Costs of Divorce Proceedings in Ghana

This article explains the costs and expenses involved in Divorce Proceedings in Ghana. There are two types Court Fees and Legal Fees and other incidental costs.

Court Fees

The Divorce process is done by filing legal documents at the Court. The Courts charge a filing fee for every legal document. It is a small charge that is levied on every legal process filed at the Court.

Every legal document has its own charge and the charges are determined by the Rules of Court Committee. The most current filing fees are in the Civil Proceedings (Fees and Allowances) (Amendment) Rules 2014 (C.I.86). The costs to be paid for each document depends on the particular type of legal process being filed. It may be as little as GHc50, GHc500, GHc1,000 or more.

The total amount to be paid as filing fee throughout the divorce process is impossible to pre-determine. This is because every case is different and may require different legal solutions.  The amount of Court Fees and expenses is usually directly proportional to the amount of acrimony in the divorce. It goes without saying that a very contentious divorce will require more filings than a non-contentious divorce. For a simple divorce where there are no children, no properties or where the couple amicably agree and settle all their differences, about GHc500 to GHc1000 will be a reasonable budget for Court filing fees.

Legal Fee

The costs of Divorce proceedings in Ghana includes the legal fee. The Solicitor’s fees usually depends on the nature of the Divorce Case. That is, if it includes a Child Custody Claim, Alimony (financial Provision) or Property Settlement.

For a Dissolution of Marriage with or without a Child Custody Claim, the legal fee is GHS30,000.00 ($2,700) — GHS90,000.00($8,000).

If there is property settlement or Alimony contest, then a charge of 10% to 20% on the value of Property/Alimony being claimed or hourly rates if the hourly rates exceed 20% of the claim.

It is worth noting that an experienced senior lawyer will charge more than a lawyer who is fresh out of law school. However, the charges are not arbitrary, the Ghana Bar Association determines the legal fees of lawyers and the 2022 GBA Scale of Legal Fees provides the most current guide for legal charges in Ghana. Divorce cases are dealt with at page 4 of the Scale of Fees.

Please note that the Solicitor’s Fee is paid to the lawyer for legal services and it is separate from the fees paid to the court and other incidental fees/bills.

Additional Expenses

Apart from the Court Fees and Legal Fees, there are other incidental expenses.  These may be necessary for a successful Custody Battle, Property Settlement or Alimony Claim. They are not paid to the Lawyer or Court.
These include incidental costs like transportation, and other similar costs, etc.,.

It may be necesary to obtain an audit report, a survey plan, engage a private investigator or some other type of specialized service to support the claim. The expense for such a service are incidental expenses and separate from the Legal Fee and Court Fee.

Conclusion

The total Cost of Divorce Proceedings in Ghana is hard to assess.
However, with this post, we hope to provide a comprehensive explanation. We can guarantee that whatever estimate is assessed based on this guide, will turn out to be more or less than the actual cost involved.

Check out our articles on Inheritance Law here.

We also have material on the Law of Divorce in Ghana here.