Which Spanish court handles your case, and how to follow it online

Terms used

• Partido judicial — The partido judicial is the court district that groups several municipalities under one first-instance court.
• Tribunal de Instancia — The Tribunal de Instancia is the first-level court in each partido judicial, split into sections such as civil, family and commercial.
• Juzgado de paz — A juzgado de paz is a small local court in tiny municipalities, handling minor civil matters and the civil registry.
• Audiencia Provincial — The Audiencia Provincial is the provincial court that hears appeals against first-instance judgments.
• Cl@ve — Cl@ve is the government's online identity system, used to log in to public services.
• Carpeta Justicia — Carpeta Justicia is the online service where citizens see their cases, appointments and electronic notifications.
• Procurador — A procurador is the professional who represents you before the court and receives its notifications.
• LexNET — LexNET is the secure system lawyers and procuradores use to receive court notifications.

Key rules

• Usual court: Sue where the defendant lives, or where the company is registered, unless a special rule applies.
• Consumers: A contract clause cannot take a consumer's claim away from the court of the consumer's home.
• Claim size: The value of your claim sets the procedure, not which court hears it.
• Online access: You need a digital certificate or Cl@ve to follow your case online.

Start with where the defendant lives

In most civil claims, the court is the one where the person you are suing lives. For a company, it is the court where the company is registered. If the defendant has no home in Spain, the court is where they reside or where they can be found.

Some cases follow a different rule:

• Rentals and property: the court where the property is.
• Inheritance: the court of the place of the inheritance.
• Consumer claims: the court where the consumer lives. If you are the consumer, that is your own home town.
• Harm caused to you (tort claims): the court where the harm happened.

Can you choose the court in a contract?

Between businesses, a clause choosing a court is valid. In consumer contracts and standard-form contracts, it is not. Where the law fixes the court, a clause cannot change it. If you are a consumer, the court of your home still applies, whatever the contract says.

Which court in the hierarchy

• Tribunal de Instancia: the usual starting point. Since the 2025 reform it replaced the old first-instance courts. It has a civil section, a family section and a commercial (mercantil) section in each partido judicial. The commercial section handles insolvency, competition, intellectual property, company law, transport and general conditions. It sits in provincial capitals. The new sections are being phased in, so ask the court office how your district is organised.
• Juzgado de paz: found in small municipalities. It deals only with minor civil matters and the civil registry. Its claim limit is about 90 euros. Do not expect it to hear contested cases.
• Audiencia Provincial: hears appeals against first-instance judgments.
• Tribunal Superior de Justicia: one in each region. It handles certain civil matters, mainly regional civil law and some appeals.
• Tribunal Supremo: the top court. Its first chamber hears cassation and certain extraordinary appeals.

The size of your claim decides the procedure (verbal or ordinario), not the court.

Find your court

Use the official court directory. Choose the province and municipality. It gives the court's address, phone number and partido judicial (the court district). The checklist below walks through the steps, and the resources box lists where to look.

Follow your case online

You need a digital certificate or a Cl@ve account to log in.

• Sede Judicial Electrónica: lets you see your cases and notifications. Some regions have their own version.
• Carpeta Justicia: shows your cases, appointments and electronic notifications.

Lawyers and procuradores use LexNET. Ask yours what they receive for you there, so nothing is missed. Features differ by region, so check your region's justice portal too.

If you are thinking of a claim, a lawyer can confirm the right court before you file.

Checklist

• Find the town or municipality where the defendant lives, or where the company is registered.

• Check whether a special rule applies, such as the property's location for rentals or your own home for consumer claims.

• Look up the court for that municipality in the official court directory, using the province and municipality.

• Get a digital certificate or a Cl@ve account so you can log in to the online court services.

• Log in to the Sede Judicial Electrónica to see your case and your notifications.

• Log in to Carpeta Justicia to check your cases, appointments and electronic notifications.

• Ask your lawyer or procurador to confirm what they receive for you through LexNET, the system lawyers use.

Where to find your court and track your case online

• Ministry of Justice court directory: Find your court by choosing your province and municipality.

• General Council of the Judiciary court directory: Use this second directory of courts to cross-check the court you found.

• Ministry of Justice electronic court office (Sede Judicial Electrónica): See your cases and notifications online. You log in with a digital certificate or Cl@ve, the Spanish government's online ID system. Parties and their representatives can use it.

• Carpeta Justicia: View your cases, appointments and electronic notifications as a citizen. You need a digital certificate or Cl@ve to log in.

• Your region's justice department portal: If your region runs its own justice portal (for example Andalucía, Cataluña, País Vasco, Galicia, Valencia, Madrid, Navarra, Canarias, Aragón, Asturias, Cantabria, La Rioja or Murcia), use it for court information, appointments, forms and legal aid information. Some also have their own electronic filing. In regions that run no portal of their own, use the Ministry of Justice services.

• Your lawyer and procurador: Ask them to follow your case for you. They receive court notifications through LexNET, the secure system used only by lawyers and procuradores.

Frequently asked questions

Can I choose which court hears my civil claim?

Usually no, because the court is set by where the defendant lives, or by a special rule for the type of claim. For a person the court is where they live, and for a company where it is registered. For property and rental disputes it is where the property is, and for consumer claims it is where the consumer lives.

Does a contract clause choosing a court always bind me?

No, a clause choosing a court is valid between businesses but not in consumer contracts or standard-form contracts. If you are a consumer, the court where you live applies. Clauses also do not override matters where the court is fixed by law.

Does the size of my claim decide which court hears it?

No, the value of the claim decides the type of procedure, not the court. Small village courts (juzgados de paz) only handle minor civil matters, with a limit of about 90 euros for claims. Appeals against first-instance judgments go to the Audiencia Provincial.

Which court hears an appeal or a regional civil law dispute?

The Audiencia Provincial hears appeals against first-instance judgments. The Tribunal Superior de Justicia of your region handles certain regional civil law matters and some appeals. The Tribunal Supremo only deals with cassation and extraordinary appeals for procedural breaches.