Article 429

What it means when you sign

This article is about time limits on bringing a claim. A right is not extinguished by the passage of time. However, a claim to enforce it is not heard against a party who denies it once fifteen years have passed without an accepted excuse. The exceptions are cases where the law sets a different period and cases stated elsewhere in the same law.

For a contract about to be signed, this article is background for clauses on deadlines for claims, for example how long a party has to bring a dispute or demand payment. It means that, as a general rule, the passage of time ends the ability to bring a claim to court but does not erase the right itself, and that fifteen years is the general period unless the law gives a different one. A contract clause that sets a shorter or longer period for claims can be read against this general rule and its exceptions.