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Debt collection in the Netherlands usually runs in three stages: a written demand that puts the debtor in default (Article 6:82 Dutch Civil Code), court proceedings, and enforcement of the judgment by a bailiff. As a rule, claims up to €25,000 go to the subdistrict court (Article 93 Dutch Code of Civil Procedure). Collection costs, statutory interest, prejudgment attachment and a bankruptcy petition add pressure.
This page explains each step for foreign businesses with a claim on a Dutch debtor. Our team also advises on Hiring a Debt Collection Law Firm in the Netherlands.
Key Takeaways
- The first step in debt collection in the Netherlands is usually a written demand. It puts the debtor in default if payment does not follow within the reasonable period it sets, unless an exception applies, such as a fixed payment date that has passed (Articles 6:82 and 6:83 Dutch Civil Code). A consumer must also receive a 14-day letter before collection costs are due (Article 6:96(6)).
- Extrajudicial collection costs follow the statutory scale of the BIK (minimum €40, maximum €6,775). Between businesses, statutory commercial interest is due from the day after the payment deadline; from 1 July to 31 December 2026 it is 10.40% a year.
- As a rule, claims up to €25,000 go to the subdistrict court, where no lawyer is required; other claims go to the district court, in principle through a lawyer. An urgent money claim can also be brought in summary proceedings (kort geding).
- A prejudgment attachment requires leave from the preliminary relief judge. A judgment can be enforced by a bailiff once it has been served on the debtor, for example by attaching a bank account, unless an appeal suspends enforcement because the judgment was not declared provisionally enforceable.
- A creditor can petition for the debtor’s bankruptcy through a lawyer if the debtor has ceased to pay. For cross-border claims, a foreign judgment needs a treaty or statute, or new Dutch proceedings, and the European Small Claims Procedure exists for cross-border disputes involving smaller amounts.
How does a demand letter put a Dutch debtor in default?
The first step is usually a written demand for payment (aanmaning or sommatie). A demand that gives the debtor a reasonable period to pay puts the debtor in default (verzuim) if payment is not made within that period (Article 6:82(1) Dutch Civil Code). No demand is needed if a fixed payment date has passed without payment, unless it appears that the date has a different purpose (Article 6:83(a)). Nor is it needed in the other cases of Article 6:83, for example where the creditor must conclude from a statement of the debtor that it will not pay (Article 6:83(c)).
Default matters because, outside commercial contracts, statutory interest only runs from default (Article 6:119(1)). The letter itself does not attach any assets: an attachment before judgment (prejudgment attachment, conservatoir beslag) requires leave from the preliminary relief judge (voorzieningenrechter) (Article 700(1) Dutch Code of Civil Procedure). We explain what a good letter contains on the page on the demand letter under Dutch law.
A written demand also interrupts limitation (Article 3:317(1)). A claim for performance of a contractual obligation, such as payment of an invoice, is time-barred five years after the start of the day following the day it became due (Article 3:307(1)); claims for interest also become time-barred after five years (Article 3:308). For the price in a consumer sale the period is two years (Article 7:28). After an interruption a new period starts, equal to the original one but not longer than five years (Article 3:319).
When do you need a 14-day letter?
Only towards a consumer. A consumer only owes extrajudicial collection costs if, after default has occurred, a reminder stating the consequences of non-payment, including the costs claimed, has given fourteen days to pay without result; that period starts on the day after the consumer receives the reminder (Article 6:96(6); Supreme Court 25 November 2016, ECLI:NL:HR:2016:2704, para. 3.4). A letter asking for payment “within fourteen days of this letter” does not meet that requirement (para. 3.6.1). If the creditor can send such a reminder for more than one claim, it must do so in one reminder (Article 6:96(7)).
Towards a business no 14-day letter is required. In a commercial contract, the creditor is entitled to at least €40 for collection costs, due without a reminder from the day after the statutory or agreed payment deadline has passed (Article 6:96(4)).
Debt Collection Agencies in the Netherlands
A creditor can hand a claim to a collection agency or a lawyer for the out-of-court phase. What the debtor owes for that work is governed by Article 6:96 and the BIK scale described below, whether the creditor does the work itself or uses an agency.
An agency that, in a professional or business capacity, collects out of court for someone else or after an assignment of the claim, from a natural person living in the Netherlands, including a sole trader, must be registered under the Debt Collection Services Quality Act (Wet kwaliteit incassodienstverlening, Wki); court bailiffs and lawyers are exempt (Articles 2 and 4 Wki). A debtor does not have to pay an agency that should be registered but is not, or whose registration is suspended, and no collection costs are due for its work, not even for the work of a later, registered agency on the same claim. From the day of such an agency’s written request for payment, the delay is also not attributed to the debtor for statutory interest (Article 18 Wki).
