Insolvency & liquidation · San Marino
Liquidation lawyers in San Marino
A liquidation touches creditors, directors, employees and counterparties at the same time, and in San Marino it unfolds inside a small, tightly regulated system with its own court structure and professional Order. Tell us what you are facing and we will match you with a specialist whose practice covers it.
- Enrolled Sammarinese professionals only
- Domestic and cross-border wind-downs
- Free matching, no obligation to instruct
No charge for the matching service · Your details go only to the professional you choose
Get matched with a lawyer
Tell us about your situation and receive a free, confidential case review.
Why clients use this page
Liquidation support in a single-court jurisdiction
A liquidation raises questions that rarely stay inside the company: creditors, employees, directors, shareholders and counterparties all need to know where they stand. In San Marino those questions are handled within a small, tightly regulated legal system, where the court structure, the professional Order and the procedural calendar are specific to the Republic. This page explains how liquidation work is framed here and what a specialist can do for you. Our matching service is free and takes a few minutes: you describe the situation, and we put you in touch with liquidation lawyers in San Marino whose practice covers company wind-downs, creditor claims and court representation. You decide afterwards whether to instruct.
San Marino in practice
What shapes a liquidation matter in San Marino
The Republic combines a single court with a combined order of lawyers and notaries, which affects how a wind-down is documented and, if necessary, litigated. The points below come from official Sammarinese sources and describe the framework you will actually meet.
One court, two specialised sections
Since Qualified Law no. 145 of 30 October 2003, ordinary and administrative jurisdiction in San Marino has been exercised by a single court, the Tribunale Unico, organised into two specialised sections that replaced the former separate tribunals. For a liquidation, that means contested matters and related civil claims are framed within one forum, which simplifies planning once a dispute becomes formal.
Who may act and appear for you
Only professionals enrolled in the register kept by the Ordine degli Avvocati e Notai may appear before the courts. Admission rests on Decree no. 56 of 26 April 1995 and requires a law degree, a traineeship and a qualifying examination or colloquium. Lawyers and notaries share one Order, which is helpful when a wind-down also needs deeds or attestations.
Language of proceedings and filings
Proceedings in San Marino are conducted in Italian. Pleadings, procedural requests and the documents filed with the Tribunale Unico are therefore prepared in Italian, even where the company’s own records, contracts and correspondence are in another language. If you are instructing from abroad, allow for translation work and give your adviser the source documents early so that positions can be settled before filing.
Time limits that shape strategy
Procedural time limits in the Republic are short. An appeal against a first-instance civil judgment in labour matters or in arbitration runs for 30 days, and the appeal writ must then be filed within 10 days of lodging the appeal. The querela di nullità and the third-instance recourse also run for 30 days, so late instructions can close options.
Costs, fees and legal aid
Judicial acts and judgments attract court fees and registration duties, and the losing party may be ordered to pay the costs of the proceedings. Lawyers’ fees are not fixed by a mandatory official public tariff; they are agreed between the lawyer and the client, so ask for the basis of charging in writing. Legal aid (patrocinio gratuito) is available to qualifying parties.
Cross-border elements and trusts
Where a liquidation touches assets, creditors or successors abroad, San Marino’s treaty network matters. The Republic is a Contracting Party to the 1961 Apostille Convention, the 1965 Service Convention, the 1980 Child Abduction Convention and the 1985 Trusts Convention, and it enacted its own trust legislation, Law no. 42 of 1 March 2010.
All country-specific statements on this page are drawn from official San Marino sources (Consiglio Grande e Generale) and from the Hague Conference on Private International Law, consulted in 2025.
- Consiglio Grande e Generale — judicial organisation (Qualified Law no. 145/2003)
- Consiglio Grande e Generale — legal profession and Ordine degli Avvocati e Notai (Decree no. 56/1995)
- Consiglio Grande e Generale — procedural time limits
- Consiglio Grande e Generale — general civil limitation periods
- Consiglio Grande e Generale — court fees, legal fees and free legal assistance (Law no. 102/2015)
- Consiglio Grande e Generale — trust legislation (Law no. 42/2010)
- HCCH — San Marino as a Contracting Party to Hague Conventions
Typical situations
Where a liquidation question usually starts
Clients rarely arrive with a tidy file. These are the three openings we see most often.
