Courts of Chile

A Supreme Court heads the ordinary courts, a Constitutional Court stands apart, and separate tribunals exist for elections, taxes and customs.

Ordinary courts

Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)

Courts of Appeals (Cortes de Apelaciones)

First-instance courtsCivil, family, labour and criminal courts

Stands apart from the chain of appeals

Constitutional Court (Tribunal Constitucional)Reviews laws against the Constitution

Electoral TribunalsDecide election disputes

Tax and Customs Tribunals

Appeals travel up the arrows. Boxes with a heavier border are the top court of each track.

Worth knowing

Criminal cases begin in a pre-trial court (juzgado de garantía) and the trial itself takes place in an oral trial court.

TheLawToKnow Tools’s court-structure diagrams are simplified on purpose and are not legal advice. Report a mistake.