Which collection costs and interest can you recover?
The creditor can claim reasonable costs of obtaining payment out of court (Article 6:96(2)(c)). For an obligation to pay a sum of money arising from a contract, these extrajudicial collection costs (buitengerechtelijke incassokosten) follow the Decree on compensation for extrajudicial collection costs (Besluit vergoeding voor buitengerechtelijke incassokosten, BIK) (Article 1 BIK): 15% of the first €2,500 of the principal, 10% of the next €2,500, 5% of the next €5,000, 1% of the next €190,000 and 0.5% of the remainder, with a maximum of €6,775 and a minimum of €40 (Article 2(1) and (2) BIK). The amount is increased by VAT if the creditor uses a service subject to VAT that it cannot recover and states this expressly (Article 2(3) BIK).
Towards a consumer, the creditor cannot deviate from these rules to the consumer’s detriment (Article 6:96(5)). Between businesses the parties can agree on a different arrangement, but the creditor cannot be deprived of the minimum of €40 (Article 6:96(4)). More detail is on the page on collection costs in the Netherlands.
In a commercial contract, statutory commercial interest runs from the day after the agreed payment date or, if no date was agreed, in principle from 30 days after receipt of the invoice (Article 6:119a(1) and (2)). It is not due if the creditor is itself in default, or to the extent that the delay cannot be attributed to the debtor (Article 6:119a(7) and (8)). Each year, the interest is added to the amount on which interest is calculated (Article 6:119a(3)). An agreed payment term of more than 60 days is only allowed if it is expressly agreed and not grossly unfair to the creditor (Article 6:119a(5)). A large legal entity (one that exceeds the thresholds of Article 2:397(1) and (2) Dutch Civil Code) cannot agree a payment term of more than 30 days with a creditor that is a business owner (natural person) or a legal entity within those thresholds; a clause to the contrary is void (Article 6:119a(6)).
The rate of statutory commercial interest equals the rate of the European Central Bank’s most recent main refinancing operation before the first day of the half-year concerned, plus eight percentage points (Article 6:120(2)). From 1 July to 31 December 2026 it is 10.40% a year: the ECB rate was 2.40% from 17 June 2026 (ECB, key interest rates). The ECB raised that rate to 2.65% with effect from 16 September 2026; this does not change the rate for the second half of 2026. In other cases, statutory interest is due from default (Article 6:119), at a rate set by government decree (Article 6:120(1)).
How do you start court proceedings for an unpaid debt?
If the debtor does not pay after the demand, many creditors first send a final notice announcing legal proceedings. The law does not require such a notice. Court proceedings for payment start with a writ of summons (dagvaarding): a document served by a bailiff that sets out the claim and its grounds and names the court and the docket date (Article 111(1) and (2) Dutch Code of Civil Procedure).
Which Dutch court hears a debt collection claim?
As a rule, the court of the debtor’s domicile has jurisdiction (Article 99(1)). Claims of up to €25,000, including interest accrued until the date of the summons, go to the subdistrict court (kantonrechter), unless the underlying legal relationship exceeds that amount and is disputed (Article 93(a)). Claims arising from, for example, an employment, commercial agency, lease or consumer sale contract go to the subdistrict court whatever the amount (Article 93(c)). Before the subdistrict court you may act in person or through an authorised representative, such as a collection agency or a bailiff (Articles 79(1) and 80(1)). In other cases you can in principle only litigate through a lawyer (Article 79(2)). As a Dutch debt collection law firm, we act in both courts.
The claimant pays a court fee (griffierecht), and so does each defendant who appears (Article 3(1) Court Fees in Civil Cases Act (Wgbz)), except a defendant before the subdistrict court (Article 4(1)(b) Wgbz). The amount depends on the court, the value of the claim and whether the party is a natural person (Article 3(5) and the annex to the Wgbz). In 2026 a company pays, for example, €139 before the subdistrict court for a claim of up to €500, €559 for a claim of more than €5,000 up to €12,500, and €3,083 before the district court for a claim of up to €100,000.
Serving Dutch Court Documents
To initiate legal proceedings, court documents must be properly served to the debtor, formally announcing the commencement of the legal action. In the Netherlands, the writ of summons (dagvaarding) is served on the debtor by a bailiff (deurwaarder) (Article 111(1) Dutch Code of Civil Procedure).