A debtor has stopped paying
You supplied goods or services to a Sammarinese company that is now winding down. You want to know whether your claim is acknowledged, how it ranks and whether court action is still open to you.
You are steering a wind-down
As a director or shareholder you need the closing steps documented properly, with deeds, notices and filings handled by professionals who know what the Tribunale Unico and the notarial side of the Order will expect.
Your interests sit outside San Marino
Assets, contracts or heirs are in the Republic while you are abroad. You need a local professional who can act on documents, service and representation without you travelling for every step.
How we help
Matching built around a small jurisdiction
San Marino is compact, so choosing the right practice matters more than choosing the biggest name.
Specialists, not generalists
We look for professionals whose declared practice covers wind-downs, creditor positions and company disputes, rather than passing your matter to the first available contact.
One forum, clearly identified
Because ordinary and administrative jurisdiction sits with the Tribunale Unico, we can describe the forum your matter would enter and match accordingly.
Costs discussed up front
Fees in San Marino are agreed between professional and client rather than fixed by a mandatory tariff, so your first conversation can cover the basis of charging openly.
Italian-language handling
Filings and pleadings are prepared in Italian. The professionals we match you with work in that language and can deal with your English-language instructions.
Cross-border reach
Clients instruct us from across Europe
Most cross-border liquidation instructions we receive involving San Marino also touch one of these jurisdictions.
Questions clients ask
Liquidation in San Marino: practical answers
Do I need a Sammarinese professional to act for me in a liquidation matter?
Yes. Only professionals enrolled in the register kept by the Ordine degli Avvocati e Notai may appear before the courts. Admission derives from Decree no. 56 of 26 April 1995 and requires a law degree, a completed traineeship and a qualifying examination or colloquium. When you use our service, we match you with liquidation lawyers in San Marino who are enrolled and able to act.
Which court hears contested liquidation matters in San Marino?
Since Qualified Law no. 145 of 30 October 2003, ordinary and administrative jurisdiction is exercised by a single court, the Tribunale Unico, organised into two specialised sections and replacing the former separate tribunals. Contested aspects of a wind-down therefore enter one forum, which is worth knowing when you assess the timetable and the documents needed.
How long do I have to challenge a first-instance judgment?
An appeal against a first-instance civil judgment in labour matters and in arbitration proceedings runs for 30 days, and the appeal writ must be filed within 10 days of lodging the appeal. The querela di nullità and the third-instance recourse also run for 30 days. Because periods can start with notification, speak to a professional as soon as you receive a decision.
How are legal fees for a liquidation determined in San Marino?
Lawyers’ fees are not set by a mandatory official public tariff; they are agreed between the lawyer and the client, so ask for the basis of charging in writing. Judicial acts and judgments attract court fees and registration duties, and the losing party may be ordered to pay the costs of the proceedings. Legal aid is available to qualifying parties under the free legal assistance rules linked to Law no. 102 of 1 July 2015.
Can a liquidation with cross-border elements be handled from abroad?
It can, with the right support. San Marino is a Contracting Party to the 1961 Apostille Convention, the 1965 Service Convention and the 1985 Trusts Convention, and it adopted its own trust legislation, Law no. 42 of 1 March 2010. Filings and pleadings are nonetheless prepared in Italian, so documents and instructions must reach your adviser in usable form.
What does the matching service cost and what happens after I submit?
The service is free: the cost to get matched is €0 and the average first response is 24 to 48 hours. You describe the matter, we identify a professional whose practice fits, and we make the introduction. You then decide directly with that professional whether to instruct, on what scope and on which fee basis.
Next step
Describe your liquidation matter and get matched
Whether you are a creditor protecting a claim, a director closing a company or an overseas party with interests in the Republic, a short description is enough to start. We will match you with a professional who handles liquidation work in San Marino, free of charge and without obligation.