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Check your court cases in Ecuador

Search your cases by cédula, RUC or case number and get alerts on WhatsApp when there are updates in your cases.

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Quito: El Panecillo and the Basílica del Voto Nacional
Quito, EcuadorBasílica del Voto Nacional

Data from public court sources

The information comes from the public case consultation systems of Ecuador’s judiciary.

Guides and FAQ

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Complete guide: looking up a court case in Ecuador

How to look up a case on e-SATJE, read the case number, understand court actions and subjects, tell the province from its code and get the news on WhatsApp.

How to look up a case on e-SATJE

e-SATJE (Sistema Automático de Trámite Judicial Ecuatoriano) is the system where Ecuador’s courts record every case and every court action. Its public consultation is free at procesosjudiciales.funcionjudicial.gob.ec (opens in a new tab). To look up a case:

  1. Open the Función Judicial’s official case consultation portal.
  2. Choose how to search: by case number (número de proceso), or by the cédula, RUC or name of one of the parties (as actor/ofendido or as demandado/procesado).
  3. Complete the security check if the portal asks for it, and search.
  4. Open the case in the results: you will see the court, the subject, the type of action, the parties and the court actions with their dates and text.
  5. Check again from time to time: the portal does not tell you when something new happens.

On ConsultaCausas you can run the same search for free with a cédula, RUC or case number, check that the case exists and who the parties are, and, if you want, track it: we alert you on WhatsApp about each court action, explain in plain language what it means and remind you of hearings.

Read the full guide

How to read the case number

Every case has a unique number, also called número de causa or número de juicio. It has three parts separated by dashes: the court code, the year and the sequence number.

17 = Pichincha · 17203-2024-01234: a case filed in 2024 at a court in Pichincha.
  • Court code (judicatura, 5 characters). Identifies the court unit, chamber or tribunal handling the case. Its first two digits are the province code: 17 is Pichincha, 09 Guayas, 01 Azuay (see the province table).
  • Year (4 digits). The year the case was filed with the court, not the year of the hearing or the judgment.
  • Sequence (4 to 6 digits). The case’s number within that court and year. Today it usually has 5 digits with leading zeros (01234).

Other valid formats

ExampleWhat is special about it
17959-2013-1329An older case with a 4-digit sequence. Do not add zeros: 1329 and 01329 would be different cases.
16281-2026-01343GEnds with a letter. The letter is part of the number: type it exactly as it appears on your document.
01U03-2026-00564GThe court code contains a letter (01U03, in Azuay) and the number ends with a letter.
17203202401234The same number without dashes. You can type it like this in our search box: we add the dashes for you.

Read the full guide

Where to find the case number

  • On the summons (citación). If you were sued, the summons (the first notice of the claim) shows the case number and the court.
  • On notification slips (boletas). Notices sent to your court mailbox (casillero judicial) or registered email include the number.
  • On the filing receipt. If you filed the claim, the allocation record (acta de sorteo) shows the court and number assigned.
  • From your lawyer, or from the Defensoría Pública (public defender) if it represents you.
  • By searching your cédula or RUC on e-SATJE or in our search box, if you have no document at hand.

Numbers not to confuse with the case number

  • The parties’ cédula or RUC: useful to search, but not the case number.
  • The crime report number (noticia del delito) from the Fiscalía: while a criminal matter is under preliminary investigation, the prosecutor handles it and there may be no court case yet.
  • Notice, letter (oficio) or court mailbox numbers: they identify documents or mailboxes, not the case.
  • A traffic ticket number: if you contest it, the court opens a case with its own number.

Got your number? Search for it free by choosing “Case no.”.

Read the full guide

The parties: actor, plaintiff and defendant

  • Actor or plaintiff (demandante): the person or company that files the claim. e-SATJE shows it as actor/ofendido.
  • Defendant (demandado): the person or company the claim is against. In criminal cases: procesado.
  • Victim (ofendido): in criminal cases, the person harmed by the offence. The prosecution is led by the Fiscalía.

That is why we search your cédula in both roles at once: as plaintiff and as defendant.

