Bailiff (now called Commissioner of Justice)

Verified 01 July 2022 - Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister), Ministry of Justice

Do you need a bailiff? Be careful, you must now call on a Commissioner of Justice. Indeed, since the 1ster july 2022, bailiffs and judicial auctioneers become commissioners of justice.

As of July 1, 2022, a new profession of Commissioner of Justice is created.

It replaces the merged former professions of bailiff and judicial auctioneer.

The Commissioners of Justice are public and ministerial officials.

They shall perform the duties previously performed by the bailiff and the judicial auctioneer.

The new profession is led by the National Chamber of Commissioners of Justice.

The main tasks of the Commissioner of Justice are:

  • Enforce court decisions and actions or enforceable title
  • Make inventories, fix prices and sell furniture for sale by public auction under the law or by court order
  • Make the significance or the notification judicial or non-judicial acts
  • Taking precautionary measures after the opening of an estate
  • Providing court and tribunal hearings
  • To issue and enforce the recovery document provided for in the event of non-payment of a check
  • Implement the simplified procedure for recovering small amounts debts
  • Establish the state of play findings
  • Assist the Chief Registrar in his task of auditing supervisory accounts

The Commissioner of Justice may also perform the following missions :

  • Proceed to the amicable or judicial recovery of all claims
  • Make authoritative material findings at the request of the court or private individuals, except in criminal matters
  • Serve as liquidator in bankruptcy proceedings or as assistant to the judge in professional recovery proceedings
  • Fulfill receivership duties (temporary guardian of a thing)
  • Assist the judge in forming an opinion on a question of fact

Please note

the commissioner of justice may engage in other activities as an incidental activity, but he is not entitled to engage in trade. For example, he may be a real estate administrator, insurance agent, court mediator or treaty person (under certain conditions).

You can find the contact details of a justice commissioner near your home on the website of the National Chamber of Justice Commissioners:

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