The summons must, as a rule, be served at least one week before the docket date (roldatum) stated in it (Article 114 Dutch Code of Civil Procedure). If the debtor has no known domicile or residence in the Netherlands, the period is at least four weeks or three months, depending on the country, unless the summons is served on the debtor in person, or at an address chosen for the case, in the Netherlands (Article 115). If the debtor does not appear on the first docket date or on a later one set by the court, fails to appoint a lawyer where this is required, or fails to pay the court fee due in time although the summons warned of this, and the prescribed periods and formalities have been observed, the court grants judgment by default and allows the claim, unless it considers the claim unlawful or unfounded (Article 139).
If the debtor does appear, the case continues as ordinary proceedings on the merits, described below.
What happens in ordinary proceedings on the merits?
In proceedings on the merits (bodemprocedure), the court gives a final decision on the claim. The main steps are:
- Defence: the defendant files a reasoned statement of defence (conclusie van antwoord) on the first or a later docket date, and must raise all procedural objections at the same time (Article 128(2) and (3) Dutch Code of Civil Procedure).
- Oral hearing: the court then orders an oral hearing (mondelinge behandeling), unless it considers the case unsuitable for one (Article 131).
- Judgment and costs: the losing party is ordered to pay the costs of the proceedings, which the court sets in the judgment (Article 237(1) and (3)). If the creditor asks for it, the court can declare the judgment provisionally enforceable (uitvoerbaar bij voorraad), so that it can be enforced even if the debtor appeals; it may require security (Article 233(1) and (3)).
- Appeal: appeal is possible unless the claim was no more than €1,750, including interest accrued until the summons (Article 332(1)). The period for appeal is three months from the judgment (Article 339(1)).
Work that the cost order normally covers, such as preparing court documents, cannot also be claimed as extrajudicial collection costs; for that work only the rules on legal costs apply (Article 241 and Article 6:96(3) Dutch Civil Code). This does not apply to collection costs under the BIK rules (Article 241, second sentence).
Can you claim payment in summary proceedings (kort geding)?
Yes, if the matter is urgent. In all urgent cases where the parties’ interests require an immediate provisional measure, the preliminary relief judge (voorzieningenrechter) can give it (Article 254(1) Dutch Code of Civil Procedure). In cases that the subdistrict court hears on the merits, the subdistrict judge has the same power (Article 254(5)). Summary proceedings are normally started by a writ of summons (dagvaarding) served on the debtor, not by a petition (Articles 111(1) and 254(2)).
For a money claim, the court examines whether the claim is sufficiently plausible and whether there is an urgent interest. When weighing the parties’ interests, it also takes into account the risk that the money cannot be repaid if the claim is later rejected on the merits (restitution risk) (Supreme Court 28 May 2004, ECLI:NL:HR:2004:AP0263, para. 3.5.1). If the judge considers the case unsuitable for summary proceedings, the judge refuses the measure (Article 256). The decision is provisional and does not prejudice the proceedings on the merits (Article 257).
Before the district court, the claimant needs a lawyer (Article 79(2)); the defendant can also appear in person (Article 255(1)). An appeal against a judgment in summary proceedings must be lodged within four weeks (Article 339(2)). Our page on kort geding, Dutch summary proceedings explains the procedure in more detail.
The main differences:
| Summary proceedings (kort geding) | Proceedings on the merits (bodemprocedure) |
|---|---|
| Requires an urgent interest (Article 254(1)) | No urgency required |
| Money claim: must be sufficiently plausible; the court weighs the restitution risk | Full examination of the claim, including evidence where needed |
| Refused if the case is unsuitable for summary proceedings (Article 256) | Suitable for disputed and complex claims |
| Provisional decision; no prejudice to the proceedings on the merits (Article 257) | Final decision on the claim, subject to appeal |
| Appeal within four weeks (Article 339(2)) | Appeal within three months (Article 339(1)) |
Summary proceedings therefore suit claims that the debtor cannot seriously dispute. If the debtor puts forward a substantiated defence, proceedings on the merits are usually the better route, and a prejudgment attachment can secure the claim in the meantime.
How does prejudgment attachment work?
