Civil Court hikes fees for registration, court services

Fees charged for the registration and ratification of agreements, as well as several services provided by the Civil Court, have been revised following approval by the General Assembly of Civil Court Judges.

The revised fee structure was approved on Wednesday and will come into effect on the first day of next month.

Under the current administrative rules, a fee of MVR 100 is charged for the registration and ratification of agreements and documents. This will change under the new rules.

From next month, the following fees will apply:

The fees for registering court orders, judgments and interim orders have also been revised. These include:

In cases dismissed due to the absence of the plaintiff and resubmitted within six months of the judgment, a single fee of MVR 500 will now be charged. Previously, this required a fee of MVR 400 plus an additional MVR 1,000 for form registration.

Revised fees also apply to the filing of cases with interim orders or court orders, as well as the registration of interim orders and court orders before a case is filed.

For cases other than inheritance matters, an additional charge of MVR 2 per page will be applied to forms and accompanying documents, based on the number of respondents, in addition to the registration fee.

A fee of MVR 300 will be charged for the registration of counterclaims and additional claims submitted after a case has been registered. A fee of MVR 200 will apply for the registration of interim orders and court orders in ongoing cases.

The rules state that fees paid for services will not be refunded, even if the service is not completed in accordance with court procedures. Any unpaid fees will be recorded as a debt owed to the court, and agreements or documents will be registered and ratified only after outstanding dues are settled.

No fees will be charged under the new rules for cases filed before the regulations come into force.