On October 1, Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon signed several laws, including a significant amendment to the country’s divorce fees, which have now doubled. The changes will take effect once published in the official media.
Earlier, the parliament approved the draft law on "State Duty", which sets new divorce fees. These fees vary depending on how the divorce is processed, whether through the Civil Registry Office or the courts.
The new fees are as follows:
- For divorce via an individual application from one of the spouses: The state duty is now 150 somonis (equivalent to 2 index units), which is double the previous fee of 75 somonis (1 index unit).
- For a joint divorce application from both spouses: The fee increases to 750 somonis (10 index units), compared to the previous amount of 375 somonis (5 index units).
- For divorce through a court decision: The state duty is 1050 somonis (14 index units), up from the previous fee of 525 somonis (7 index units).
This law, which was approved by the country's government on May 29, has now been signed by the president after passing through both chambers of parliament.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first increase in divorce fees in recent years. In December 2023, divorce fees were raised from 72-108 somonis to 500 somonis. At the time, parliament explained the hike as part of efforts to reduce the divorce rate in the country.
Family dissolution has been a controversial issue in Tajik society for several years. According to official statistics, in the first half of this year, 4117 families were dissolved, which is 291 fewer than during the same period last year.
Although authorities claim that divorce rates are decreasing each year, the issue remains concerning.
Last year, Muzaffar Ashouryon, Tajikistan’s Minister of Justice, expressed dissatisfaction with the current divorce statistics, saying, “We are still not satisfied with the number of divorces in the country.”
Recently, Bunafsha Faiziddinzoda, the head of the Committee on Women and Family Affairs, attributed the high number of divorces to early marriages and the inability of young women to adapt to independent life.
