Syariah Court Fees in Singapore: What You Pay at Each Filing Stage
By Rizuan, Joint Managing Director, Emerald Law LLC · Last updated: October 2026
Singapore's Syariah Court charges modest fees, paid through the SYC Portal by PayNow or card. Its published list includes $100 to register a divorce, $22 to issue the summons to the defendant, $16 for a summons for an application not made at a hearing and $13 for a certified copy of the divorce certificate. Lawyers' fees are separate.
What are the Syariah Court's filing fees for a divorce?
The Court's own charges are small and fixed. Under the Syariah Court's published list of court fees, registering a divorce costs $100, issuing the summons to the defendant costs $22, and documents filed after that attract a filing fee of $12 each. Nothing on that list is priced by how hard your case is.
The fees follow the stages, so you do not pay everything at once:
- Register the divorce and complete the Marriage Counselling Programme, and the Parenting Programme if it applies, before filing — the Syariah Court's pre-divorce process guidance sets this out.
- File the Originating Summons, which attracts the $22 fee for issuing the summons to your spouse, with the case statement and other documents at $12 each.
- Attend mediation, then a pre-trial conference if the case does not settle.
- Go to a hearing, or a hearing with hakam, if matters are still disputed.
| Item | Fee (SGD) | When it is paid |
| Registration of divorce | $100 | When the divorce is registered with the Court, at the start |
| Issue of a summons to a defendant for divorce | $22 | On filing the Originating Summons |
| Issue of a summons for an application not made at a hearing | $16 | When an application is filed between hearing dates |
| Filing fee (per document) | $12 | Each document filed, such as the case statement |
| Service of a document on a party through the electronic system | $2 | Each time a document is served electronically |
| Search of the Register of Divorces | $27 | When the Court is asked to search the register |
| Certified copy of certificate of divorce | $13 | After the divorce is registered |
| Certified copy of a decree or order of Court | $22 | When a certified copy of an order is requested |
Every amount above comes from the Syariah Court's published list of court fees.
In this video I run through the first steps: get advice, register, complete counselling, and only then file the documents that start the case.
As I explain here, each court date tends to be four or five months after the last, so a divorce usually takes a year to a year and a half, unless the talak and all the ancillary matters are agreed and the case ends at mediation. Our page on the Syariah divorce process in Singapore sets out those stages in writing.
What does a Syariah lawyer's fee cover on top of court fees?
Court fees buy you a place in the queue. A lawyer's fee pays for the work that shapes the outcome: advising on the ground for divorce, drafting the case statement or memorandum of defence and the parenting plan, preparing affidavits and financial disclosure, negotiating at mediation, attending the pre-trial conference and hearing, and drawing up the final order so it can be enforced.
While people may be concerned about lawyers’ fees, they forget that the assets at stake may often come close to 1 million dollars, even when the only assets concerned are a HDB flat and CPF monies. While paying the court fees may allow you to start and progress with your case, getting counsel will ensure that your interests are as protected as possible all throughout the matter.
For this reason, consider appointing a lawyer but also ask for a written quotation, and ask what it excludes. Our page on why engaging a Syariah divorce lawyer matters explains what that help involves, and our Muslim divorce procedure guide sets out the steps you are paying for.
How do I pay court fees, and can the fees be waived?
Everything is paid online. The Syariah Court's fees page states that payment of all fees must be made through the SYC Portal, with PayNow and eNETS/credit card as the modes of payment.
Fees can be waived in the right case. Under rule 45(2) of the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Rules, as replaced by the Muslim Marriage and Divorce (Amendment) Rules 2022, the Court may waive a fee specified in Part I of the Third Schedule, on an application by the person who has to pay it, by reason of poverty, circumstances beyond that person's reasonable control, or any other good reason.
If legal fees rather than court fees are the obstacle, the Legal Aid Bureau, a department of the Ministry of Law, takes applications involving Syariah Court divorce documents such as the case statement and memorandum of defence, as its applicant guide shows.
How much does it cost to get a copy of my divorce certificate or court order?
Copies are cheap, but they are not automatic. Under the Syariah Court's fee list, a certified copy of the certificate of divorce is $13, a certified copy of a decree or order of Court is $22, and a search of the Register of Divorces is $27. The same list prices a certified copy of the notes of evidence at $34 per page and a certified copy of the grounds of an order at $140.
We often see clients come back much later because a bank or an agency wants a certified copy rather than a printout. Order what you need while the file is fresh.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Rule 45(2) of the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Rules allows the Court, on an application by the person liable to pay, to waive a fee specified in Part I of the Third Schedule by reason of poverty, circumstances beyond that person's reasonable control, or any other good reason. Be ready to show your financial position.
Through the SYC Portal. The Syariah Court's fees page states that all fees must be paid through the portal, with PayNow and eNETS/credit card as the payment modes. Where a lawyer files for you, the fees are usually paid through the firm's portal account and billed as a disbursement.
No. The Syariah Court's fees page states that the filing fee of any application or document returned or rejected by the Court Registry is non-refundable. It also states that such a document may be resubmitted as part of the same filing transaction without further payment of fees, so a corrected resubmission does not cost you twice.
No. The party who files pays the fee for that filing. You pay only for what you file yourself, such as a reply or an affidavit, at $12 per document under the Syariah Court's fee list.
In our experience, each party generally pays their own lawyer in Syariah Court family matters, so budget on that basis rather than on recovering costs from your spouse. The published fee list covers what the Court charges, not what your lawyer charges. If costs are a live issue in your case, raise it early.
If you are weighing the cost of a Syariah divorce and want a clear picture of what your case involves, call or WhatsApp Emerald Law LLC on +65 9711 8078 and we will talk it through with you.
Sources
- Syariah Court, Singapore — Fees (list of court fees; payment through SYC Portal; non-refundable filing fees)
- Syariah Court, Singapore — Hearing / Hearing with Hakam (hakam fee of $150 each and $22 for the Order of Court)
- Syariah Court, Singapore — Process: Pre-Divorce (registration, Marriage Counselling Programme, Parenting Programme)
- Muslim Marriage and Divorce (Amendment) Rules 2022 (S 802/2022), rule 45 — waiver of fees, Singapore Statutes Online
- Syariah Court, Singapore — User Guide on Filing of Originating Summons for Divorce
- Legal Aid Bureau, Ministry of Law — Guide for Online Statement (Syariah Court divorce documents)
