Government of the British Indian Ocean Territory

[4] Legislation is formally published in the BIOT Gazette, but this is not widely distributed.

Further appeals can be heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, located in London.

[8][9] The following persons have served as the territory's Chief Justice, overseeing a small legal system for the jurisdiction: Sir John Farley Spry (1981-1987);[10] Sir John Fieldsend (1987–1998);[11] Christopher Gardner (c. 2007); Simon Bryan (since 2015); and James Lewis.

[12][8] On 5 May 2023, the Supreme Court of the British Indian Ocean Territory ruled that there is a right in certain circumstances to legal aid for both civil and criminal matters on BIOT, based on a local adaption of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

The first exchange of notes, signed on 30 December 1966, constituted an agreement concerning the availability for defence purposes of the British Indian Ocean Territory.