Last verified: 2026-08-29 · Source: primary legislation and official status tables
Recovering a debt from a debtor in Netherlands
What applies, what it realistically takes, and where the limits are.
Confirmed parameters
Only values checked against a primary source appear here. Where a parameter has not been confirmed, it is left out rather than estimated.
- Parameter
- Limitation period for a claim for performance of an obligation
- Value
- 5 years
- Source
- Burgerlijk Wetboek art. 3:307
- Last verified
- 2026-08-29
- Parameter
- Scope of the Wet kwaliteit incassodienstverlening
- Value
- out-of-court collection from natural persons resident in the Netherlands only; claims against companies fall outside the regime
- Source
- Wki, in force 1 April 2024; Justis register
- Last verified
- 2026-08-29
- Parameter
- Civil consequences of operating without registration take effect
- Value
- 1 October 2026
- Source
- Wki art. 18. From that date a debtor need only respond to a registered provider, and an unregistered provider cannot recover interest or out-of-court costs
- Last verified
- 2026-08-29
- Parameter
- Acknowledgement of a debt interrupts the limitation period and a fresh period begins
- Value
- interruption and restart
- Source
- BW art. 3:318 and 3:319
- Last verified
- 2026-08-30
- Parameter
- Register of collection service providers
- Value
- public register kept by Justis; status shown as active, suspended or removed
- Source
- Wki; justis.nl/registers/register-incassodienstverlening; supervision by Inspectie JenV
- Last verified
- 2026-08-31
Enforcement route
The applicable route for this jurisdiction is recorded as EU. The New York Convention applies to arbitral awards.
Practical constraints
Wki (ст. 2) охватывает только взыскание с физлиц-резидентов NL; B2B вне режима. С 01.10.2026 незарегистрированный провайдер не взыщет проценты и издержки
What we do here
Debtor in Netherlands?
The Debt Check is free and tells you whether the claim is worth pursuing.
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