Court and Lawsuit Fees in Jordan
Court and Lawsuit Fees in Jordan: A General Practical Guide
A general guide to understanding civil and criminal court fees in Jordan, the official calculator, electronic payment, and mediation-related recovery, with a reminder to verify the current fee and consult a Jordanian lawyer.
Updated: 10 September 2026
Prepared and reviewed by: Ashraf Al-Khawaja
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# Court and Lawsuit Fees in Jordan: A General Practical Guide
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> **Important notice:** This article is for general educational purposes only. It is not legal advice for a specific matter, does not determine whether a claim will be accepted, and does not guarantee reimbursement of a fee or any judicial outcome. Fees, legislation, schedules, electronic services, and procedural time limits may change. The current amount should be confirmed with the competent court or the Ministry of Justice, and a Jordanian lawyer should be consulted before filing or appealing.
Why there is no single fee for every lawsuit
Court and lawsuit fees are amounts collected by a court or judicial authority when a claim, complaint, application, counterclaim, or appeal is registered. The applicable amount depends on the type of proceeding, the value of the claim, the court level, and whether the filing is original, connected, urgent, or appellate. Court fees are also distinct from a lawyer’s professional fees and from possible costs of experts, translation, service, copying, and enforcement. Those other items can affect the practical litigation budget, but they should not be confused with the court fee itself. The Ministry of Justice publishes an electronic fee calculator. The calculator expressly describes its result as **indicative** before attending court and warns that other applications inside the court may need to be taken into account. It asks for the claim value in Jordanian dinars and states that fees may be paid at any court in the Kingdom. Accordingly, an online estimate is not the final assessment by the court clerk and may not capture every additional fee connected with a later application or document [1].
Civil claims before a Court of First Instance
The official Judicial Council page titled “Litigation Procedures before Courts of First Instance – Civil” publishes a graduated rule for the fee of a civil claim and a counterclaim. The page states that a fee of 3% is collected on the first ten thousand dinars, 2% on the second ten thousand dinars, and 1% on the amount above that up to two hundred thousand dinars, subject to a maximum of 1,200 dinars for that part. For the portion exceeding two hundred thousand dinars, the page states that a 1% fee applies, while the fee on the entire claim may not exceed 5,000 dinars [2]. This is a description of the rule published for the civil first-instance category on that official page. It should not be treated as a universal formula for every Jordanian court or every type of application. A claim may fall within magistrate-court jurisdiction, be incapable of monetary valuation, involve an urgent or separate application, or be governed by a special provision. The value of a claim can also depend on the legal formulation and combination of remedies, rather than only on a number selected by the claimant. Accurate classification should therefore precede any calculator entry. | Proceeding or stage | What the official source states | Practical caution | |---|---|---| | Civil claim before a Court of First Instance | Graduated percentages and caps based on claim value [2] | The published rule is tied to the category described by the Judicial Council page | | Counterclaim | The page includes the same fee rule under its counterclaim heading [2] | The counterclaim’s value and procedural status should be reviewed separately | | Appeal in a civil case | The fee is assessed under the rules used at first instance and by reference to the appellate claim value [2] | The appeal fee should not be assumed to equal the original payment | | Ministry fee calculator | An indicative tool that considers claim value and may not include other applications [1] | The court’s current assessment and schedule control the final amount | The same Judicial Council page states that the appeal fee for a civil decision or a related application is collected according to the rules used at first instance and is estimated by reference to the value of the appellate claim [2]. This is important for planning: a new appellate stage can create a new fee obligation. A decision to appeal should not be based on an unverified estimate.
Criminal complaints and a civil claim attached to a criminal case
Official sources distinguish between a criminal complaint and a personal-rights claim attached to it. For proceedings before Magistrate Criminal Courts, the Judicial Council states that a registration fee of two dinars is collected when the complaint is registered and that a personal-rights claim carries a fee of 3% of its value [3]. For proceedings before Criminal Courts of First Instance, the Council states that no registration fee is collected for cases referred by the Public Prosecution to the competent court, while a personal-rights claim carries a fee of 3% of its value when filed [4]. For an appeal limited to the criminal part, the Ministry of Justice’s official service page states that a registration fee of two dinars is collected. It also states that, where the appeal includes a personal-rights claim, the fee is assessed under the Court Fees System and the court-fee schedule [5]. These examples show why the label “criminal case” alone is insufficient. Direct complaint registration, a prosecution referral, adding a personal-rights claim, and appealing the criminal or personal-rights aspect can each affect the calculation.
