Jury Duty in Puerto Rico: Pay, Exemptions, Excuses and What to Expect (2026)

Puerto Rico courts · Last reviewed November 4, 2026

Juries in Puerto Rico's courts hear criminal cases only. The Constitution guarantees a jury to anyone charged with a felony (delito grave), and the Judicial Branch says the right also reaches the rare misdemeanor that carries more than six months in jail. There are no civil juries in the Commonwealth courts: lawsuits over contracts, injuries, divorce and the like are decided by a judge. If you are 18 or older, can read and write Spanish, and have lived in Puerto Rico legally for a year, you can be called.

The headline numbers: the court pays a fee of $20 a day ($25 for residents of Vieques and Culebra), plus meals and mileage. If you work for a private employer, the law gives you up to 15 workdays of paid leave for jury service, and government workers get paid leave too. Your employer can't fire you or cut your pay for serving. Ignoring a summons is a misdemeanor punished by a fine of at least $500. Once you serve, you can't be called again for 5 years.

The rules are in the Puerto Rico Jury Service Administration Act, Ley Núm. 281 of September 27, 2003 (34 L.P.R.A. §§ 1735-1735l), in Rules 111 to 127 of the Rules of Criminal Procedure, and in a Supreme Court regulation that sets juror pay. The laws are published in Spanish; this page quotes them in the original and explains them in English. Everything below is current as of November 2026.

Puerto Rico jury duty at a glance

Question	Answer	Source
Who can serve	Age 18 or older; legal resident of Puerto Rico for 1 year and of the judicial region for 90 days; reads and writes Spanish; physically and mentally fit	Ley 281-2003, art. 5
Disqualified	Anyone convicted of a felony or of any crime involving moral turpitude	Ley 281-2003, art. 5
Exemptions and excuses	Exempt: practicing lawyers and their clerks, secretaries and stenographers; people serving on a federal jury; breastfeeding mothers with medical proof. The court may also release police, armed forces members, Judicial Branch staff, elected officials and prosecutors	arts. 9-10
Postponing	Only for your health, a family member's illness or death, or serious danger to your property; never for inconvenience	art. 9
How often you can be called	Not again for 5 years after you serve one day or one trial, or are released	art. 8
How long service lasts	One day or one trial: if you aren't picked that day, you're released; if picked, you serve until the trial ends	art. 8
Pay	$20 a day of service ($25 for Vieques and Culebra residents); not paid to public employees	Juror fee regulation, art. IV
Mileage and expenses	20 cents a mile by car for trips over 3 miles (or bus and ferry fares); lunch or dinner up to $7, breakfast up to $4, snacks up to $3	Juror fee regulation, art. V
Does your employer have to pay you?	Yes. Private employers: paid leave for up to 15 workdays. Government employers: paid leave for the whole service	art. 11
Job protection	No firing, suspension, pay cut, demotion or harsh conditions; double damages or at least $1,000; no docking pay or leave	art. 13
Penalty for not showing up	Misdemeanor; fine of at least $500	art. 12
Official juror site	Jury Duty Administration Bureau (Judicial Branch of Puerto Rico)	court

Criminal trials only

Article II, Section 11 of the Constitution of Puerto Rico creates the right:

En los procesos por delito grave el acusado tendrá derecho a que su juicio se ventile ante un jurado imparcial compuesto por doce vecinos del distrito, quienes podrán rendir veredicto por mayoría de votos en el cual deberán concurrir no menos de nueve.

In English, the section gives a person accused of a felony the right to a trial before an impartial jury of twelve residents of the district, and it allows a verdict by a majority of at least nine (P.R. Const. art. II, § 11).