A creditor can attach the debtor’s assets before the court has ruled on the claim (prejudgment attachment, conservatoir beslag). This requires leave from the preliminary relief judge (voorzieningenrechter) (Article 700(1) Dutch Code of Civil Procedure). The request is made by petition stating the type of attachment, the claim and its amount or maximum amount. The judge decides after a summary examination and sets the amount for which leave is granted, including costs (Article 700(2)). If no proceedings on the merits are pending yet, they must be started within the period set by the judge, which is at least eight days after the attachment; the judge can extend that period on a timely request (Article 700(3)).
The judge can make leave conditional on security for the damage the attachment may cause (Article 701(1)). A creditor can also attach, before judgment, claims of the debtor on third parties, such as a bank balance (Article 718). Leave to attach wages or benefits is only granted after the debtor has been heard or has had the opportunity to be heard (Article 720). More on the conditions and risks is on the page on prejudgment attachment in the Netherlands.
How is a Dutch judgment enforced?
A judgment ordering the debtor to pay is itself an enforceable title; no separate enforcement order is needed. It can be enforced anywhere in the Netherlands once it has been served on the debtor, unless an appeal or objection (verzet) suspends enforcement; it does not if the judgment was declared provisionally enforceable (Articles 350(1) and 145 Dutch Code of Civil Procedure) (Article 430(1) and (3) Dutch Code of Civil Procedure). A bailiff then levies an executory attachment (executoriaal beslag), for example on a bank account, wages, movable property or real estate. A prejudgment attachment becomes an executory attachment once the creditor has obtained an enforceable judgment and has served it on the debtor and, for an attachment under a third party, on that third party (Article 704(1)). The page on seizure of a bank account in the Netherlands explains how this works for bank balances.
Part of the debtor’s wages and benefits remains protected from attachment (beslagvrije voet, Article 475c). An attachment of a natural person’s bank balance is only valid for the part above a protected monthly amount (Article 475a(5)). Disputes about enforcement go to the district court (for a title issued by the subdistrict court, to that court) or, for a provisional measure, to the preliminary relief judge, who can suspend enforcement or lift attachments (Article 438(1) to (3)).
The right to enforce a judgment in principle lapses twenty years after the start of the day following the judgment (if an appeal or other claim against the order is brought, from the day after those proceedings end, Article 3:324(2)); for amounts payable yearly or more often under the judgment, the period is five years (Article 3:324(1) and (3) Dutch Civil Code).
When can a creditor file for the debtor’s bankruptcy?
A creditor can ask the district court to declare a debtor bankrupt. A bankruptcy petition is not a collection procedure in the strict sense: if the debtor is declared bankrupt, its assets are liquidated for all creditors, and the petitioning creditor generally shares in the proceeds with the other creditors in their order of priority. The key rules:
- Claim and cessation of payments: the court declares the debtor bankrupt if it is summarily shown that the debtor has ceased to pay and, where a creditor files the petition, that this creditor has a claim (Articles 1(1) and 6(3) Bankruptcy Act (Faillissementswet)).
- Competent court: the district court of the debtor’s domicile (Article 2(1) Bankruptcy Act). The petition is filed at the registry and heard in chambers as a matter of urgency (Article 4(1)).
- Petition by a lawyer: a creditor’s bankruptcy petition must be filed by a lawyer (Article 5(1) Bankruptcy Act). The requirements for a bankruptcy order in Articles 1(1) and 6(3) do not include a prior notice of default.
- Hearing of the debtor: before deciding, the court may order the debtor to be summoned to be heard (Article 6(1)). If the debtor is a natural person, the registrar informs the debtor that it can still apply for the statutory debt restructuring scheme within fourteen days, and the petition is suspended until that period has passed (Article 3(1) and (2)).
- Immediate effect: the bankruptcy order is provisionally enforceable, even if an appeal is lodged (Article 4(5)).
- Attachments lapse: on the bankruptcy order, enforcement against the debtor’s assets ends and attachments lapse (Article 33(1) and (2) Bankruptcy Act).
The page on filing for bankruptcy in the Netherlands explains when a petition makes sense.
How do you collect a debt across borders or enforce a foreign judgment?
Whether a Dutch court has jurisdiction over a foreign debtor is governed first by treaties and EU regulations, and otherwise by Articles 2 to 14 of the Dutch Code of Civil Procedure (Article 1). A debtor abroad must as a rule be summoned at least four weeks or three months before the docket date, depending on the country, unless the summons is served on the debtor in person, or at an address chosen for the case, in the Netherlands (Article 115). Our page on the international debt collection procedure covers claims against foreign debtors. For enforcing a foreign judgment in the Netherlands, keep the following in mind:
- Required Documentation:
- Which documents are needed (for example a copy of the judgment and a certificate from the court of origin) depends on the treaty or regulation that applies. Without a treaty or statute, a foreign judgment cannot be enforced here and new proceedings are needed (see below).