Electronic filing and payment records
The Ministry of Justice provides both paper-based court procedures and electronic services subject to the eligibility and technical requirements of each service. The official guide for electronic registration of civil lawsuits describes a process in which the user enters the portal, selects registration of a new lawsuit, supplies the requested information, and attaches documents. After approval, the lawyer pays the fees through the electronic payment gateway; the lawsuit data are then transferred to the court system and a serial number is issued [6]. This does not mean that every proceeding or every litigant can use the electronic route. Availability may be limited to lawyers or to specified claim types, so the current service instructions must be checked. Before filing, a claimant should prepare a schedule of the remedies requested, identify the value attached to each remedy, and distinguish original, connected, urgent, and appellate applications. The claimant should ask the court clerk about any fee associated with copies, service, attachments, or later applications. The payment receipt, application copy, and case or application number should be retained. Those records help track the transaction and address a calculation discrepancy. A fee payment also does not replace compliance with a procedural time limit; filing deadlines are a separate issue and may have consequences that payment alone cannot cure.
Mediation and possible recovery of court fees
The Ministry of Justice presents civil mediation as a method intended to reduce time, effort, and expense. Its official mediation page states that, when mediation succeeds, the claimant may recover half of the court fees in judicial or private mediation, and all court fees in consensual mediation. The same page contains separate rules for the fees of a private mediator [7]. Recovery should not be assumed to be automatic in every file. It depends on the type of mediation, the success of the settlement, and completion of the steps needed to record and approve it. The court or a Jordanian lawyer should confirm the current procedure and required documents. The Ministry of Justice also lists a form called “Legal Aid Application” in its official forms directory [8]. The existence of a form does not itself establish an automatic exemption or postponement of court fees, nor does it prove that a particular applicant qualifies. The applicant should ask the competent authority about eligibility, supporting documents, the decision on the request, and its effect on registration, appeal, or a later stage.
A practical checklist before paying
Before payment, confirm the court and jurisdiction, the type of proceeding, the value of the claim, whether there is a counterclaim or a personal-rights claim, the procedural stage, and whether the service is paper-based or electronic. Compare the estimate with the current official source and the calculation issued by the court. Do not rely on an old post, an unofficial copied schedule, or a calculator that does not explain its date or scope. Ask whether a fee may be recoverable after settlement or mediation and what formal step is required. If a number or amount cannot be verified, treat it as unconfirmed and do not file or pay on that number alone.
Conclusion
Jordanian court fees are a value- and procedure-dependent system, not a single price for every lawsuit. Official bodies publish useful rules, services, forms, and calculators, but some materials are indicative, tied to a particular procedural category, or subject to change. The current official sources should be checked at the time of filing, and a Jordanian lawyer should review the facts, remedies, jurisdiction, fee status, and any appeal plan. This general article is prepared for the legal library of Ashraf Al-Khawaja & Partners and does not provide a conclusive result or guarantee a judicial outcome.
Sources
[1]: https://old-services.moj.gov.jo/Calculator "Fees Calculator - Jordanian Ministry of Justice" [2]: https://jc.jo/AR/ListDetails/%D8%A5%D8%AC%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A1%D8%A7%D8%AA_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%83%D9%85/1198/3 "Litigation Procedures before Courts of First Instance - Civil - Jordanian Judicial Council" [3]: https://jc.jo/AR/ListDetails/%D8%A5%D8%AC%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A1%D8%A7%D8%AA_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%83%D9%85/1198/2 "Litigation Procedures before Magistrate Courts - Criminal - Jordanian Judicial Council" [4]: https://jc.jo/AR/ListDetails/%D8%A5%D8%AC%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A1%D8%A7%D8%AA_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%83%D9%85/1198/4 "Litigation Procedures before Courts of First Instance - Criminal - Jordanian Judicial Council" [5]: https://www.moj.gov.jo/AR/ListDetails/%D8%AE%D8%AF%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%AA_%D9%85%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%83%D9%85/2303/5 "Appeal of Decisions in Concluded Criminal Cases - Jordanian Ministry of Justice" [6]: https://old-services.moj.gov.jo/Files/6/6_RegisterCivilCases.pdf "Electronic Civil Lawsuit Registration Service Guide - Jordanian Ministry of Justice" [7]: https://www.moj.gov.jo/AR/Pages/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%B7%D8%A9 "Civil Dispute Mediation - Jordanian Ministry of Justice" [8]: https://www.moj.gov.jo/AR/List/%D8%AF%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%84_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B0%D8%AC "Forms Directory - Jordanian Ministry of Justice"