Two things have changed since that text was written:

More than felonies. Following U.S. Supreme Court decisions, Puerto Rico measures the right by the severity of the penalty. The Judicial Branch's March 2026 community guide says anyone accused of a felony, or of a misdemeanor punishable by more than six months in prison, has the right to a jury (Guía Informativa Comunitaria: Juicios por Jurado). Rule 111 of the Rules of Criminal Procedure likewise covers felonies and certain misdemeanors, and lets the accused waive a jury and be tried by a judge (R. P. Crim. 111).
Verdicts must now be unanimous. The Constitution and Rule 112 still print the nine-of-twelve rule. But after Ramos v. Louisiana in the U.S. Supreme Court and Pueblo v. Torres Rivera and Pueblo v. Centeno in the Puerto Rico Supreme Court, the guide explains, all twelve jurors must agree, whether to convict or to acquit.

No civil juries. The jury guarantee sits in the criminal-rights section of the Constitution, the jury law speaks only of criminal proceedings (procesos penales), and the pay regulation covers jurors "en los casos criminales." Puerto Rico's Rules of Civil Procedure contain no jury-trial rule, so civil cases in the Commonwealth courts are tried by a judge alone. The U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico in San Juan runs its own, separate federal jury system.

Who can serve

Article 5 of Ley 281-2003 sets the requirements:

Será elegible para servir como Jurado en Puerto Rico toda persona que cumpla los siguientes requisitos: (a) Haber cumplido dieciocho (18) años de edad. (b) Haber residido legal en Puerto Rico por un (1) año y noventa (90) días previos en la región judicial en la que habrá de celebrarse el proceso. (c) Saber leer y escribir español. (d) No haber sido condenado por delito grave o por cualquier otro delito que implique depravación moral. (e) Hallarse física y mentalmente apto para servir como jurado.

In plain English, you are eligible if you:

are at least 18;
have lived legally in Puerto Rico for one year, and in the judicial region where the trial will be held for the 90 days before;
can read and write Spanish;
have not been convicted of a felony or of any other crime involving moral turpitude; and
are physically and mentally fit to serve.

(Ley 281-2003, art. 5)

The law's test is legal residence; it doesn't list U.S. citizenship as a requirement. The Judicial Branch also stresses that there is no upper age limit and no legal knowledge is needed (Guía Informativa Comunitaria). Every eligible person must serve in any criminal case before any part of the Court of First Instance (art. 6).

Where names come from. The Jury Service Administration Bureau (Negociado para la Administración del Servicio de Jurado), part of the Office of Court Administration, keeps a master register drawn at random from government records: voter rolls, driver's licenses, electricity, water and telephone customer lists, and other public programs. No one can be added at their own request or anyone else's, and the register must be refreshed at least every three years (art. 3).

The questionnaire. A computer picks names from the register, and the Bureau mails each person a questionnaire. You must fill it out, sign it and send it back, even if you think you don't qualify. If you don't return it, you'll get a second one or be summoned to court to explain; refusing at that point leads to criminal charges. If you have moved away from Puerto Rico, return the form with a photo ID and a utility or phone bill showing your new address, by email to cuestionariodejurado@poderjudicial.pr or by fax to (787) 758-1997. Getting a questionnaire doesn't mean you've been picked; it means you'll be considered (Jury Duty Administration Bureau).

Exemptions and excuses

Puerto Rico's list is short. Article 10 names three groups who are exempt:

Estará exento del servicio de jurado: (a) Todo abogado, o el oficial jurídico, secretario o taquígrafo de un abogado. (b) Todo ciudadano que preste servicio como jurado en la Corte del Distrito de los Estados Unidos para Puerto Rico durante el término para el cual fue seleccionado. (c) Toda mujer que lacta a su hijo (a) menor de edad y que, presente evidencia médica de ese hecho.

That covers:

Lawyers and their staff. Every lawyer, and a lawyer's law clerk, secretary or stenographer. The court's guide describes this as lawyers admitted and actively practicing.
Federal jurors. Anyone serving on a jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, for the term they were picked.
Breastfeeding mothers. A woman who is breastfeeding her child and presents medical evidence of it.

