Admission to a federal court bar costs $199 plus any local fee
The national fee for an attorney's original admission to practice in a federal district court is $199, including the certificate of admission. Some courts add a local fee. At the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, for example, the total is $249. A certificate of good standing is $21.
Attorney admission fees
| Original admission, national fee | $199 |
|---|---|
| Duplicate certificate of admission | $21 |
| Certificate of good standing | $21 |
| D.C. Circuit local fee (example) | $50 |
| D.C. Circuit total (example) | $249 |
| D.C. Circuit admission, all in | $249 |
|---|
Local fees differ by court. Check the court's own admission page before you pay. Sources: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, District Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule (effective Dec 1, 2023); US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Court Fees.
What this price covers
Admission lets a lawyer file and appear in that court. Each district court and court of appeals has its own admission, so a lawyer who practices in several federal courts pays in each one.
What changes your price
- Which court. The $199 is national. Local fees vary.
- Extra certificates. Each copy is $21.
Ways to pay less
- Order a certificate of good standing at the same time if you know you will need one.
How we got these numbers
Every fee on this page comes from the federal courts' own fee schedules or from federal law. The fees are set nationally by the Judicial Conference of the United States and by Congress, so they are the same in every federal court. Where we show a total, we only add up fees the courts list, so you can see the full amount in one place. We do not add our own guesses, and lawyer fees are not included. The schedules we used took effect on December 1, 2023 and were still the current versions when we last checked on September 26, 2026.
Common questions
How much is federal court bar admission?
$199 national fee, plus any local fee.
How much is a certificate of good standing?
$21.