so you can check which side your address falls on. Still unsure? Ask the registry of either justice of the peace. Try it on the map.

No. CourtFull is an independent tool built on open government data; it does not belong to FPS Justice or to the courts. Its explanations are general and not legal advice. When in doubt, contact the court registry or a lawyer; Which court does what? gets you started.

In Dutch, French, German and English: pick your language at the top of the page. The app’s language has nothing to do with the language of the proceedings, which the law of 15 June 1935 on the use of languages in judicial matters governs. The legal glossary puts the terms side by side in all four languages.

Partly. You can install CourtFull as an app from your browser’s menu; the app, the data on courts and cantons and the pages you already opened then stay available without a connection. Looking up a new address and loading the background map go through other services and need the internet. Start on the map.

Yes. There is an open REST API without a key, an MCP server for AI assistants and a widget for your own website; all explained in API and integrations. See the widget as it appears on another site.

The courts, cantons, contact details and opening hours come from the open belgica package, which rebuilds them every week from official sources such as FPS Justice and, for the canton boundaries, the NGI. Addresses are looked up in the regions’ address registers and in OpenStreetMap. Whether those services are up right now is on the status page.

Not on a server: CourtFull has no accounts. An address you type goes from your browser straight to the address services (OpenStreetMap and the regions’ address registers). Favourites, recent searches and cases stay only in your own browser (localStorage) and are gone when you clear your browsing data.

Only in anonymous counts: how often a page or feature is used, never who you are or which address you looked up. There are no ads. Your preferences, such as the theme, are kept by your browser itself; your cases never leave your device.