Legal robes in Belgium: two decrees, several roles
Belgium does not use one generic black legal gown. The Royal Decree of 30 September 1968 defines lawyers’ robes; the decree of 22 July 1970 distinguishes judicial dress by office, court and occasion for magistrates and court clerks.
The lawyer’s robe under the 1968 decree
The robe is black wool, closed at the front, with wide sleeves and a white pleated rabat. Its black wool epitoge is gathered at the centre, has one row of white fur at both ends and is worn on the left shoulder.
The text permits a black wool toque with black velvet braid. It does not support presenting the toque as compulsory in every courtroom.
First-instance judicial dress
For ordinary hearings in the courts listed by the 1970 decree, magistrates wear a black robe with broad sleeves and black silk on the facings, collar and lower sleeves, together with white pleated batiste neckwear and prescribed black headwear.
Solemn hearings and ceremonies add a silk belt in the national colours with red fringe and distinguish senior offices through silver braid and piping.
Appeal courts, labour appeal courts and assize
Ordinary dress is black with black silk elements and a white pleated batiste tie. At solemn hearings, assize sessions and ceremonies, the robe is red with black silk details, white lace and a black velvet toque with gold-edged braid.
First presidents and prosecutors general have additional white-fur and headwear distinctions. The red robe must therefore be tied to the prescribed occasion rather than marketed as the everyday robe of every judge.
The Court of Cassation
Cassation magistrates wear black ordinary dress with a red belt and office-specific gold details. Solemn dress is red with red silk details, white lace and gold-trimmed black velvet headwear.
Cassation clerks have their own black and red combinations, black belts and toque distinctions. Cassation is a separate judicial entity and should not be silently absorbed into the courts-and-tribunals staff count.
Professional populations
OVB reported 11,273 lawyers and AVOCATS.BE 8,349 on the same reference date, 1 December 2023; the derived sum is 19,622 and is neither current headcount nor robe purchases. Separately, the courts and tribunals report 1,527 magistrates in 2024, while the Public Prosecution Service reports 949 in its distinct institutional scope.
Those last two published aggregates create a confirmed base of at least 2,476 magistrates across the two reported pillars, but not a guaranteed exhaustive national total because Cassation is treated separately in the institutional structure.
Court clerks and the 4,218-person aggregate
The courts report combines court clerks and other judicial staff in one figure of 4,218. It does not publish a separate robe-wearing clerk headcount in that aggregate.
Consequently, neither a national clerk total nor annual clerk-robe demand should be derived from 4,218. Procurement should be discussed by court, clerk office and occasion.
The Belgian court network
Official pages identify five courts of appeal, five labour courts of appeal, eleven assize courts, thirteen courts of first instance across twelve judicial districts, nine labour courts and nine enterprise courts. Peace and police courts and the Court of Cassation complete the broader landscape.
The College’s report describes 49 judicial entities and ±225 court buildings. Buildings are service locations, not additional robe wearers.
Verification before specification
Record the exact title, court, chamber or prosecution office, ordinary or solemn occasion and whether dress is personally or institutionally held. Then match every component to the legal text.
This sequence prevents a generic visual match from replacing office-specific legal dress.
Five courts with a separate dress regime
These systems must not be folded automatically into the general 1970 judicial robe framework.
Court of Cassation
Black and red, with distinct rank and office details.
→Togamaker.comConstitutional Court
A separate royal-blue official dress regime.
→Togamaker.comCouncil of State
Black ordinary and burgundy solemn official dress.
→Togamaker.comCouncil for Alien Law Litigation
A separate regime modelled on the Council of State.
→Togamaker.comDBRC
A black and camel administrative-judge system since 2024.
→Sources and methodology
The primary sources below support the rules, professional figures, education data and institutional examples on this page.
- Belgian Official Gazette / Justel — Royal Decree of 30 September 1968
- Belgian Official Gazette / Justel — Royal Decree of 22 July 1970
- Orde van Vlaamse Balies — more than 11,000 Flemish lawyers
- Orde van Vlaamse Balies — audit report 2023–2024
- AVOCATS.BE — 2025 trainee guide: three-year traineeship; 8,446 on 1 December 2024
- Courts and tribunals — activity report 2019–2024
- Public Prosecution Service — annual report 2024
- High Council of Justice — annual report 2025
- AVOCATS.BE — budget publication: 8,238 (2022), 8,349 (2023) and 8,447 (2024)
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→Togamaker.comJudicial robes in Belgium
A detailed guide to Belgian judicial robes, court structure, 2024 personnel figures, 2025 judicial-entry data and ordinary, solemn, appeal, assize and Cassation dress.
→Togamaker.comThe Belgian court clerk’s robe: legal model and practical stock planning
Belgian court-clerk dress under the 1970 decree and why the official 4,218 figure combines court clerks with other judicial staff, not a national clerk total.
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