Last verified: 20 September 2026
Court fee schedules can change; confirm current charges before filing.
Estimate a UAE court filing fee
Select a court and enter the claim value. Where the court publishes a fee rule, the estimator applies it and names the source. Where it does not, the tool says so rather than producing a number.
Currency is set by the court selected
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Quick Answer
What it costs to file a debt claim in the UAE depends on which court hears it, and the four main options publish very different amounts of detail. Three of them publish a usable rule. The Dubai Courts charge 6% of the claim value, with a floor of AED 500 and a ceiling of AED 40,000. The DIFC Small Claims Tribunal charges 5% of the claim value with a USD 100 minimum, and its Court of First Instance runs a tiered schedule. The ADGM Courts charge 3% for a small claim, between USD 100 and USD 3,000, with a separate tiered scale for larger commercial claims. The Abu Dhabi Courts publish no formula at all — their own guidance is that you are told the fee when you register the case.
How the estimator works
It applies only rules that each court publishes itself. Where a court states a percentage with a floor and a ceiling, the calculation is arithmetic and the source is named alongside the result. Where a court’s published position is that fees are quoted at registration, no honest calculation is possible, and inventing one would give a creditor a figure to budget against that nobody stands behind.
| Court | Published rule | Currency | Estimator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai Courts — civil / commercial | 6% of claim value, minimum AED 500, maximum AED 40,000 | AED | Computable |
| DIFC — Small Claims Tribunal | 5% of claim value, minimum USD 100 (employment claims 2%) | USD | Computable |
| DIFC — Court of First Instance | Tiered from 5% with a USD 5,000 minimum, to a USD 130,000 ceiling | USD | Computable |
| ADGM — Small Claims | 3% of claim value, minimum USD 100, maximum USD 3,000 | USD | Computable |
| ADGM — commercial / civil | Tiered from 4%, to a USD 120,000 ceiling | USD | Computable |
| Abu Dhabi Courts (ADJD) | No formula published. Fees vary by case type; some categories are exempt; the fee is notified at registration | AED | Requires manual confirmation |
Dubai Courts
The Dubai Courts publish the rule directly on their civil claims service: a valued claim attracts a fee of 6% of the claim value, subject to a minimum of AED 500 and a maximum of AED 40,000. Two consequences follow from those boundaries. The floor applies to every claim below roughly AED 8,333, so a small claim costs AED 500 to file whatever its size. And the cap bites at about AED 666,667 — above that, a claim of any value costs AED 40,000, which is what makes large commercial claims comparatively cheap to file in Dubai relative to their size.
Abu Dhabi Courts
Abu Dhabi is the exception, and the reason is straightforward: the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department does not publish a fee formula. Its own guidance states that fees vary by case type and request, that certain categories — including labour and family matters — are exempt, and that you are notified of the fee when registering the case, before completing the procedure. There is also a fee-instalment option available in some cases. That is a workable process, but it is not something a calculator can model, so this tool does not try.
Note that Abu Dhabi contains two entirely separate systems. The onshore Abu Dhabi Courts operate as described. The ADGM free-zone courts publish a full schedule and are handled separately below.
DIFC Courts
The DIFC publishes the most detailed schedule of the four. At the Small Claims Tribunal, a non-employment claim costs 5% of its value with a minimum of USD 100; employment claims are charged at 2% on the same minimum. Applications within a claim cost USD 50. All DIFC Courts fees are exempt from VAT.
Above the Small Claims Tribunal, the Court of First Instance runs a tiered scale for money claims, starting at 5% of value with a USD 5,000 minimum for claims up to USD 500,000, then stepping down in marginal rate through successive bands and levelling off at USD 130,000 for claims above USD 50 million. Enforcement is charged separately and modestly — an enforcement application is USD 100, and most other enforcement applications are USD 300.
ADGM Courts
ADGM publishes a forms-and-fees reference table covering every step. A small claim is charged at 3% of the claim value, with a minimum of USD 100 and a maximum of USD 3,000. As in Dubai, the boundaries do the interesting work: the cap is reached at a claim of USD 100,000, which is also where the small-claims track ends, so within that track the ceiling and the jurisdictional limit meet at the same point.
Commercial and civil claims above that level follow a tiered scale beginning at 4% for claims between USD 100,001 and USD 500,000, stepping down through higher bands and levelling off at a maximum of USD 120,000. Non-monetary claims are charged a flat USD 5,000.
What the estimate does not include
- Certified translation. Documents generally require certified Arabic translation for the onshore courts. Volume drives the cost, and a long contract with exhibits is not a small line item.
- Hearing fees. Several schedules charge separately per hearing, with half-day and full-day rates.
- Execution and enforcement. A judgment is not money. Enforcement is a separate process with its own fees.
- Expert evidence where a claim requires it.
- Service costs, particularly where a defendant sits outside the jurisdiction.
- Legal fees where representation is used.
- Cost recovery is not automatic. Whether you recover the court fee from the debtor depends on the outcome and the court’s discretion.
When legal escalation makes commercial sense
The filing fee is usually the smallest question. The larger one is whether the debtor has reachable assets, because a judgment against a company with nothing to attach produces a document rather than a payment. Comparing the estimated cost of filing against the realistic recovery — adjusted for the chance of achieving it and the delay involved — is the calculation that actually decides whether to proceed, and it is worth doing before the fee is paid.
For a clean, well-documented debt against a solvent counterparty, the court fee is often the main outlay and the case is straightforward. Where enforcement looks contested or the debtor’s position is unclear, verifying the debtor comes first and costs a fraction of a filing fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to file a debt claim in Dubai?
The Dubai Courts charge 6% of the claim value for a valued claim, with a minimum of AED 500 and a maximum of AED 40,000. Verified against the Dubai Courts’ own civil claims service on 20 September 2026.
What is the ADGM small-claims court fee?
3% of the claim value, with a minimum of USD 100 and a maximum of USD 3,000, per the ADGM Courts forms and fees reference table effective 8 February 2025.
What does the DIFC Small Claims Tribunal charge?
5% of the claim value with a minimum of USD 100 for non-employment claims. Employment claims are charged at 2%. DIFC Courts fees are exempt from VAT.
Why does the tool not calculate an Abu Dhabi fee?
Because the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department does not publish a formula. Its guidance is that you are notified of the fee when registering the case. A figure invented to fill that gap would be worse than no figure.
Can court fees be paid in instalments?
In Abu Dhabi, a fee-instalment option is available in some cases. Availability depends on the case.
Can I recover the court fee from the debtor?
Not automatically. It depends on the outcome and the court’s discretion.
Are these figures guaranteed?
No. They were checked against each court’s published schedule on 20 September 2026. Schedules change, and you should confirm current costs before filing.
Sources and detailed guides
Figures verified 20 September 2026 against the Dubai Courts civil claims service, the DIFC Courts schedule of fees (see also the DIFC Courts fees page), and the ADGM Courts forms and fees reference table effective 8 February 2025, published by ADGM Courts. The Abu Dhabi position reflects the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department’s own published guidance.
To reference this page: Global Debt Collector, “UAE Court Fee Guide and Estimator”, last verified 20 September 2026, https://globaldebtcollector.com/uae-court-fee-estimator/