Court Fee in Nepal 2026 — Civil and Writ Schedule

Yes — habeas corpus is FREE under the Court Fees Act framework. Other writ petitions pay NPR 500 baseline, up to NPR 5,000 per relief sought.

15% surcharge on the original registration fee. District-to-High Court appeal: original × 1.15. The surcharge stacks on subsequent appeals to the Supreme Court.

Section 70 of the Muluki Civil Procedure Code 2074 sets a NPR 500 flat fee for non-monetary civil suits — partition suits, deed voiding, eviction, declaratory suits, suits to set aside transactions, and similar non-quantified relief. The flat fee is the primary cost-efficiency feature of the court-fee framework. A partition of high-value property under Sec 70 pays NPR 500 regardless of the underlying value, vastly cheaper than the ad-valorem alternative.

No — the accused pays no court fee on the criminal case itself. Government prosecutes through the public prosecutor (Sarakari Wakil) at the District Court under the Criminal Procedure Code 2074. Bail applications, custody-extension hearings, and related procedural motions are also fee-free for the accused. Private criminal complaints (where the State has not prosecuted but a private complainant initiates) may follow the Sec 70 flat fee. Criminal appeals attract specific procedural fees governed by the appellate framework.

The fee is calculated progressively across the relevant slab tiers, not on the entire claim. For NPR 1 million the calculation runs across the tiers: 500 (flat for 0-25K) + 5% on (25K-50K = 25K) = 1,250 + 3.5% on (50K-100K = 50K) = 1,750 + 2% on (100K-500K = 400K) = 8,000 + 1.5% on (500K-1M = 500K) = 7,500 — totalling around NPR 18,500 depending on the exact slab method. Verify the current CPC Sec 69 computation method against the live text before filing.

The Supreme Court operates under the same Court Fees Act 2017 framework supplemented by the Supreme Court Regulation 2074. The baseline writ fee (NPR 500), habeas corpus FREE rule, and appeal surcharge (15%) apply consistently. Specific SC procedural fees (copy fees, certified-copy fees, review-petition fees) are set by SC notice — verify the current schedule at supremecourt.gov.np or by inquiry at the SC Registry (admin@supremecourt.gov.np). The post-September 2025 reconstitution may have updated certain fee schedules; confirm before any urgent filing.

Yes — three exemption categories. Statutory: Government of Nepal / Provincial Government as plaintiff, Local Level (ward / municipality) jurisdiction cases, public / government property cases. Notified bodies: entities the Government has gazetted as exempt (universities, certain charities, public-interest organisations). Indigent litigants: by judicial discretion, where the litigant cannot afford the fee, supported by a Local Level recommendation confirming no property. Deferral on financial hardship until final judgment is also available — the fee is computed but not collected upfront.

The litigant applies to the court for the indigent exemption supported by a Local Level (ward / municipality) recommendation confirming the litigant has no property and cannot afford the court fee. The judge exercises discretion in granting the exemption based on the documentation and the facts of the case. If granted, the fee is waived; if refused, the matter proceeds on standard fee. The exemption protects access to justice for low-income litigants and is a meaningful feature of the framework. NGO support is often available for the recommendation and application process.

FREE — no filing fee for habeas corpus under the Court Fees Act / CPC framework. The constitutional liberty principle that habeas corpus enforces — Article 17 right to freedom and Article 20 right relating to justice — is reflected in the zero-fee structure. The writ petition under Article 133 (Supreme Court) or Article 144 (High Court) for habeas corpus is filed without payment of court fee, with the court taking up the matter on an expedited 24-72 hour schedule. Other writs pay NPR 500-5,000 baseline.

As of 2026, online payment integration for court fees is part of the broader court-modernisation roadmap but is not the standard channel. Most filings still require cash deposit at the court counter or treasury-head deposit at a designated bank, with the receipt presented to the registry. The Supreme Court e-filing portal at supremecourt.gov.np/online/ accepts electronic petition filing but the fee payment workflow follows the standard receipt-based model — verify the current process at the time of filing. The District Court Rules 2075 govern district-level payment workflows.

