French Code of civil procedure

The costs relating to proceedings, deeds and enforcement procedures include: 1° Duties, taxes, fees or emoluments collected by the registries of the courts or the tax authorities, with the exception of duties, taxes and penalties that may be due on deeds and documents produced in support of the parties’ claims; 2° The costs of translating deeds where this is made necessary by law or by an international commitment ; 3°…

The losing party shall be ordered to pay the costs, unless the judge, by reasoned decision, charges all or part of them to another party. The conditions under which a party receiving legal aid may be charged all or part of the costs of the proceedings are set by the provisions of Law no. 91-647 of 10 July 1991 and Decree no. 2020-1717 of 28 December 2020.

Lawyers, former solicitors and bailiffs may be personally ordered to pay the costs of proceedings, acts and enforcement procedures carried out outside the limits of their mandate.

Costs relating to unjustified instances, acts and enforcement procedures shall be borne by the court officers who made them, without prejudice to any damages that may be claimed. The same applies to costs relating to instances, acts and enforcement procedures that are null and void as a result of their fault.

Lawyers may, in matters where their assistance is compulsory, request that an order for costs be accompanied for their benefit by the right to recover directly from the convicted party those costs of which they have made an advance without having received an advance. The party against whom recovery is pursued may, however, deduct, by legal set-off, the amount of its claim for costs.

The judge shall order the party required to pay the costs or who loses his case to pay: 1° To the other party the sum that he determines, in respect of the costs incurred and not included in the costs; 2° And, where applicable, to the lawyer of the beneficiary of partial or total legal aid a sum in respect of the fees and costs, not included in the costs,…