Here’s a clear, practice-oriented legal article on Annulment Filing Fees in the Philippines—what they cover, how courts compute them, how to reduce/waive them, and what real-world “total cost” looks like once you include all the non-court expenses. (General information only; not legal advice. You asked me not to search, so I’m drawing from stable Rules-of-Court practice and common courthouse experience.)

What case are you actually filing?

People say “annulment” loosely, but fees and steps are the same procedurally across these marriage cases:

Declaration of Nullity of Marriage (void from the beginning—e.g., psychological incapacity, absence of essential/formal requisites).
Annulment of Voidable Marriage (voidable—e.g., lack of parental consent, fraud, force/intimidation).
Legal Separation (no dissolution of the bond—separation of bed and board, property relief).

All three are special civil actions in the Family Court (RTC). The clerk of court assesses the same categories of fees at filing; amounts differ mainly by court schedule and whether you ask for property/monetary relief.

The fee buckets (what the court actually charges)

Court fees come from the Rule on Legal Fees (Rule 141, Rules of Court, as amended) and related circulars. You’ll see line items like these at the cashier/assessment slip:

Docket/Filing Fee – the base fee for the petition.
Judiciary Development Fund (JDF) and Special Allowance for the Judiciary (SAJ) – statutory add-ons.
Mediation Fee – for referral to the Philippine Mediation Center (even if most marriage cases don’t settle, the fee is assessed).
Sheriff’s Trust Fund / Process Server Fees – for serving summons, notices, and writs; often paired with a Sheriff’s Travel Expense Deposit (refill if service is difficult).
Exhibit / Transcript / Certification Fees – per page/certification as needed.
Archive/Clerk’s Fees – small, but show up on the slip.
Branch-level Admin Fees – minor items (e.g., mailing costs) assessed later.

Property & money claims change the bill. If your petition also asks for support, damages, or liquidation of property, the clerk will assess additional fees based on amounts claimed (ad valorem). If you keep the petition “status-only” (no peso amounts), you keep ad valorem fees low.

Non-court costs people forget to budget

These don’t go to the court, but they dominate the real-world total:

Lawyer’s fees – typically a package (pleadings, pre-trial, trial, decision) or staged (per phase), plus appearance fees if outside counsel travels. Fees vary widely by city, lawyer seniority, and complexity.
Psychological evaluation (if pleading psychological incapacity) – testing + report + court testimony; quoted per evaluator and per hearing appearance.
Document procurement – PSA copies (marriage cert, CENOMAR, children’s birth certs), medical/school/employment records, photos, chats, emails—printing and notarization.
Publication – only if the court orders service by publication (e.g., spouse unlocatable). This is not automatic; cost depends on the newspaper’s legal-ad rate and number of insertions.
Messenger/postage – serving copies on the OSG/Prosecutor/Respondent if by registered mail or courier.
Witness costs – transportation stipends, time off work.
Miscellaneous – NBI/Police clearance (some courts ask), counseling seminars (rare), photocopying (multiple, complete sets).

Church annulment is separate. Canonical processes and donations/fees are independent; they don’t affect or satisfy civil fees.

How much, in practice? (Illustrative ranges—not promises)

Courts publish fee schedules, but they change over time and vary slightly by locality. To plan:

Court fees at filing (status-only case): often low five figures in pesos, once you total docket + JDF/SAJ + mediation + sheriff deposits.
Total non-court spend: frequently much higher than court fees, driven by lawyer + psych eval + publication (if any).

Budgeting scenarios (typical, not guaranteed)

Lean, straightforward case (no publication, few hearings): Court fees + basic costs ≈ ₱15k–₱35k (court/government) + professional fees.
Standard psych-incapacity case (with psychologist; 2–4 settings): Add psych (often tens of thousands), plus counsel.
Hard case (cannot locate spouse → publication; multiple witnesses; many resets): Add newspaper legal ads (can be tens of thousands), more sheriff deposits, more lawyer appearances.

The two biggest swing factors are (1) whether you need publication, and (2) your professional fees and number of hearing days.

How to reduce, waive, or stagger court fees

The Rules of Court allow meaningful relief if you qualify:

1) Litigate as an Indigent (Pauper Litigant)

File a Verified Affidavit of Indigency showing income, dependents, and that you cannot afford the fees without depriving your family of basic needs (courts look for payslips/Barangay certification).
If the court grants it, you’re exempt from legal fees (filing/docket, mediation fee, etc.). The unpaid fees become a lien on any favorable money judgment (rare in status-only cases).

2) Public Attorney’s Office (PAO)

If you meet PAO’s means test, PAO may represent you; docket/legal fees are typically waived for PAO-assisted litigants.
You still shoulder non-court costs (e.g., psychological evaluation)—ask if PAO can help find a government psychologist or alternative proof.

