Central African Republic
Civil law
Compare Central African Republic with another country →
The Central African Republic is a civil-law country with a legal system from France. Its institutions have been under strain from armed conflict, so this profile describes the formal structure. It also has a hybrid court for serious crimes.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Where the law comes from
- The Constitution, the highest law
- Codes and statutes in the French tradition
- OHADA Uniform Acts for business law
- Customary law, in family and local matters
The main courts
- The Court of Cassation and the Constitutional Court
- Courts of appeal and first-instance courts
- The Special Criminal Court, a national court with international staff, for grave crimes
Becoming a lawyer
A law degree and professional training, then registration with the Bar.
What may surprise you
- A special criminal court was created to deal with grave crimes, with both national and international judges.
- In many areas, the state courts do not reach, and custom or local authorities settle disputes.
- Business law is shared with other OHADA countries.
Related systems
How this country is classified
The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Central African Republic 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
- OHADA: Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa
- JuriGlobe: world legal systems (University of Ottawa)
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 Central African Republic, consult a lawyer qualified there. Report a mistake.
