Belarus
Civil law
Compare Belarus with another country →
Belarus is a civil-law country with a Constitution of 1994, based on the Soviet legal tradition. Its courts include a separate system of economic (commercial) courts, and it keeps the death penalty in law.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Where the law comes from
- The Constitution of 1994, as amended, the highest law
- Codes and statutes, such as the Civil Code and the Criminal Code
- Presidential decrees, which have the force of law in some areas
The main courts
- The Supreme Court, the highest court for ordinary cases, and the Constitutional Court
- Regional courts and district courts
- Economic courts for commercial disputes, in a separate system
Becoming a lawyer
A law degree and a licence from the Ministry of Justice, then membership of a bar collegium.
What may surprise you
- It is a European country that is not a member of the Council of Europe, so the European Court of Human Rights does not apply.
- Presidential decrees can make or change law.
- Commercial disputes go to a separate economic court system.
Related systems
How this country is classified
The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Belarus as: Civil law. It names the systems in order of importance.
The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.
Other countries in the same family
Sources
Sources last reviewed: October 2026.
TheLawToKnow Tools’s Legal Families Atlas is an educational overview. It simplifies on purpose, and it is not legal advice. For a real legal question about Belarus, consult a lawyer qualified there. Report a mistake.