- Timeframe and Limitations:
- Unlike in some jurisdictions, there is no pre-determined timeframe for granting recognition and enforcement in the Netherlands.
- Different requirements may apply for judgments under treaties like the Lugano Convention.
A foreign judgment cannot be enforced in the Netherlands, unless a treaty or statute provides otherwise (Article 431(1) Dutch Code of Civil Procedure). If a treaty or statute makes it enforceable here, it can, as a rule, only be enforced after the district court has granted leave (exequatur); the court does not re-examine the case (Article 985). A foreign arbitral award to which a treaty on recognition and enforcement applies can, at the request of a party, be recognised and enforced in the Netherlands (Article 1075(1)).
Without a treaty, the case can be brought again before the Dutch court (Article 431(2)). If the new claim seeks the same order as the foreign judgment, the court will, in principle, take the parties’ being bound by that judgment as its starting point and allow the claim, provided that the foreign court had jurisdiction on an internationally accepted ground, the proceedings met the requirements of due process, recognition is not contrary to Dutch public policy, and the judgment is not irreconcilable with a Dutch judgment between the same parties or an earlier foreign judgment between them in a dispute on the same subject and based on the same cause, provided that earlier judgment can be recognised in the Netherlands (Supreme Court 26 September 2014, ECLI:NL:HR:2014:2838, paras. 3.6.4 and 3.6.5). The claim can fail if the foreign judgment is not, not yet or no longer enforceable in its country of origin (para. 3.6.6); limitation or lapse of the right to enforce it under the law of that country does not count as such an obstacle (para. 3.6.8).
Once a Dutch court has given its own judgment on the claim, the right to enforce that judgment lapses after twenty years, or five years for amounts payable yearly or more often (Article 3:324(1) and (3) Dutch Civil Code).
While such proceedings or a request for leave to enforce are pending, the creditor can secure the claim by a prejudgment attachment with leave from the preliminary relief judge (Article 700(1) Dutch Code of Civil Procedure); if no proceedings on the merits are pending yet, they must be started within the period the judge sets (Article 700(3)).
Whether you can also recover extrajudicial collection costs and interest depends on what the foreign judgment awards and on the law that applies to the claim.
As an EU member, the Netherlands has established procedures to facilitate the collection of debts within the European Union. This includes the ability to use the European Small Claims Process for claims up to €5,000.
EU Small Claims Procedures
When it comes to resolving cross-border disputes involving smaller amounts of money, the EU Small Claims Procedures provide a streamlined and efficient solution in cross-border cases: at least one of the parties must be domiciled or habitually resident in a Member State other than that of the court seised; nationality is not relevant (Article 3(1) of Regulation (EC) No 861/2007).
This procedure allows for the collection of debts through legal action, simplifying the process and reducing costs for both creditors and debtors.
To initiate the EU Small Claims Procedures, the creditor needs to fill out Form A and submit it to the relevant court. This form includes details about the debt, the parties involved, and the desired outcome. Once the petition is filed, the court ensures that the debtor receives a copy and has a specific time frame to reply.
The interlocutory proceedings in the EU Small Claims Procedures are designed to be quick and straightforward. Within 30 days of receiving the response, the court gives a judgment or takes a further step, such as asking for more details, taking evidence or summoning the parties to an oral hearing (Article 7(1) of Regulation (EC) No 861/2007). A judgment given in this procedure is recognised and enforced in another Member State without the need for a declaration of enforceability (Article 20 of Regulation (EC) No 861/2007). The European Order for Payment is a separate procedure for uncontested claims, not a means of enforcing such a judgment (Articles 1 and 19 of Regulation (EC) No 1896/2006).
By implementing these simplified civil procedures, the EU Small Claims Procedures facilitate the collection of debts and provide a cost-effective and efficient way to resolve cross-border disputes within the European Union.
| EU Small Claims Procedures |
|---|
| Amount Limit: Up to €5,000 |
| Applicability: Cross-border cases: at least one party is domiciled or habitually resident in a Member State other than that of the court (Article 3(1)) |
| Key Steps: Fill out Form A, submit to relevant court, await court decision |
Frequently asked questions about debt collection in the Netherlands
How does debt collection work in the Netherlands?
