Venezuela

• The Constitution of 1999, the highest law
• Codes and statutes, such as the Civil Code and the Commercial Code
• International human-rights treaties, which the Constitution gives high rank
• Decisions of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice

• The Supreme Tribunal of Justice, with chambers for constitutional, civil, criminal, administrative, electoral and social matters
• Courts of appeal and first-instance courts
• Specialised courts for labour, family and administrative matters

A law degree, then registration with a state bar association and the national lawyers' institution.

• The Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Tribunal can issue binding interpretations of the Constitution.
• The country has had several constitutions; the current one is from 1999.
• Rights-protection actions such as amparo are available to protect constitutional rights.
• Courts' independence in practice has been criticised by international bodies, so check current developments.

Colombia, Spain, Ecuador, Argentina, Mexico

The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Venezuela 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.

Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria.

• Supreme Tribunal of Justice of Venezuela

Sources last reviewed: October 2026.