(Ley 281-2003, art. 10)

Public servants the court may release. Government employees are not exempt as a class. But the court may release public employees and officials who, because of their duties, should stay off juries: those on active duty as law enforcement officers, members of the armed forces, Judicial Branch employees and officials, elected officials, and prosecutors, including the special prosecutors for minors and family matters (art. 9). You ask the judge presiding over the trial.

Health. If a medical condition keeps you from serving, your doctor or health professional (not you) can fill out the Medical Certificate on the back of the questionnaire. Be warned that the Judicial Branch says old age, diabetes and high blood pressure don't, on their own, excuse anyone or justify a postponement (Guía Informativa Comunitaria).

No age opt-out. Puerto Rico has no age at which you can decline. People of any age who meet the requirements can be called.

How to ask. Send your proof of ineligibility with the questionnaire. If you are summoned anyway, bring your proof to court on the day of your summons; the judge reviews it in front of the prosecutor and the defense and decides each request (Jury Duty Administration Bureau).

Postponing jury duty

Article 9 is strict:

El tribunal no podrá dispensar a nadie de servir como jurado, por motivo trivial, ni por inconveniencias o molestias en sus negocios o asuntos personales, pero podrá diferir su servicio únicamente por motivo de su estado de su salud o la enfermedad o muerte de algún miembro de su familia o por motivo de grave peligro de daño o ruina de su propiedad o la propiedad bajo su custodia.

The article bars the court from excusing anyone for a trivial reason or for inconvenience to their business or personal affairs. It allows a postponement only for three reasons: your health; the illness or death of a family member; or serious danger of damage to, or ruin of, your property or property in your care. When the reason ends, you can be summoned again (Ley 281-2003, art. 9).

In practice:

Ask the trial judge. The request goes to the judge presiding over the trial, with a medical certificate or other proof.
Prior trips and appointments. If you already have a trip or a medical appointment booked for the date of your summons, send proof to the court before that date, using the phone number or email on the summons. The court will tell you whether you need to come on a later date.

(Jury Duty Administration Bureau)

Juror pay

A 1947 law lets the Chief Justice set juror fees by regulation, with a floor of $20 a day ($25 for Vieques and Culebra) (Ley 338-1947, § 1). The current regulation, in force since July 1, 2004 and amended in 2008, sits at that floor:

Se establece una compensación de veinte dólares ($20.00) por día de servicio para los jurados citados oficialmente para comparecer ante cualquier sala del Tribunal.

The regulation sets a fee of $20 for each day of service for jurors officially summoned to any court (Juror fee regulation, art. IV). The details:

Vieques and Culebra. Residents of the two island municipalities get $25 a day, and their ferry fares are reimbursed.
Public employees don't get the fee. Government workers instead get paid leave from their agency, plus meals and mileage under the agency's own rules, as if on official business.
Mileage. Twenty cents a mile if you drive your own car more than three miles, by the cheapest usual route; otherwise, ordinary bus or public-carrier fares.
Meals. The court provides lunch, dinner or both when needed (up to $7 each), breakfast (up to $4) if you must leave home before 6:30 a.m., and snacks during recesses (up to $3).
Who the fee is for. The law ties the daily fee to jurors who are unemployed or have used up their jury leave, and says it doesn't apply while you're on paid leave (art. 7(f) and art. 11). The Judicial Branch's guides put it simply: unemployed jurors get fees, meals and mileage; employed jurors get paid leave.
Workers' compensation. While serving, you're covered by the Judicial Branch's workplace-accident insurance.

Your job is protected

Puerto Rico gives jurors two things many states don't: paid leave and a strong remedy if an employer retaliates.

Paid leave. Article 11 sets the leave for private-sector workers:

Toda persona empleada por un patrono privado, que hubiere sido citada para servir como jurado en un tribunal, tendrá derecho a disfrutar de una licencia con paga de su patrono hasta un máximo de quince (15) días laborables, y a aquella compensación, por comparecencia diaria dispuesta en este Artículo y que se fije mediante reglamento.

