Honduras
Civil law
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Honduras is a civil-law country with a Constitution of 1982. A Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court decides constitutional questions and hears the main rights remedies.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Where the law comes from
- The Constitution of 1982, the highest law
- Codes and statutes in the Spanish civil-law tradition
- Decisions of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court
The main courts
- The Supreme Court of Justice, with a Constitutional Chamber and other chambers
- Courts of appeal
- Courts of first instance (juzgados de letras) and peace courts
Becoming a lawyer
A law degree and registration with the Honduran Bar Association (Colegio de Abogados).
What may surprise you
- The Constitutional Chamber is part of the Supreme Court, not a separate court.
- Amparo and habeas corpus are the main routes to protect rights.
- Lawyers and notaries are often the same professionals.
Related systems
How this country is classified
The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Honduras 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 Honduras, consult a lawyer qualified there. Report a mistake.
