requérant

Requérant is a legal term in French used to designate the party who files a petition or request to a court or administrative authority, seeking a remedy. The word derives from the verb requérir, meaning to require or to request. The requérant initiates proceedings by submitting a requête or another formal instrument, aiming to obtain a judgment, an injunction, an annulment, or another form of relief. The term is commonly found in civil and administrative procedures, and it is also used in international contexts and French-language courts, such as the European Court of Human Rights, where the applicant is referred to as a requérant.

The feminine form requérante and the plural requérants are standard. The role of the requérant is that of the party initiating action; the opposing party is typically called the défendeur or l’intimé, depending on the procedure and jurisdiction. In everyday legal language, more general terms like demandeur or plaignant may be used, but in formal pleadings and official documents the term requérant is preferred.

Usage varies by jurisdiction. In some systems, the term is reserved for particular types of petitions (for example, a petition for a court order or for review), while in others it covers broader petitioning activities. The concept is closely tied to suiting procedural posture and reference to procedural instruments such as a requête or petition.