Read the full guide

What court actions mean

Every entry the court records is a court action (actuación). These are the terms you will see most:

TermWhat it means
ProvidenciaGeneral name for the judge’s decisions in the case: orders (autos) and judgments.
DecretoA purely procedural order that moves the case forward, e.g. “add the filing to the record”.
AutoA decision during the case. An auto de sustanciación orders procedural steps (e.g. calling a hearing); an auto interlocutorio settles issues that can affect the parties’ rights (e.g. admitting the claim).
Calificación de la demandaThe judge reviews the claim and admits it, or asks for it to be completed or clarified within a deadline.
CitaciónThe official notice to the defendant that a claim exists. The time to answer runs from the summons.
NotificaciónThe official delivery of a decision to the parties, in their court or electronic mailbox. Deadlines usually run from it.
RazónA record made by the court clerk of something that happened, e.g. that a notice was served (razón de notificación).
AudienciaA hearing where the judge hears the parties. The notice gives the date, time and place (or the link if it is online).
SentenciaThe judge’s decision on the merits. It can be appealed within the legal deadline.
EjecutoriadaThe decision can no longer be challenged and must be complied with.
EscritoA document filed by one of the parties, usually through their lawyer.
OficioA letter from the court to another institution, such as a bank, the Civil Registry or the IESS.
ArchivoThe case is over and has been archived.

Read the full guide

Subjects and types of procedure

The subject (materia) says what the case is about and which kind of court hears it:

  • Family, women, children and adolescents: child support (alimentos), custody, visiting rights, divorce.
  • Civil: debt collection, contracts, damages, prescription, division of property.
  • Tenancy (inquilinato): rental disputes, such as ending the lease or unpaid rent.
  • Labour: dismissals, final settlements, unpaid wages and compensation.
  • Criminal: offences under the Código Orgánico Integral Penal (COIP).
  • Traffic (tránsito): traffic offences and minor infractions.
  • Violence against women or family members: protection measures and trials.
  • Constitutional guarantees: acción de protección, habeas corpus, habeas data, access to information.
  • Administrative and tax litigation: claims against decisions of the State or the SRI.
  • Juvenile offenders.

The type of action says how the case is processed. In non-criminal matters (COGEP) you will see ordinario, sumario (e.g. child support), ejecutivo, monitorio and voluntario. In criminal matters (COIP) you will see, among others, ordinario, abreviado, directo and expedito.

Read the full guide

Courts and instances

  • Court units (unidades judiciales, first instance): most cases start here. There are family, civil, criminal, labour and multi-subject units.
  • Criminal trial courts (tribunales de garantías penales): hold the trial in ordinary criminal proceedings.
  • Chambers of the Provincial Courts of Justice (second instance): decide appeals.
  • National Court of Justice: decides cassation appeals.
  • District administrative and tax courts.

You do not need to pick the court to search: it is inside the case number, and a search by cédula or RUC covers all courts. If the case went up on appeal, e-SATJE shows the instance and the court handling it at each stage; if you cannot find it by number, search by cédula. The acción extraordinaria de protección is handled by the Constitutional Court, which is not part of the Función Judicial and has its own system.

Read the full guide

Province codes

The first two digits of the court code are the province’s official code (the same one INEC uses and that starts the cédulas issued in that province). So the number alone tells you where a case is.

Codes of Ecuador’s 24 provinces
CodeProvinceCapital
01AzuayCuenca
02BolívarGuaranda
03CañarAzogues
04CarchiTulcán
05CotopaxiLatacunga
06ChimborazoRiobamba
07El OroMachala
08EsmeraldasEsmeraldas
09GuayasGuayaquil
10ImbaburaIbarra
11LojaLoja
12Los RíosBabahoyo
13ManabíPortoviejo
14Morona SantiagoMacas
15NapoTena
16PastazaPuyo
17PichinchaQuito
18TungurahuaAmbato
19Zamora ChinchipeZamora
20GalápagosPuerto Baquerizo Moreno
21SucumbíosNueva Loja
22OrellanaPuerto Francisco de Orellana (El Coca)
23Santo Domingo de los TsáchilasSanto Domingo
24Santa ElenaSanta Elena

Code 30 exists only on the cédulas of Ecuadorians registered abroad; it does not appear in case numbers.

