Sharjah Issues New Law on Regulating Judicial Fees

HH Sheikh Sultan Al Qassimi, Ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, has issued Law No. 8 of 2025 on Regulating Judicial Fees in the Emirate of Sharjah (the “Law”). The Law introduces a comprehensive framework for the assessment, collection, exemption, and refund of judicial fees across various types of legal proceedings within the Emirate.

The Law will apply to all lawsuits, appeals, applications filed with courts, public prosecutions, judicial committees within the Emirate of Sharjah as well as to applications submitted to notaries public for attestation. The Law will not apply to actions filed prior to its effective date.

According to the Law, judicial fees shall be calculated based on a fee schedule which will issued by the Executive Council of the Emirate of Sharjah. The Executive Council reserves the right to amend the fee schedule, as necessary. However, the fees will be determined according to the litigants’ final claims.

The Law pointed out that any case-related profits, interests, expense, revenues, and other payments of known value will be taken into account when assessing a lawsuit fee. Further, if an appeal is accepted and the appealed judgment is remanded to the original court, no additional fees will be charged.

The Law stated that if a plaintiff amends its claims from an undetermined value to a determined value during the proceedings, the judicial fee will be recalculated based on the higher, determined value, and if there are multiple appellants in one statement of appeal, a single deposit will suffice, even if the appellants’ grounds for appeal differ.

The Law also provides that if the claim is made in a foreign currency, its value shall be assessed based on the equivalent amount in the UAE’s official currency at the time of filing the case.

The Law further referred to the method of assessing fees in certain cases such as in a real estate claim, fees shall be calculated based on the property value declared by the plaintiff. If the actual value appeared to be higher, additional fees would apply. Also, in a case involving the dissolution of a company and the appointment of a liquidator, the fee will be calculated based on the company’s capital at the time of filing the case.

For criminal lawsuits, the Law provides that judicial fees are payable upon conviction or case closure. Appeals and rehabilitation applications require full fee payment before registration, though exemptions may be granted by the Attorney General in certain circumstances. However, fees shall not be multiplied if there are multiple charges or accused.

Furthermore, the fees prescribed in this Law for civil lawsuits shall also apply to civil cases filed before criminal courts.

The Law provides that concerned parties may object to assessed fees by filing an objection with the case management office within 8 days after notification. The issuing court will decide on the objection, and if the amount decided after considering the objection does not exceed AED 2,000, the decision is final. Otherwise, it may be appealed within 15 days before the Court of Appeal of which the decision shall be final.

The Law also addressed instances where full judicial fees may be refunded, such as when a request to correct or interpret a judgment is granted, an application to recuse a judge or public prosecutor is accepted, or a stay of execution is approved. However, half of the judicial fees may be refunded in two cases: if the dispute is resolved through reconciliation before the case is adjourned for judgment, or if the plaintiff withdraws its case before it is adjourned for judgment. No refund shall be granted if more than 60 days have passed since the last procedure.

With regard to the exemption or deferment of judicial fees, the Law specified certain cases where such relief may be granted. These include labor cases; cases filed by people of determination; cases involving minors or martyrs’ families for inheritance; cases by individuals of unknown parentage; and where a party submits a justified request to the president of the court to this end, in accordance with the conditions and regulations set by the Law.

This Law, which shall enter into force on 1 January 2025, marks a significant step toward streamlining judicial procedures and enhancing transparency in the calculation and collection of judicial fees in the Emirate of Sharjah.

Essa Ziad Galadari Director & Deputy  Head of Litigation essa@galadarilaw.com