Can a civil action be filed without paying filing fees?
Filing fees are paid when a suit is filed, unless a Circuit Court Judge grants a party’s request to proceed without the payment of filing fees (this is known as proceeding en forma pauperis). Virginia’s Judicial System website contains a form Petition for Proceeding in Civil Cases Without Payment of Fees or Costs (Form 1414). Print the Supreme Court’s revisable PDF forms using the “Print for Submission to Court” button at the top of the form, rather than by using the print feature of your internet browser. The Clerk’s Office cannot accept forms that have gray bars in any fields.