Read the full guide

How the alerts work

  1. Find your case and press “Track this case”. No account needed.
  2. Choose a plan and pay on Stripe’s secure page (in the app, with the App Store or Google Play).
  3. Confirm your WhatsApp number with a 6-digit code. That number becomes your account.
  4. We check your case on e-SATJE regularly. When the court records an action, we send you a WhatsApp message with a summary and a link to see it.
  5. The day before each hearing we send you a reminder with the date, time and place.

On the web you see every court action with its official text and a plain-language explanation: what happened, what it means and what you might do. You can add a relative’s WhatsApp so they also get the alerts. Anyone can stop the messages by replying ALTO or STOP.

Read the full guide

Pricing

Searching is free. To track a case, choose one of these plans (prices in US dollars):

Monthly Plan (Plan Mensual)

$9.99 per month

WhatsApp alerts, an explanation of every court action and hearing reminders. Renews automatically every month until you cancel.

Annual Pass (Pase Anual)

$39 for 12 months

One payment for 12 months of tracking for one case, no auto-renewal, with everything in the Monthly Plan. Buy it again before it ends and we add 12 months after its end date.

Optional relative’s WhatsApp add-on: $0.99 per month with the Monthly Plan or $4.99 for the Annual Pass’s 12 months. You see the final price before paying. On the web, payments are processed by Stripe and we never store your card details; in the app you pay with the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android).

Read the full guide

Frequently asked questions

How much does searching for a case cost?

Searching is free. By cédula, RUC or case number you can see each case’s number, subject, court, filing date, activity and parties before paying. You only pay if you want to track it with alerts and explanations.

How do I find my cases with my cédula number?

Choose "Cédula", type the 10 digits and press "Search my cases". We search e-SATJE for cases where the cédula appears as plaintiff (actor) and as defendant (demandado). A 13-digit RUC works the same way.

What does the case number 17203-2024-01234 mean?

The first five characters (17203) are the court (judicatura) code; its first two digits give the province (17 is Pichincha). Then comes the filing year (2024) and the case’s sequence number in that court and year (01234). Some numbers end with a letter, and older cases can have a 4-digit sequence, such as 17959-2013-1329.

Why can’t I find my case?

The number may have a typo, the person may appear with another document, or the matter may still be under investigation by the Fiscalía (prosecutor) without a court case yet. The e-SATJE system can also be slow or briefly down. Check the number on your summons (citación) or notice (boleta) and try again.

How do the WhatsApp alerts work?

When the court records a new action in a case you track, we send you a WhatsApp message with a summary and a link to see it. We also remind you of each hearing the day before. You can stop the messages by replying ALTO or STOP.

How much does tracking cost?

The Monthly Plan costs $9.99 per month and renews automatically until you cancel it. The Annual Pass is one payment of $39 for 12 months of tracking for one case, no auto-renewal; if you buy it again before it ends, we add 12 months after its end date. You can add a relative’s WhatsApp ($0.99 per month with the Monthly Plan or $4.99 for the Annual Pass’s 12 months). Prices are in US dollars and shown before you pay.

Do I need an account to pay?

No. When you press "Track this case" we open a guest session; after paying you confirm your WhatsApp number with a code, and that number becomes your account to sign in from any device.

Does the plain-language explanation replace a lawyer?

No. The explanation is generated automatically from the official text of each court action; it is for guidance only and may contain errors. Always check the official text and, to decide what to do in your case, ask your lawyer or the Defensoría Pública (public defender).

Can I track a case from outside Ecuador?

Yes. Search works from any country, and alerts reach foreign WhatsApp numbers, for example from the United States, Spain or Italy.

How do I cancel the Monthly Plan?

On the web, go to Account and press "Manage subscription": it opens Stripe’s secure portal, where you can cancel the renewal. If you subscribed in the iPhone app, cancel it in Settings > your name > Subscriptions; on Android, in Google Play > Payments & subscriptions > Subscriptions. Tracking stays active until the end of the paid period. The Annual Pass does not renew by itself, so there is nothing to cancel.

How do I contact ConsultaCausas?

Write to soporte@consultacausas.com; we reply within 1–2 business days. Include the case number and do not send your cédula unless it is needed. The Support page (consultacausas.com/en/support/) explains how to cancel, ask for a refund or delete your account.

Read the full guide

The data comes from the Función Judicial’s public consultation system, available on its consultation portal. Explanations are for guidance only and do not replace a lawyer’s advice.