Bolivia
Civil law
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Bolivia is a civil-law country whose Constitution of 2009 recognises it as a 'plurinational' state. It gives indigenous communities their own legal system (justicia indígena originaria campesina), and its top judges are chosen in public elections.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Where the law comes from
- The Constitution of 2009, the highest law
- Codes and statutes, such as the Civil Code of 1975 and the Penal Code
- Indigenous law and justice, which the Constitution recognises in indigenous territories
- Decisions of the Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal
The main courts
- The Supreme Court of Justice, the top court for ordinary cases
- The Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal, which reviews laws and hears rights-protection actions
- Departmental courts and first-instance courts
Becoming a lawyer
A law degree, then a professional registration with the national lawyers' register and a bar association.
What may surprise you
- Indigenous justice has the same rank as ordinary justice within its territories.
- Top judges are elected by popular vote, which is unusual.
- The Constitution recognises the rights of nature and Mother Earth.
Related systems
How this country is classified
The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Bolivia 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 Bolivia, consult a lawyer qualified there. Report a mistake.
