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Search court cases by name in Ecuador

The Función Judicial’s e-SATJE portal lets you search for cases by the parties’ surnames and first names. Here is how to do it step by step, why a name can lead you to the wrong case and how to search precisely by cédula.

Where you can search by name

Name search is available on the Función Judicial’s official portal, procesosjudiciales.funcionjudicial.gob.ec (opens in a new tab), in two ways:

  • General search: type the name in the home box (the portal’s example is JUAN PEREZ). It searches the text of court actions, so it can also show cases where the name is merely mentioned.
  • Advanced search: it has an «Apellido(s)/Nombre(s)» field for the plaintiff or victim and another for the defendant or accused. This is the better option, because it tells you the person’s role.

ConsultaCausas does not search by name, but by cédula, RUC or case number, for the reasons below.

Step by step in the advanced search

  1. Open the portal and press «Búsqueda avanzada».
  2. Choose the block: «Actor / Ofendido» if the person filed the claim or, in a criminal case, is the victim; «Demandado / Procesado» if the claim or charge is against them. If you do not know, run one search in each block.
  3. In «Apellido(s)/Nombre(s)» type the surnames first and then the first names, as the form asks. Use at least two words of two or more letters; with less, the portal replies «Indique más información». Only letters are allowed, with accents and ñ.
  4. If you expect many results, open «Filtros adicionales» and pick the province, canton, subject or court. The filters do not search on their own: they go with the name.
  5. Tick «No soy un robot» and press «BUSCAR».
  6. In the list, open each case with the folder icon («Detalle») and check the parties, court, city and dates.

If nothing comes up, check the spelling and try other combinations of surnames and names. For the portal’s other options, see e-SATJE: how to look up a court case.

Beware of namesakes

A name does not identify a person: several people can share the same surnames and names. And e-SATJE does not show the parties’ cédula, neither in the results list nor in the case detail, only their names. Before concluding that a case belongs to someone:

  • Compare the city, court and dates with what you know about that person.
  • Check the case number against a document: the summons (citación), a notice (boleta) or the filing receipt.
  • Keep in mind that if a name was recorded with a different spelling or incomplete, the search may not find it.
  • Remember that being a party to a case does not mean having done anything wrong. A defendant has not been ordered to do anything yet and, under Article 76 of Ecuador’s Constitution, everyone is presumed innocent until their responsibility is declared in a final ruling or judgment.

Privacy and fair use

The e-SATJE consultation is public, but it shows data about people. Use it with care:

  • Look up your own cases, or those of someone who asked you to.
  • Do not post or share screenshots with other people’s names on social media or chat groups.
  • Do not make decisions about someone (a job, a rental, a loan) from a name match without confirming it is the same person and hearing them out.
  • If you find a mistake in your own data, ask the court handling the case.

More precise: search and track by cédula

A cédula belongs to one person only, so searching by cédula avoids namesakes. On ConsultaCausas:

  1. Type the 10 digits of the cédula (or the 13 of a RUC). We search e-SATJE free as plaintiff and as defendant at the same time, and warn you if the number has a typo.
  2. Check the result: number, subject, court, parties and filing date of each case.
  3. If you want to track a case, we alert you on WhatsApp about each court action with a plain-language explanation and remind you of each hearing the day before.
  4. Cédula radar: in the ConsultaCausas app (iPhone and Android), with an active plan, go to «Cuenta» (Account) and turn on the cédula radar. We tell you on WhatsApp if a new case is registered with your cédula.

One limitation: a cédula search finds the cases in which the person was registered with that number. If they were registered with a passport or another document, also search by that document or by their names on e-SATJE. Search my cases by cédula.

Sources: the Función Judicial’s official consultation portal; user manual of the case consultation module (Consejo de la Judicatura, May 2023). Checked against the official sources on .