What court actions mean
Every entry the court records is a court action (actuación). These are the terms you will see most:
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Providencia | General name for the judge’s decisions in the case: orders (autos) and judgments. |
| Decreto | A purely procedural order that moves the case forward, e.g. “add the filing to the record”. |
| Auto | A 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 demanda | The judge reviews the claim and admits it, or asks for it to be completed or clarified within a deadline. |
| Citación | The official notice to the defendant that a claim exists. The time to answer runs from the summons. |
| Notificación | The official delivery of a decision to the parties, in their court or electronic mailbox. Deadlines usually run from it. |
| Razón | A record made by the court clerk of something that happened, e.g. that a notice was served (razón de notificación). |
| Audiencia | A hearing where the judge hears the parties. The notice gives the date, time and place (or the link if it is online). |
| Sentencia | The judge’s decision on the merits. It can be appealed within the legal deadline. |
| Ejecutoriada | The decision can no longer be challenged and must be complied with. |
| Escrito | A document filed by one of the parties, usually through their lawyer. |
| Oficio | A letter from the court to another institution, such as a bank, the Civil Registry or the IESS. |
| Archivo | The case is over and has been archived. |
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.
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.
Source: the Función Judicial’s official consultation portal.