Somaliland
Religious (Islamic) law is a leading source
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Somaliland is a self-declared state in the north of Somalia, with its own constitution and courts, but without international recognition. Its law combines statutes, Islamic law and customary law (xeer), and this profile gives the formal structure.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Where the law comes from
- The Constitution of 2001, the highest law in the territory
- Statutes, including older Somali laws that remain in force
- Islamic law (Sharia), which the Constitution makes a main source
- Customary law (xeer), applied by clan elders
The main courts
- The Supreme Court
- Courts of appeal and regional courts
- District courts, and elders' councils for customary disputes
Becoming a lawyer
A law degree and registration with a bar association in Somaliland. The profession is small.
What may surprise you
- It runs a full court system, though most states regard it as part of Somalia.
- Clan elders settle a large share of disputes outside the courts.
- A council of elders (the Guurti) forms one house of its parliament.
Related systems
How this country is classified
The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Somaliland as: Muslim, Civil law, Common law, Customary. It names the systems in order of importance. This territory is shown with the classification of the state it belongs to. Self-declared, not widely recognised as a separate state; shown with Somalia's classification.
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
Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei, Egypt, Gambia, Iran, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman.
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 Somaliland, consult a lawyer qualified there. Report a mistake.
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