Price Surge Affects 'Marriage and Divorce Registration' Fees

With the approval of the head of the judiciary, the fee for 'Marriage Registration' for the year 1404 has increased by more than 136%. According to the same table released, the fee for 'Divorce Registration' for the next year has faced a staggering increase of 1985%. Based on the fee table published today in the media, the cost of marriage registration next year is set at 20 million rials, while the cost this year was 8 million and 444 thousand and 296 rials. Accordingly, the cost of divorce registration next year is set at 22 million rials, while this cost was 1 million and 55 thousand and 527 rials this year. Comparing the above figures shows that the fee for 'Marriage Registration' has increased by 136% and the fee for 'Divorce Registration' has increased by 1985%. Consequently, the fee for 'Drafting Conditions in the Marriage Contract' has also increased by 100% from 2 million rials to 4 million rials for each condition. Over the past two decades, equality activists have launched numerous campaigns to raise public awareness regarding the gaps in civil laws related to the rights of men and women in forming a family, with the demand for 'Conditions in the Marriage Contract' being one of the proposed solutions to address these gaps. According to civil laws in the Islamic Republic, women lack many initial rights upon marriage, including the right to travel, the right to divorce, the right to custody, the right to education, the right to enroll their children in schools, and the right to obtain a birth certificate for their child. In campaigns conducted by civil and women's rights activists in recent decades, pursuing these rights in the form of 'Conditions in the Marriage Contract' has become increasingly common. The fee for 'Annulment of Marriage and Divorce Documents' has also increased by 98% from 1 million and 55 thousand and 537 rials to 2 million and 100 thousand rials according to this new resolution. The new fees were announced following the head of the judiciary's approval of a proposal from the Organization for Registration of Deeds and Properties and have been communicated to all notary offices. Previously, in Azar 1401, we witnessed a 50% surge in marriage and divorce fees. The announcement of the registration fees for marriage and divorce in Iran that year indicated a 50% increase in the official registration cost. According to the fees announced on 22 Azar 1401, the cost of marriage registration increased from 400 thousand tomans in 1400 to 844 thousand tomans. The cost of divorce registration also increased from 500 thousand tomans in 1400 to 1 million and 55 thousand tomans according to that fee schedule. In that resolution, the cost for each condition in drafting the conditions in the marriage contract was set at 200 thousand tomans. The government has never cooperated regarding 'Conditions in the Marriage Contract,' and many reports in recent years indicate resistance from some marriage and divorce registration offices to draft these conditions for applicants. This point, according to some analysts, suggests that government officials are attempting to raise the material costs of such demands by setting fees for each condition in the marriage contract. Nevertheless, the fees for marriage and divorce registration have seen significant growth in recent years. Notably, the difference between the marriage registration fee and the divorce registration fee has become more pronounced in recent years. The fees for marriage and divorce registration were the same in 1392, both calculated at 110 thousand tomans. Since some government officials expressed concern over the decline in marriage rates and the increase in divorce rates, the policy of changing and creating a difference in the fees for these two subjects began. However, the trend of increasing fees from 1393 to 1400 was gradual, so that over 8 years, it rose from 110 thousand tomans in 1392 to 400 thousand tomans (for marriage registration) and 500 thousand tomans (for divorce registration). Yet, in recent years, we have witnessed a remarkable increase in the registration fees for marriage and divorce compared to previous years. This increase is understandable in comparison to other price surges in recent months.