Beyond the registration fee on a civil or criminal case, the District Court charges procedural fees for specific services — process fee for issuance of summons / notice / commission to record evidence; copy fee for certified copies of judgments, orders and pleadings; warrant fee for arrest / attachment / search warrants; commission fee for court-appointed valuers, surveyors, and commissioners. The schedule is set by the District Court Rules 2075 and supplementary notices. Process fees are typically modest (NPR 100-500 per service) but add up over the life of a complex case.

Stamp duty under the Stamps Act 2019 (1962) is a separate levy from court fee. Stamp duty applies to specific documents (deeds, instruments, agreements) at the time of execution or registration — for example, sale-deed stamp duty at the Land Revenue Office, tenancy-agreement stamp, partnership-deed stamp. Court fee under the Court Fees Act + CPC 2074 applies at the time of filing a court case. Many proceedings engage both — a property suit may need stamped instruments (annexures) plus the court fee on the suit. They run in parallel; verify both schedules at the IRD and the court.

The District Court Rules 2075 (2018) operationalise district-court procedure including fee schedules for procedural services — process fee for notice / summons, copy fee for documents, warrant fee, commission fee for valuers / surveyors / commissioners, witness fee, and similar items. The Rules supplement the Court Fees Act 2017 + CPC 2074 framework with district-level procedural fees. Periodic amendments to the Rules update specific fee figures — verify the current rate at the District Court registry.

Family-law cases — divorce, alimony, child custody, partition, inheritance — follow the standard Court Fees Act + CPC 2074 framework. Divorce petitions are typically filed under Section 70 (flat fee) where the petition is for the divorce declaration itself; ad-valorem fees apply where specific monetary relief is claimed (alimony quantification, partition of named property). Domestic Violence Act 2066 proceedings have specific procedural fees set by the Act framework. Family-law fees are generally lower than commercial / property litigation given the public-policy interest in family stability.

Three options. (1) Apply for the indigent exemption — judicial discretion, supported by Local Level recommendation confirming no property. (2) Request deferral until final judgment — the fee is computed but not collected upfront; collected from the judgment proceeds on success. (3) Borrow or seek NGO support for the fee payment. Filing without paying the fee and without an exemption / deferral order results in the case being held back at the registry — it is not formally registered. Engage the court / counsel at the registry stage to find the appropriate route.

Depends on the nature of the claim. Partition suit (division without monetary claim) — Sec 70 NPR 500 flat. Suit for monetary recovery on a property transaction — Sec 69 ad-valorem on the claimed amount. Declaratory suit on title — Sec 70 NPR 500 flat. Suit for specific performance of a sale-deed — typically Sec 70 unless monetary damages are quantified. Eviction suit — Sec 70 NPR 500 flat. The framing of the prayer clause drives the applicable section — careful drafting matters for cost.

Writ petitions at the High Court under Article 144 of the Constitution attract the same baseline fee as the Supreme Court — NPR 500, rising up to NPR 5,000 depending on the relief sought. Habeas corpus is FREE. The High Court's concurrent writ jurisdiction provides a faster, geographically-closer alternative to direct Supreme Court filing for most fundamental-rights matters. Adverse High Court orders can be appealed to the Supreme Court under the standard appellate framework with the 15% surcharge.

The receipt is valid for the registration of the case at the relevant court — it should be presented at the registry counter promptly after payment. The receipt is part of the case file and accompanies the petition. Where the petition is rejected at the registry stage (format defect, jurisdictional issue), the fee is typically refundable on application under the standard refund framework, with the receipt produced as evidence of payment. Lost receipts can be replaced by a certified copy from the treasury / bank with the case-reference details.

For accurate fee computation before filing — particularly on partition / declaratory / non-monetary matters where Section 70 vs ad-valorem framing matters; for appeal decisions where the 15% surcharge stacks; for indigent-exemption applications; and for cross-checking the slab computation under Section 69 against the current CPC text. A lawyer's fee-structuring on the prayer-clause drafting (framing the case under Sec 70 where possible) can save substantial court fees on high-value matters.