Debt Collection Agency Germany: B2B Recovery Guide

4–6 weeksMahnverfahren ZPO §§688-703d

Base+9ppBGB §288 B2B interest

EUR 38Min. court fee KV 1100 GKG

How a Debt Collection Agency in Germany Actually Works

3 years§195 BGB limitationJahresultimo rule §199 BGB

Base+9pp§288 BGB B2BEZB Basiszinssatz + 9pp

EUR 40§288(5) BGBPer invoice, no proof needed

RDGRechtsdienstleistungsgesetzMandatory agency registration

4–6 wkMahnverfahrenUncontested Mahnbescheid

Collection process

1

Formal demand + interest calculation

Mahnung citing §288 BGB (base+9pp) + EUR 40 per invoice. Verzug automatic after 30d under §286(3) BGB — no separate reminder required for B2B. Run Creditreform check.

2

Mahnverfahren ZPO §§688-703d

File online at online-mahnantrag.de. Court issues Mahnbescheid — debtor has 14 days for Widerspruch. No opposition → Vollstreckungsbescheid → full enforceable title in 4-6 weeks.

3

Gerichtsvollzieher enforcement

Bailiff serves title, attempts direct collection, seizes movables. Vermögensauskunft (§802c ZPO): debtor must disclose all assets. Bank garnishment (Pfändungs- und Überweisungsbeschluss) most effective.

Germany rewards creditors who move early. The Mahnverfahren is not improvisational — it follows the statute. An uncontested file produces an enforceable title in 4-6 weeks. The bottleneck is almost never the court — it is the creditor's own file: missing delivery notes, unsigned general terms, or invoices in an unagreed currency.

German vs European Limitation Periods

JurisdictionLimitationNotes

Germany

3 years

§195 BGB — Jahresultimo: clock runs to 31 Dec of year claim arose

3 yrsJahresultimo

France

5 years

Art.2224 Code civil — interruptible by burofax/mise en demeure

5 yrs

Spain

5 years

Art.1964 CC — Law 42/2015 (old 15yr now 5yr since Oct 2015)

5 yrs

UK (E&W)

6 years

§5 Limitation Act 1980 — restartable by written acknowledgment

6 yrs

Italy

10 years

Art.2946 c.c. — restarts fully each time per Art.2943

10 yrs

Germany (RDG)

Licensed only

Rechtsdienstleistungsgesetz — unlicensed collection is regulatory breach

Mandatory

How does debt collection work in Germany?

Three phases: amicable demand (§288 BGB interest + EUR 40), Mahnverfahren (§§688-703d ZPO, 4-6 weeks uncontested), enforcement by Gerichtsvollzieher (§802c Vermögensauskunft). Licensed Inkasso (RDG) or Rechtsanwalt required. Limitation: 3 years from Jahresultimo (§195/§199 BGB).