Country-by-Country Guide to Foreign Law Research

This country-by-country guide will help get you started on your foreign law research by connecting you to the best research guides and databases for each country. 

Notes about the guide:

  • Links under Country go to the CIA's World Factbook.
  • The LC Call Number indicates where the print materials for that country are located on the Lower East Side (LES) of the Yale Law Library.
  • The Regional Map icons go to a map of the larger geographical region.
  • LC Country Studies provide social, political, legal and economic information
  • The FLG is the outstanding and comprehensive Foreign Law Guide which will give you the historical, political and legal framework for each country plus the past and current sources of legal information, including where to find legislation, codes and case decisions, print and online. This is a Yale subscription database.
  • HLS refers to Harvard Law School's list of online guides to doing legal research in foreign jurisdictions.
  • WorldLII is a directory of legal information available on the Internet.
  • The Online Guides column includes the most substantial guide available from a library or research site.
  • The World Law Guide is a good resource for current legislation.
  • The Gazettes column features a link to the country's national gazette.
  • Finally, the Other Databases column lists other valuable subscription or open-access databases or websites for that country.
Country
LC Call Number Range
Regional Map LC Country Study FLG HLS Legal Information Institute (WorldLii) Online Guides WorldLaw Guide Gazettes Other Databases
Cambodia (KNM)  CS  HLS

WorldLIIAsianLII 

NorthwesternGlobaLex LOC

WorldLaw Guide 

Juricaf

Cameroon (KQW)  FLG HLS

WorldLIICommonLII Droit Afrique

GlobaLex LOC

WorldLaw Guide

Journal officiel de la République unie du Cameroun (not available online)



Juricaf

Canada (KE)  FLG HLS

CanLIIWorldLIICommonLII

LLRX LLRX(refugee) LLRX(sources) Duke GlobaLex LOC

WorldLaw Guide

Gazette du Canada / Gazette of Canada, Part II



Best Guide to Canadian Legal Research

Judgments of the Supreme Court of Canada

Federal Court Reports

Federal Court of Appeals

QuickLaw;

Lexis (Treaties & International Agreements, Case Law, Legislation & Regulations, Journals, Directories, Commentaries & Treatises, International Arbitration)

Westlaw (Case Law, Digest, Abridgment, Journals & Periodicals)

 Juricaf

Cape Verde (KQX)   

WorldLII

LOC



Boletim oficial de la Republica de Cabo Verde


Cayman Islands (KGM) (British Overseas Territory)  FLG 

WorldLII

GlobaLex (Caribbean) LOC

WorldLaw Guide

The Cayman Islands Gazette


Central African Republic (KRB)  FLG 

WorldLII Droit Afrique

LOC

WorldLaw Guide

Le Journal Officiel de la Republique Centrafricaine


Chad (also known as Tchad) (KRC)  CS FLG 

WorldLIIDroit Afrique

GlobaLex LOC

WorldLaw Guide

No gazette available



Juricaf

Chile (KHF)  CS FLG HLS

WorldLII

Yale DLSA
Northwestern
GlobaLex LOC

WorldLaw Guide

Diario Oficial de la Repúblic de Chile



Tribunal Constitucional (sentencias)

Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional-Ley Chile

Researching Chilean Law (Loyola University, Chicago)

Latin Laws -- Biblioteca Legal Latinoamericana

China, People's Republic of (KNN) (See also Taiwan)  CS FLG HLS

WorldLIIAsianLIIAsianLII(Hong Kong)AsianLII(Macau)AsianLII(Taiwan) CommonLII (Hong Kong)

Northwestern Yale LLRX GlobaLex GlobaLex (Hong Kong) LOC LOC(Taiwan) LOC (Hong Kong) LOC(Macau)

WorldLaw Guide

Zhong Hua Ren Min Gong He Guo Guo Wu Yuan Gong Bao (China's State Council Bulletin; in Chinese)

The Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Gazette

Boletim Oficial (Macao)



ChinaLawInfo/LawInfoChina (Yale network only)

China Lawyer Court Cases Database (Yale network only)

Westlaw China (Yale network only)

Macau Penal Code(partial English translation)

LexisNexis China Law Database (authoritative collection of Chinese laws, regulations, tax information, judicial decisions, and other legal documents, collected from government sources, and translated by LexisNexis China Online (COL) in Beijing)


Lexis (Case Law, Legislation & Regulations, Journals, Commentaries & Treatises, International Arbitration - includes Hong Kong)


Westlaw (International Arbitration, Patents & Trademarks, Hong Kong: Cases, Digests, Commentary, Legislation)

LC Translation of National Legislation into English

Colombia (KHH)  CS FLG HLS

WorldLII

Yale DLSA
GlobaLex LOC

WorldLaw Guide

Diario Oficial



Latin Laws -- Biblioteca Legal Latinoamericana

Commonwealth of Caribbean Islands  CS FLG 

GlobaLex

 
Comoros (KRE)  CS  

WorldLII Droit Afrique

LOC

WorldLaw Guide

Journal officiel de la Republique Federale Islamique des Comores (not available online)


Congo, Republic of the (The Congo, Congo-Brazzaville) (KRG)  FLG 

WorldLII Droit Afrique

LOC

WorldLaw Guide

Journal Officiel de la Republique du Congo



Juricaf

Cook Islands (N.Z.) (KVL)   HLS

WorldLII PacLII CommonLII

GlobaLex (South Pacific) LOC



Cook Islands Gazette (not available online)


Costa Rica (KGB)  FLG HLS

WorldLII

LLRX GlobaLex LOC

WorldLaw Guide

La Gaceta; Diario Oficial



Informacion Juridica (Legislation and Court Decisions)

Latin Laws -- Biblioteca Legal Latinoamericana

Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) (KSH)  CS FLG 

WorldLIIDroit Afrique

GlobaLex LOC

WorldLaw Guide

Journal officiel de la Republique de Cote d'Ivoire (not available online)



Lexis (WTO's Trade Policy Review (TPR) 1995, Duns Market Identifiers - Cote d'Ivoire)

Croatia (KKZ)  FLG HLS

WorldLII

LLRX GlobaLex LOC

WorldLaw Guide

Narodne Novine



European Case Law Database (Croatian);

Lexis (Balkans Business Digest, Croatian Arbitration Yearbook, HINA, Occasional Paper Series - Institute of Public Finance, Review of Arbitration in Central and Eastern Europe)

Cuba (KGN)  FLG 

WorldLII

Northwestern LOC

WorldLaw Guide

Gaceta Oficial de la Republica de Cuba = Gaceta de la Habana


Cyprus, Republic of (KJN)  CS FLG 

CyLawWorldLII CommonLII

LLRX GlobaLex (Microstates)
LOC

WorldLaw Guide

Cyprus Government Gazette



Cyprus Source of Legal Information (in Greek)

N-Lex

Czech Republic (KJP)  CS FLG HLS

WorldLII

GlobaLex LOC

WorldLaw Guide

Sbírka Předpisů



Czech Law Database (Czech)

Legislativa (a law database maintained by the Ministry of the Interior; in Czech)

European Case Law Database (Czech)

Westlaw (Patents & Trademarks)

Juricaf

N-Lex

 

Stephanie Davidson created the original version of this guide for a clinic several years ago. It has since been modified to suit general foreign law research. Thanks to Zhang Yue, YC '10 and Anna Ershova, YC '11 for their assistance in updating this guide.

Questions/Comments