Court Fees Calculator
What does it cost to file a lawsuit in Türkiye?
Estimate the fees and the cost advance payable when filing a case: the application fee, the one-quarter advance of the decision and judgment fee for monetary claims, and the cost advance for service, witnesses and court-appointed experts.
For information only, based on the law and published rates on the calculation date; it is not legal advice. Calculations powered by Emsal AI.
How court fees work
Court fees are set by Tariff No. 1 of the Fees Law (No. 492) and revalued every year; the cost advance follows the tariff published each year by the Council of Judges and Prosecutors. For monetary claims, one quarter of the proportional fee is paid on filing and the rest becomes due with the judgment.
What the court fees calculation shows
The calculator estimates the fees and expenses required to start proceedings in Türkiye using the 2026 tariff. It separates the total payable at filing from the balance of the judgment fee (karar harcı) arising after judgment. The filing total does not cover every expense that may arise during the case.
Start with “Court” and “Type of claim”. The options are “Monetary claim (proportional fee)” and “Non-monetary claim, e.g. divorce or annulment (fixed fee)”. For a monetary claim, enter “Value of the claim (TRY)”, then complete “Number of parties” and the other relevant fields.
“Represented by a lawyer” accounts for the power-of-attorney copy fee (vekalet suret harcı) and bar association stamp (baro pulu). Under the 2026 tariff, these are TRY 104.00 and TRY 164.00 respectively. They are separate from the lawyer’s professional fee.
How proportional and fixed court fees are calculated
The proportional judgment fee (nispi karar harcı) is calculated from the monetary value of the claim. Under the 2026 tariff, the full fee is the claim value multiplied by 68.31 per thousand.
Under Article 28/a of the Fees Law (Law No. 492), one quarter of the calculated judgment fee is generally collected at filing. This is the advance fee (peşin harç); the remaining portion arises after judgment. The full judgment fee and the advance fee are therefore different amounts.
For non-monetary claims, such as divorce, declaratory proceedings or annulment, the applicable fixed judgment fee (maktu karar harcı) is paid in full at filing. For administrative compensation claims arising from death or bodily injury (tam yargı davaları), one twentieth of the calculated judgment fee is collected in advance. The field “The claim arises from death or bodily injury” should be completed where relevant; the special payment rule depends on the court and claim type.
Cost advances, witnesses and on-site inspections
In civil proceedings under the Code of Civil Procedure (Hukuk Muhakemeleri Kanunu), the cost advance (gider avansı) includes service costs calculated as five times the number of parties multiplied by the service charge, plus an amount for other procedural steps. The 2026 PTT service charge used is TRY 265.00.
The civil-court fields include “Witnesses”, “Court-appointed experts” and “On-site inspection requested”. Witness and expert expenses are excluded from the initial cost advance and determined separately by the court. Entering their numbers does not mean that all their eventual costs are included in the filing total.
The 2026 witness fee ranges from TRY 130.00 to TRY 200.00 per day. The on-site inspection fee (keşif harcı) is TRY 5,188.00. Distinguish the amounts calculated at filing from expenses the court may request during proceedings.
Administrative proceedings and tax cases
Administrative proceedings have a separate postal advance. Their filing costs should be assessed using the relevant postal and application items. The form displays “Hearing requested” and “Stay of execution requested” instead of the witness, expert and inspection fields.
Where a stay of execution (yürütmenin durdurulması) is requested, the applicable fee must also be considered; the 2026 tariff amount is TRY 1,206.00. At the filing of a tax case, only the application fee and postal advance are payable. The filing costs for one type of proceedings should not automatically be applied to another.
How to read the filing total and later balance
Read the filing total first, then the full judgment fee and its remaining balance. A separately displayed balance should not be added to the amount payable at filing. Lawyer’s professional fees and additional expenses determined during proceedings must be considered separately.
A successful party may seek recovery of paid fees and expenses from the other party as litigation costs. The calculation does not predict the outcome or determine which party will bear those costs. It is an informational estimate; additional court-ordered expenses and steps specific to the case require separate consideration.
Example: A TRY 500,000.00 civil claim
Assume a claim subject to a proportional fee in a civil court of first instance (asliye hukuk), filed through a lawyer under the 2026 tariff, with two parties. The claim value is TRY 500,000.00. Multiplying this by 68.31 per thousand produces a full judgment fee of TRY 34,155.00; one quarter, TRY 8,538.75, is collected at filing.
Add the application fee of TRY 732.00, power-of-attorney copy fee of TRY 104.00, bar association stamp of TRY 164.00 and cost advance of TRY 3,180.00. The filing total is TRY 12,718.75. No on-site inspection fee is included. The later judgment-fee balance, lawyer’s professional fee and expenses determined during proceedings are outside that total.
Frequently asked questions
Are court fees the same as the total cost of filing?
No. Filing costs are broader: they may include cost advances, the power-of-attorney copy fee and the bar association stamp as well as court fees.
Is the full proportional judgment fee payable at filing?
Generally, one quarter is collected at filing. The advance is one twentieth for administrative compensation claims arising from death or bodily injury.
How are non-monetary claims charged?
The applicable fixed judgment fee is paid in full at filing. The application fee and other relevant filing expenses are considered separately.
Are witness and expert expenses included?
They are excluded from the initial cost advance and determined separately by the court. The filing total is therefore not a final budget for the proceedings.
What is payable when filing a tax case?
Only the application fee and postal advance are payable at filing. The advance judgment fee and cost advance used for other proceedings should not be applied automatically.
Can a successful party recover court fees?
A successful party may seek reimbursement of paid fees and expenses from the other party as litigation costs. The calculator does not determine the court’s allocation of those costs.