3) Installments or deferred payment

You may move to pay in tranches or defer certain fees (e.g., sheriff’s travel) subject to the court’s discretion. Some clerks allow top-ups instead of a big deposit up front.

4) Keep your petition “status-only”

Avoid ad valorem fees by not asking for damages or large money claims in the same petition. (Support or property claims can be handled in a separate case or post-decision incident if strategy warrants.)

Timing: when do fees hit?

At filing: Clerk assesses docket + JDF/SAJ + mediation + initial sheriff deposit.
After raffling: You may be asked for additional sheriff travel if service is difficult.
Pre-trial/Trial: You’ll spend on subpoenas, transcripts (if ordered), and witness transport.
If publication is ordered: You pay the newspaper directly and file the publisher’s affidavit and tear sheets.

Practical fee-control tactics that actually work

Status-only first. Keep the petition tight; move property/money issues to a separate track if they’ll bloat fees.
Serve well, serve once. Provide complete and exact addresses (home/work, province/city) to avoid repeated sheriff trips and extra deposits.
Avoid publication if you can. Exhaust personal service (and registered mail) with documented diligence before asking for publication.
Pick a proof theory you can afford. If psychological testing is too costly, talk to counsel about lay-witness proof (history, patterns, documents). Courts still expect substantial evidence, but you can right-size.
Batch your printing. Courts require complete sets for the court, OSG, Prosecutor, and respondent. Print clean, paginated bundles once; keep a PDF master.
Calendar control. Missed settings mean more appearances (your time and counsel’s fees). Show up, be ready.

Who else is involved (and who you don’t pay)

Public Prosecutor (City/Provincial Prosecutor) and the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) appear to defend the validity of marriage. You don’t pay them; they’re there by law.
Court Stenographers: you may pay per-page transcript fees only if you request transcripts/copies.
Sheriff/Process Server: you don’t pay “tips.” All official costs are receipted via the clerk’s office.

Overseas or out-of-town petitioners: special costs

Special Power of Attorney (SPA) for your local representative: notarization + apostille/consularization if executed abroad.
Video testimony: possible, but you’ll bear tech and courier costs to submit originals.
Courier/postage: for serving copies on the OSG/Prosecutor/respondent when you’re overseas.

Simple worksheets & templates

A) Fee & Cost Worksheet (fill-in)

Court at filing: Docket ₱___ + JDF/SAJ ₱___ + Mediation ₱___ + Sheriff deposit ₱___ = ₱___
After filing: Additional sheriff ₱___ + subpoenas ₱___ + transcripts ₱___ = ₱___
Non-court: Lawyer package ₱___ + per appearance ₱___ × __ = ₱; Psych eval ₱; Publication ₱___ (if any); Printing/courier ₱; Misc ₱
Grand planning total: ₱___

B) Affidavit of Indigency (skeleton)

I, [Name], of legal age, [civil status], residing at [address], state: (1) My gross monthly income is ₱___; I support ___ dependents; (2) I have no real property/personal property beyond exempt amounts; (3) Paying legal fees will deprive my family of basic necessities. I request leave to litigate as an indigent and be exempt from legal fees. (Attach proof: payslips/COE, barangay cert, utility bill.) [Signature] (Subscribed and sworn…)

C) Cost-saving scope letter to counsel

I wish to file a status-only petition (no money/property claims) and minimize publication risk. Please propose a phased fee (drafting, pre-trial, trial) and use lay-witness proof where feasible to limit expert costs.

FAQ (fast answers)

Do I pay the court for the prosecutor/OSG? No. They’re state counsel; no fees from you.

Is psychological testing required? Not strictly by rule, but it’s common in psychological incapacity cases. You can prove grounds via totality of evidence (history, testimony, documents), but many courts expect expert corroboration.

Can court fees be completely free? Yes, if the court grants indigency or you’re PAO-assisted, legal fees are waived. You still shoulder non-court and evidence costs unless separately waived.

Will I need publication? Only if service can’t be made personally or by registered mail despite diligent efforts and the court authorizes service by publication. Many cases proceed without it.

Are church fees part of this? No. Church annulment is separate and has no effect on civil status.

Key takeaways

Court filing fees are just one slice; lawyer, psychologist, and (sometimes) publication dominate the total spend.
Keep the petition status-only to avoid ad valorem fees; serve efficiently to save sheriff costs; avoid publication unless unavoidable.
If money is tight, use indigency/PAO remedies and phase your case to the proof you can support.
Always get official receipts; keep an itemized budget worksheet from day one.

If you tell me your venue (city/province), whether you’ll file status-only, and your service situation (can you locate your spouse?), I can draft a fee plan, an indigency affidavit, and a court-filing checklist tailored to your facts.