What that means:

Private employers pay for up to 15 workdays. If your service runs longer, you may charge the extra time to your regular vacation leave, or take the court's daily fee instead. Better terms in a union contract still apply.
Government employers pay for the whole service. Public employees of the Commonwealth, its agencies, public corporations and municipalities get paid leave plus meals and mileage, as if on official business.
Give five workdays' notice. To keep the law's protection, tell your employer at least five workdays before your court date. Shorter notice is fine if your summons arrived late or you had another good reason.
Bring back the certificate. When you finish, the court clerk gives you a certificate showing the days and hours you served. Give it to your employer when you return.

(Ley 281-2003, art. 11)

No retaliation. Under Article 13, an employer that fires, threatens to fire, suspends, cuts the pay of, demotes, or imposes harsh working conditions on an employee because the employee was summoned, is serving or has served, or that refuses to reinstate the employee in an equal job afterward, owes the employee:

twice the damages caused, or $1,000, whichever is more; or
if no money damages can be shown, between $1,000 and $3,000, as the court decides.

The court can also order reinstatement. No employer, public or private, may dock an employee's pay, vacation or sick leave for time spent on jury service except as the law allows. An employee whose pay or leave was docked can recover the difference, an equal amount in additional compensation, and costs, interest and attorney fees of at least $1,000. You, or the Secretary of Labor and Human Resources on your behalf, can sue through the fast-track labor-claims procedure of Ley 140-1974 or an ordinary civil action (Ley 281-2003, art. 13).

One catch: if you volunteer to stay on active jury service longer than the law requires, you lose the paid leave and job protection, and you can't stay more than three months (art. 8).

What happens if you don't show up

Article 12 makes it a crime:

Incurrirá en delito menos grave y convicta que fuere será sancionada con pena de multa no menor de quinientos (500) dólares, toda persona que reúna los requisitos dispuestos por esta Ley para servir como jurado y que habiendo sido notificada de su obligación de servir como jurado incurriere en cualquiera de la conducta siguiente:

The article makes it a misdemeanor, punished on conviction by a fine of at least $500, for an eligible person who has been notified of the duty to serve to do any of four things: refuse without good reason to give the Bureau or the court the information it needs; give false information; fail to appear in court after being properly summoned; or refuse without good reason to serve without having been excused or deferred (Ley 281-2003, art. 12).

The Judicial Branch also warns that failing to obey a summons can be treated as contempt of court (Guía Informativa Comunitaria). If you can't come, contact the court before your date at the number on your summons.

Your first day

The Judicial Branch's guides describe what to expect (Jury Duty Administration Bureau; Guía Informativa Comunitaria):

Notice. By law you get at least ten days' notice before you must appear (art. 7(d)). Summonses go out through the court clerk's office and can arrive in person, by mail, by email or by phone, so keep your cell number and email current on the questionnaire.
Where. You report to the courthouse of the judicial region where the trial will be held. Each of the 13 regions (Aguadilla, Aibonito, Arecibo, Bayamón, Caguas, Carolina, Fajardo, Guayama, Humacao, Mayagüez, Ponce, San Juan and Utuado) has a jury clerk whose phone number is listed on the Bureau's page.
Check-in. You fill out some papers and wait until a marshal (alguacil) calls you into the courtroom.
Jury selection. The judge, the prosecutor and the defense lawyer question the group under oath about your background and experiences, to make sure the twelve jurors and the alternates are impartial. The guide says there are no wrong answers; just answer honestly. You must stay for the whole selection process.
If you're picked, you serve until the trial ends. If you're not picked that day, you're released, and you go back into the register.
During the trial. Don't discuss the case with anyone, don't let anyone talk to you about it, and don't look it up in the press or on social media. Report anyone who tries to discuss it.
Accommodations. If you have a health condition that needs adjustments, you can ask the court for reasonable accommodations.
Proof for your employer. Ask the court clerk for your certificate of appearance, which lists the days and hours you served.

