Initiate a process on the Justices of the Peace

The Justices of the Peace allow to solve small disputes without resorting to the traditional courts, in a quicker, less bureaucratic and with reduced costs way.

The Justices of the Peace are special courts in which disputes with a low value (up to €15.000) may be solved, regarding, for instance, contracts, properties or consumption disputes.

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Learn how and where you can initiate a process on the Justices of the Peace
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Who can initiate a process on the Justices of the Peace?

When can you initiate a process on the Justices of the Peace?

The average time for the resolution of a process is about two months and a half, from the date of the initial application’s submission until the judgement of the judge of the peace.

Nevertheless, most part of the processes on the Justices of the Peace are solved faster, through mediation - in which the parties reach an agreement with the help of an impartial individual.

Where initiate a process on the Justices of the Peace?

What are the documents and requirements to initiate a process on the Justices of the Peace?

What is the price to initiate a process on the Justices of the Peace?

At the beginning of the process, each party pays an initial fee of €35. At the end of the process:

  • the party which loses the process pays an additional €35
  • the party which wins the process receives the €35 paid at the beginning of the process.

That is, the process is free for the party who wins the procedure and has a cost of €70 to the losing party.

If the parties reach an agreement through mediation

In such cases, the process has a total cost of €50. €10 are returned to each party.

If there is any delay on the payment of the rates

A surcharge is charged for each day of delay.

How initiate a process on the Justices of the Peace?

  1. Submission of the initial application

To initiate a process on the Justices of the Peace, it is necessary to submit an initial application, where the reasons to initiate the process are explained.

  1. Payment of the rates or request for legal support

The process is only commenced after the initial fee, on the amount of €35, is paid by the party which submits the procedure. The other party must also pay an initial fee, on the amount of €35. The payment must be carried out until the date in which the opposition is submitted.

However, the parties which meet the conditions to benefit from legal support do not need to pay the fee. Check if you meet the conditions to request legal support.

  1. Mediation or submission of the opposition

If the parties agree, the next step is mediation.

If the parties do not agree, the person or company against which the process has been submitted must submit an opposition. That is, to answer to what has been said on the initial application, telling their version of the facts.

The opposition may be submitted:

  • in written, in a specific form
  • verbally, in the Justice of the Peace, by the persons or companies’ representatives involved in the process.
  1. Homologation of the mediation agreement or judgement of the Judge of the Peace

The process may end in one of the following ways:

  • with the agreement derived from the mediation between the parties (approved by the judge)
  • with the judgement given by the Judge of the Peace, whenever it is impossible to reach an agreement through mediation.

A judgement of a Judge of the Peace has the same value as a judgement from a Court of First Instance. You may appeal if the process’s value is not higher than €2.500.