Court Fees and Costs of a Russian Corporate Bankruptcy

What makes up the cost?

Court fee for a corporate bankruptcy application

Since 8 September 2024, a corporate applicant seeking another debtor’s bankruptcy pays a RUB 100,000 court fee; an individual applicant pays RUB 10,000. No fee is charged when the debtor files its own bankruptcy application. Applications and claims made inside an existing bankruptcy case are generally charged at 50% of the fee otherwise applicable to that type of claim.

Article 20.7 rules

Article 20.7 of Federal Law No. 127-FZ generally places procedure expenses on the debtor’s funds and regulates retained specialists. Actual costs of a mandatory valuer, registrar, auditor or electronic-platform operator are considered separately. Other retained persons are subject to limits linked to the balance-sheet value of assets, and exceeding a limit requires a court order.

A creditors’ meeting cannot charge every additional service to the estate. Where creditors themselves approve an extra person beyond necessary statutory work, the law contains a separate funding rule for those voting in favour.

Who pays if the estate is insufficient?

Article 59 first places court expenses, publications and administrator remuneration on the debtor’s property. If funds are insufficient, the applicant must cover the statutory uncovered part, except the percentage remuneration. A special exception applies where the applicant is an employee or former employee.

A creditor should therefore examine assets, receivables, avoidable transactions, funding capacity and termination risk before filing. See the separate guide to creditor funding of a bankruptcy procedure.

Payment priority

Article 134 establishes the priority of current claims. Court expenses, statutory publication, administrator remuneration and costs connected with mandatory work receive the priority provided by law. Truly extraordinary expenditure needed to prevent technological or environmental danger and loss of life is protected by a separate rule.

Priority does not remove the reasonableness test. Documents must show the connection to the case, actual performance, price and funding source.

Budgeting checklist

1. Identify the likely procedure: observation, financial rehabilitation, external administration or liquidation.
2. Calculate fixed remuneration by role and service period.
3. Prepare a calendar of mandatory publications and meetings.
4. Inventory assets, security interests, branches and archives.
5. Estimate security, storage, valuation and platform needs.
6. Separate disputes, receivable recovery and transaction avoidance.
7. Map monthly funding and a reserve for unforeseen work.
8. Do not book percentage remuneration as a guaranteed amount.

See the current roles and fixed figures in insolvency practitioner remuneration and the final-stage process in corporate liquidation proceedings.

Which expenses may be challenged?

A participant may challenge the reasonableness of retaining a person or the fee amount. The court examines the need for expertise, workload, qualifications, market price and whether the administrator could perform the function. To exceed a statutory cap, the administrator must prove necessity and price to the court.

An effective objection identifies the contract and period, the retained person, work allegedly completed, supporting evidence and why the task or price was unreasonable.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• Russian Tax Code published by the Federal Tax Service — Article 333.21;
• Federal Tax Service: current bankruptcy guidance;
• Article 20.7 of Federal Law No. 127-FZ;
• Article 59;
• Article 134;
• Supreme Commercial Court Plenum Resolution No. 91.