Madagascar
Civil law
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Madagascar is a civil-law country with a legal system from France. It also has a tradition of local agreements, called dina, that communities use to settle disputes, and a High Constitutional Court.
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
- Customary law, including village agreements called dina
- Decisions of the High Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court
The main courts
- The High Constitutional Court
- The Supreme Court, with a Court of Cassation and a Council of State
- Courts of appeal and first-instance courts
Becoming a lawyer
A law degree and professional training, then registration with the Bar of Madagascar.
What may surprise you
- Village agreements (dina) have a real role in settling local disputes and in enforcing rules.
- The legal system follows France, though the country is not part of OHADA.
- The language of the courts is Malagasy or French.
Related systems
How this country is classified
The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Madagascar as: Civil law, Customary. 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 Madagascar, consult a lawyer qualified there. Report a mistake.
