时效期限取决于可以对有关罪行处以法定最长监禁期限（《刑法》第 103 条）， 据认为时效期对于要达到适当的司法目的恰好足够。这一时效期被推定为从实 施犯罪之时起算。时效可能被“为查出刑事犯罪或查出并起诉实施犯罪的犯罪 者而采取的每个程序性行动”打断或中止（《刑法》第 104 条第 2 款）。
The statute of limitations period, which depends on the statutory maximum term of imprisonment that can be imposed for the offence in question (article 103 CC), was found adequate enough to serve the purposes of the proper administration of justice. This period of limitation is presumed to run from the time of commission of the offence. The statute of limitations may be interrupted or suspended “by each procedural action undertaken to detect the criminal offence or to detect andprosecute the perpetrator for the commission of the offence” (article 104, paragraph 2 CC).