Here’s a Philippines-specific legal explainer focused on how much an annulment (or declaration of nullity) can cost, why it costs that much, and where you can save. This is general information, not legal advice; actual figures vary by city, court, lawyer, and case facts.

Cost of Filing an Annulment Case in the Philippines: Everything You Need to Know

First, what case are we talking about?

People say “annulment” to cover two different Family Code cases filed in the Family Court (RTC):

Declaration of Nullity (void marriage) — e.g., psychological incapacity, bigamy, under 18, no valid ceremony/license, etc.
Annulment (voidable marriage) — e.g., lack of parental consent (18–21), vitiated consent (fraud/force), impotence, serious STD, insanity at the time of marriage.

Both follow similar court workflows and similar cost buckets. Your facts (e.g., psychological incapacity) can add major expert-witness expenses.

The 4 big cost buckets

Government & court fees (mandatory)
Professional fees (lawyer, experts)
Litigation expenses (copies, transcripts, travel, service/publication, etc.)
Post-judgment costs (records annotation and certified copies)

Below is what typically drives each bucket and how to plan.

1) Government & court fees (mandatory)

These are paid to the judiciary and related offices when you file and as the case proceeds.

Docket/filing fees. Charged when you lodge the Petition. Amount depends on court schedule of fees (Rule 141) and sometimes on whether you raise property/custody/support issues alongside nullity/annulment.
Sheriff’s/issuance fees. For serving summons, subpoenas, and court processes.
Mediation/JDR fees (if any). The validity of marriage isn’t negotiable, but courts may refer incidental issues (custody, support, visitation, property administration) to court-annexed mediation, which carries a standard fee.
Prosecutor/OSG participation. In marital status cases, the public prosecutor must investigate collusion; the Office of the Solicitor General is typically notified and may appear (especially in declaration of nullity). These don’t add a separate “OSG fee,” but they can add to service/copying/courier expenses.
Indigency waivers. If you qualify as an indigent litigant, the court may waive filing fees upon proof of income/assets under Rule 141; some clerks require supporting documents (IDs, income proof, barangay certificate).
Venue and local surcharges. Some halls of justice collect small legal research/judiciary development add-ons.

Planning tip: Court fee schedules are revised from time to time and differ a bit by NCR vs. provinces. Your lawyer or the Office of the Clerk of Court can give the current schedule before filing.

2) Professional fees (biggest driver)

The largest and most variable part of your budget.

A) Lawyer’s fees

Engagement structures:
- Fixed/packaged fee for the main litigation stages; or
- Acceptance fee + appearance fees (per hearing) + pleading fees (per motion/brief) + success/closure fee (less common for status cases).
What drives the number:
- Complexity (e.g., psychological incapacity vs. straightforward ground),
- Number of witnesses and contested issues (custody, support, property),
- Location (Metro Manila rates are usually higher),
- Opposing party’s defenses/appeals,
- Urgent motions (hold-departure orders, protection orders, interim support).

B) Experts & evaluations

Psychologist/psychiatrist (for Article 36 psychological incapacity): interview(s), psychometric tests, written report, and live testimony.
Medical experts (impotence/STD grounds), document examiners, social workers (home studies for custody), or accountants (if property/support issues).
Appearance fees for testifying in court are separate from evaluation/report fees.

Planning tip: Ask for a written scope: number of sessions, deliverables (narrative report, court testimony), number of court appearances included, and who pays for re-settings.

3) Litigation expenses (often overlooked)

Stenographic transcripts (TSNs). Each hearing produces TSNs that you pay for if you need copies (and you will, for offers of evidence and drafting memoranda).
Printing/certified true copies of pleadings, exhibits, and court orders.
Service & courier. You must furnish the court, OSG, prosecutor, and the other party (and sometimes a Branch Clerk requires additional sets).
Travel/time costs for you, your witnesses, and counsel (especially if you live or work far from the seat of court).
Service by publication (only if the respondent can’t be personally served after diligent efforts). This requires:
- Motion and court leave to serve by publication,
- Newspaper publication (once a week for three consecutive weeks in a paper of general circulation),
- Registry receipts and affidavits of publication and mailing.
Notarial/legalization costs for affidavits and foreign documents (plus apostille/consularization if any foreign records are used).

4) Post-judgment costs (after you win)

A case is not “done” until the judgment becomes final and executory and your civil registry records are properly annotated.

Certified copies of the Decision, Entry of Judgment, and Certificate of Finality.
Transmittal & annotation fees with the Local Civil Registrar (LCR) and PSA, plus courier.
New PSA copies of annotated records (e.g., Marriage Certificate annotated “void”/“annulled”).
Downstream updates: banks, HR, insurance, and agencies may require certified sets.

Typical price ranges (rule-of-thumb, for budgeting only)

Actual figures vary widely. These ballparks help you size the project; treat them as planning guides rather than quotes.

