Zimbabwe Hikes Fees, Introduces US Dollar Payments For Services Obtained In Courts
Zimbabwe has increased fees and further introduced US dollar payments for all services obtained within the country’s courts.
The new fees will now be payable in US dollars or in Zimbabwean dollars at the prevailing interbank rates, ZimLive reported citing the Ministry of Justice and Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.
The new charges are contained in the Magistrate Court (Civil) Statutory Instrument (SI) 196 of 2022 which replaces SI 222 of 2020.
As of Tuesday 15 November 2022, the inter-bank rate was pegged at ZWL$639.1003 for one US dollar.
Fees Schedule:
i). Marriage licences are now pegged at US$25 (ZWS$15 900) up from ZW$1 000.
ii). Summons or applications commencing now cost US$5 or ZW$3 180 up from ZW$300.
iii). The charge for a notice of appeal is now US$10 or ZW$6 360 an increase from ZW$500.
iv). Transcription of record and request for typed judgment per page is now pegged at US$1 or ZW$636 up from ZW$100.
v). Court record. If one requires to appeal a judgment at the High Court, a copy of the court record of the case must be provided. A record can be as long as 200 pages which needs US$200 or ZW$127 200.
vi). Liquor licence applications (Bulawayo and Harare districts) for temporary and late openings now cost US$350 or ZW$222 600 and US$500 or ZW$318 800 up from ZW$15 000 and ZW$20 000 respectively.
The High Court SI 194 of 2022, Constitutional Court SI 199 of 2022, and the Labour Law SI 197 of 2022 have also outlined new charges in US dollars.
The government has been criticised for demanding foreign currency when it has been accusing the private sector of pegging prices in US dollars.
Recently, the Ministry of Transport announced that commercial vehicles at the Beitbridge border post are to pay their fees in US dollars or South African Rands.