Grand jury service

The Commonwealth courts don't summon grand jurors. Puerto Rico's jury law provides only for trial juries, and a felony case moves to trial after a preliminary hearing (vista preliminar) at which a judge decides whether there is probable cause (R. P. Crim. 23). If you get a grand jury summons, it comes from the federal court in San Juan, which runs its own system.

Jury duty scams

Scammers impersonate courts by phone, text and email, claiming you missed jury duty or a court date and must pay or click a link. In June 2026 the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico warned that it doesn't ask for payments, bank or card details, or passwords by text message or through links (U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico warning, June 15, 2026). The Commonwealth's courts work the same way: a real penalty under Article 12 comes only after a criminal case in court, never from a phone call or text. Don't click, pay or share personal information. Call the jury clerk for your judicial region, or the Judicial Branch's information line at 787-641-6263, to check. See also the federal courts' juror scam warning.

Recent and pending changes

Date	Change	Source
March 2026	The Judicial Branch issued a new community guide to jury trials, restating the unanimity rule and the right to a jury for misdemeanors punishable by more than six months	Guía Informativa Comunitaria

We found no law changing jury service enacted in 2024 through 2026. The official consolidated text of Ley 281-2003 (revised April 15, 2024) lists amendments only from 2004 and 2006 (OGP), and the juror fee regulation was last amended in 2008, in its article on meals and mileage. The $20 daily fee dates from the regulation's adoption in 2004. We could not search the Legislature's bill system for pending jury bills, so check with the Legislative Assembly before relying on this section.

Frequently asked questions

How much does jury duty pay in Puerto Rico?

The court pays jurors $20 a day of service, or $25 a day for residents of Vieques and Culebra, plus 20 cents a mile for trips over three miles and meals during long days. Private-sector workers get up to 15 workdays of paid leave from their employer, and government workers get paid leave for the whole service. In practice the daily fee goes mainly to jurors who are unemployed or have used up their leave.

Can my employer fire me for jury duty in Puerto Rico?

No. An employer that fires, suspends, demotes, cuts the pay of, or punishes you for jury service owes you twice your damages or at least $1,000, and a court can order you reinstated. Your employer also can't dock your pay, vacation or sick leave for the time you serve. To keep this protection, tell your employer at least five workdays before your court date and bring back the court's certificate of attendance.

How do I get out of jury duty in Puerto Rico?

Only a few people are exempt: practicing lawyers and their clerks, secretaries and stenographers; people serving on a federal jury; and breastfeeding mothers with medical proof. The court may also release police, members of the armed forces, Judicial Branch staff, elected officials and prosecutors. Otherwise, the judge can only postpone your service for your health, a family member's illness or death, or serious danger to your property; inconvenience and work conflicts aren't enough.

What happens if I miss jury duty in Puerto Rico?

Failing to appear after a proper summons, refusing to serve, or ignoring the questionnaire is a misdemeanor. On conviction, the fine is at least $500. If you have a real emergency, contact the court at the number on your summons before your date and send proof.

How often can you be called for jury duty in Puerto Rico?

Once you have served one day or one trial, or been released from service, you can't be summoned again for five years. The law applies that five-year break even to people who reported and were released, though the Judicial Branch's guide says people who were not picked go back into the register, so you could hear from the Bureau again.

Is there an age limit for jury duty in Puerto Rico?

You must be at least 18. There is no upper age limit and no age-based exemption, and the Judicial Branch says old age alone isn't a reason to be excused. If a health condition keeps you from serving, have your doctor complete the medical certificate on the back of the questionnaire.

Where these rules live

How this page is sourced. Every legal statement here comes from the Puerto Rico statutes, court rules and official court pages it cites and links. Text in block quotes is copied exactly from the official source; everything else is original writing. Pay figures and rules are as of November 4, 2026.

This page explains what the law says. It is legal information, not legal advice. Your summons and your court’s jury office have the final word on your service — if you are unsure what to do, call the number on your summons.