Vanuatu

Mixed: civil and common law

Some countries combine civil-law and common-law features, usually because of their history. Scotland, South Africa and Israel are well-known examples. Often private law (contracts, property, family) follows one tradition and procedure or public law follows the other.

A full profile of Vanuatu’s legal system is planned. For now, this page shows where Vanuatu sits on the map.

How this country is classified

The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Vanuatu as: Civil law, Customary, Common 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

Botswana, Cameroon, Cyprus, Guyana, Israel, Lesotho, Malta, Mauritius, Namibia, Northern Cyprus, Philippines, Saint Lucia, Seychelles, South Africa.

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 Vanuatu, consult a lawyer qualified there. Report a mistake.