It usually starts with a written demand that puts the debtor in default (Article 6:82 Dutch Civil Code). If the debtor does not pay, the creditor sues by writ of summons; claims up to €25,000 go to the subdistrict court as a rule (Article 93 Dutch Code of Civil Procedure). An urgent claim can be brought in summary proceedings (kort geding). After service of the judgment, a bailiff enforces it, for example by attaching a bank account (Article 430). Assets can be attached before judgment with leave from the court (Article 700), and a creditor can petition for the debtor’s bankruptcy through a lawyer (Article 5(1) Bankruptcy Act).
Which collection costs can a creditor charge in the Netherlands?
For a contractual money claim, the extrajudicial collection costs follow the statutory BIK scale: 15% of the first €2,500, decreasing for higher amounts, with a minimum of €40 and a maximum of €6,775 (Article 2 BIK). A consumer only owes them after an unanswered 14-day letter (Article 6:96(6) Dutch Civil Code), and the creditor cannot deviate to the consumer’s detriment. Between businesses, at least €40 is due without a reminder after the payment deadline (Article 6:96(4)), and the parties can agree on a different arrangement.
What is the statutory commercial interest rate in the Netherlands?
From 1 July to 31 December 2026 it is 10.40% a year: the ECB main refinancing rate before 1 July 2026 (2.40%) plus eight percentage points (Article 6:120(2) Dutch Civil Code). The rate is reset every half-year. Commercial interest runs from the day after the agreed payment date or, if none was agreed, in principle from 30 days after receipt of the invoice (Article 6:119a).
Is there a small claims court for debt collection in the Netherlands?
The subdistrict court (kantonrechter) hears claims of up to €25,000, unless the underlying legal relationship exceeds that amount and is disputed (Article 93(a) Dutch Code of Civil Procedure). There you can act in person or through an authorised representative, such as a collection agency or a bailiff, without a lawyer (Articles 79(1) and 80(1)). In 2026 a company pays a court fee of €139 for a claim of up to €500 (annex to the Wgbz).
How long do you have to collect a debt in the Netherlands?
A claim for payment under a contract is time-barred five years after the start of the day following the day it became due (Article 3:307(1) Dutch Civil Code); for the price in a consumer sale the period is two years (Article 7:28). A written demand interrupts limitation (Article 3:317(1)), after which a new period starts (Article 3:319). Once you have a Dutch judgment, you can in principle enforce it for twenty years; for amounts payable yearly or more often, five years (Article 3:324(1) and (3)).
Primary sources
- Dutch Civil Code (Burgerlijk Wetboek): Articles 3:307, 3:308, 3:317, 3:319, 3:324, 6:82, 6:83, 6:96, 6:119, 6:119a, 6:120 and 7:28
- Dutch Code of Civil Procedure (Wetboek van Burgerlijke Rechtsvordering, version of 14 July 2026): Articles 1, 79, 80, 93, 99, 111, 114, 115, 128, 131, 139, 233, 237, 241, 254, 255, 256, 257, 332, 339, 430, 431, 438, 475a, 475c, 700, 701, 704, 718, 720, 985 and 1075
- Bankruptcy Act (Faillissementswet): Articles 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 33
- Decree on compensation for extrajudicial collection costs (Besluit vergoeding voor buitengerechtelijke incassokosten): Articles 1 and 2
- Court Fees in Civil Cases Act (Wet griffierechten burgerlijke zaken): Articles 3 and 4 and the annex (version of 1 January 2026)
- Debt Collection Services Quality Act (Wet kwaliteit incassodienstverlening): Articles 2, 4 and 18
- European Central Bank, key ECB interest rates (main refinancing operations: 2.40% from 17 June 2026, 2.65% from 16 September 2026)
- Supreme Court (Hoge Raad): 28 May 2004, ECLI:NL:HR:2004:AP0263; 26 September 2014, ECLI:NL:HR:2014:2838; 25 November 2016, ECLI:NL:HR:2016:2704
When should you involve a Dutch debt collection lawyer?
You can send a demand letter and bring a claim before the subdistrict court yourself. As a rule, a lawyer is required for claims before the district court, including summary proceedings brought there (Article 79(2) Dutch Code of Civil Procedure), and for a bankruptcy petition (Article 5(1) Bankruptcy Act). Early advice helps to choose the right route: a demand letter, summary proceedings, a prejudgment attachment or a bankruptcy petition.
Do you have unpaid invoices from a Dutch customer? See our page on legal advice on overdue invoices from the Netherlands.