Court/government fees: commonly in the low to mid five-figures (PHP) by completion, depending on venue, add-ons, and whether publication occurs.
Lawyer’s professional fees: from low six-figures to high six-figures (PHP) for straightforward cases; seven-figures for complex, contested, or multi-issue cases (custody, property, multiple experts, or appeals).
Psych evaluation + testimony (Art. 36): from tens of thousands to low/mid six-figures (PHP), depending on credentials, number of sessions, and in-court appearances.
Transcripts, printing, service, travel: often low to mid five-figures (PHP) across the life of the case; higher if there are many hearing days or re-settings.
Publication (if allowed/required): varies by newspaper, often five-figures (PHP).

Ways costs rise: hostile respondent (counter-evidence, cross-examination), many re-settings, multiple experts, intertwined custody/support/property issues, service by publication, or an appeal (adds fresh rounds of fees and lawyer time).

How fees map to the litigation timeline

Pre-filing (1–6 weeks): consultations, document gathering, psycheval (if needed), drafting and notarization.
- Pay: initial lawyer retainer/acceptance fee; expert scheduling fee.
Filing & raffling: docket fees; case raffled to a Family Court branch.
Prosecutor’s collusion investigation; OSG notified.
Pre-trial / Preliminary conference: marking exhibits, defining issues; possible mediation for custody/support/visitation.
- Pay: first wave of TSNs and appearance fees.
Trial (petitioner’s side), then respondent’s side (if any).
- Pay: main expert testimony fees, more TSNs, per-appearance fees.
Memoranda & submission for decision.
Decision; motion practice (if any); finality.
Annotation at LCR/PSA; certified copies for personal records.
- Pay: certified true copies, annotation and PSA fees, courier.

Cost-control strategies that actually work

Scope your case early. Identify which grounds you’re using (e.g., psychological incapacity vs. voidable grounds) and what proof you’ll need. This shapes expert costs and hearing counts.
Ask for a written fee plan. Clarify what your package includes (how many hearings/TSNs/pleadings) and what triggers add-ons (extra hearings, appeals).
Bundle appearances. Courts often reset; agree on a fair approach to re-setting charges (e.g., reduced or no fee where the party isn’t at fault).
Use affidavits & judicial affidavits well. Properly drafted Judicial Affidavits can streamline direct testimony and reduce hearing time.
Coordinate witnesses. Minimize no-shows and wasted settings to cut TSN and appearance costs.
Explore legal aid.
- PAO if you’re income-qualified (free representation; you may still shoulder out-of-pocket disbursements).
- IBP Legal Aid chapters and law school clinics (reduced/waived fees).
- Indigent fee waivers for court dues under Rule 141 (apply at filing).
Consider venue/strategy. Filing where you reside (when allowed by the Rules) can reduce travel and service costs.
Keep meticulous records. Track every receipt for possible costs recoverable (rare in family cases but useful for transparency and budgeting).

Special cost scenarios

Respondent abroad / unknown address: expect service costs to spike (foreign service, publication, or letters rogatory if required); timelines expand (more appearances, more TSNs).
With custody/support/property issues: more hearings, possible child-focused reports, and mediation fees.
Appeal (Court of Appeals/Supreme Court): fresh docket fees, record reproduction, and new professional fees.

What you should ask before you sign an engagement

Total estimate by stage (pre-filing, filing, trial, post-judgment).
What’s included/excluded (hearings count, TSNs, photocopying, couriers).
Expert budget (who, how many sessions, will they testify, cost per court day).
Reset policy (who pays when the court resets or the other side causes delay).
Appeals (separate engagement or pre-quoted).
Payment schedule (milestones vs. monthly).
Disbursement accounting (receipts, periodic statements).

Quick budgeting templates (illustrative only)

A. Straightforward case (no expert, respondent cooperative)

Court/government fees: low–mid 5 figures
Lawyer (fixed + limited appearances): low–mid 6 figures
TSNs/printing/service/travel: low 5 figures
Planning total: mid 6 figures (PHP)

B. Psychological incapacity with expert testimony (contested)

Court/government fees: mid 5 figures (+ publication if needed)
Lawyer (more hearings, extensive pleadings): mid–high 6 figures to 7 figures
Psych eval + court appearances: low–mid 6 figures
TSNs/printing/service/travel: mid 5 figures
Planning total: high 6 figures to 7 figures (PHP)

C. Indigent with fee waivers/legal aid (limited issues)

Court/government fees: waived or minimal
Lawyer: PAO/Legal Aid (free/pro bono), but budget for disbursements
TSNs/printing/service: low 5 figures (if many hearings, can rise)
Planning total: low–mid 5 figures (PHP) for out-of-pocket

Bottom line

Expect to budget mostly for lawyer’s work and experts; court fees are the smaller but unavoidable part.
Real-world totals typically range from mid six-figure pesos for simpler/shorter cases to seven-figure pesos when you add psychological incapacity, contested issues, publication, or appeals.
You can meaningfully reduce costs with clear scoping, written fee plans, diligent scheduling, and—if eligible—legal aid and fee waivers.

If you want, tell me your city/venue, grounds, and whether custody/support/property will be raised. I can draft a line-item budget and a timeline tailored to that scenario.