Debt Collection Switzerland: The Betreibung System Explained

10 daysRechtsvorschlag — shortest opposition in major Europe

Art.127 OR10-year general limitation — most B2B supply contracts

5% p.a.Art.104 OR — statutory default interest (lower than EU)

The Betreibung: Swiss Federal Debt Enforcement Step by Step

10 daysRechtsvorschlagShortest opposition window — debtor misses = straight to enforcement

Art.82 SchKGProv. RechtsöffnungSigned contract/invoice = Schuldanerkennung — fastest path

Art.80 SchKGDef. RechtsöffnungEnforceable judgment required — Swiss or Lugano-recognised

KonkursCorporate debtorsBankruptcy threat — damages credit/reputation/banking immediately

Art.135 ORInterrupts limitationFiling Betreibung restarts clock — file even if debtor will oppose

Swiss SchKG enforcement

1

Betreibungsbegehren → Zahlungsbefehl → 10-day window

File Betreibungsbegehren at debtor’s Betreibungsamt (registered seat or domicile). Office issues Zahlungsbefehl in 3-14 days. Debtor: 10 days to file Rechtsvorschlag OR 20 days to pay. No opposition + no payment = Fortsetzung der Betreibung. Individuals: Pfändung (asset/salary/bank account attachment). Companies: Konkursandrohung (bankruptcy threat) + Konkurs if unpaid. Betreibungsregisterauszug: public debt register — entry alone harms commercial reputation, credit access, banking relationships.

2

Rechtsöffnung: lifting the opposition efficiently

Debtor files Rechtsvorschlag → Betreibung paused → creditor obtains Rechtsöffnung from cantonal judge. TWO TRACKS: (1) Provisorische Rechtsöffnung Art.82 SchKG: signed contract/invoice = Schuldanerkennung → fastest path, available without judgment. (2) Definitive Rechtsöffnung Art.80 SchKG: requires enforceable judgment (Swiss or foreign recognised via Lugano). Without either: full civil claim 12-24 months. Strategy: signed supply agreements = Art.82 path = weeks not months.

3

Lugano Convention vs Brussels I Recast — the exequatur trap

Brussels I Recast (1215/2012): EU judgments without exequatur — does NOT apply to Switzerland. Lugano Convention 2007: EU+CH+NO+IS — REQUIRES exequatur (4-10 weeks) before EU judgment enters Swiss enforcement. EU instruments not available in CH: EOP Reg.1896/2006, EEO Reg.805/2004, ESCP Reg.861/2007. For creditors with solid documentation: direct Betreibung is typically faster than building a foreign judgment + Lugano exequatur.

Switzerland sits outside Brussels I Recast. The Betreibung system has one structural advantage that rewards early action: the 10-day Rechtsvorschlag window is the shortest in any major European jurisdiction. File early, while the debtor’s attention is elsewhere, and you improve the odds of catching a non-opposition — which means straight to enforcement without a judgment. No opposition = a creditor’s best outcome in Switzerland.

Swiss limitation + enforcement vs EU

DimensionSwitzerlandComparison

General commercial limitation

10 years Art.127 OR

Most B2B supply contracts, service agreements — longer than DE (3yr), FR (5yr)

Art.127 OR

Specific claims (rent, fees, retail goods)

5 years Art.128 OR

Periodic claims, professional fees, artisanal work — classify carefully

Art.128 OR

Statutory default interest

5% p.a. Art.104 OR

Materially lower than EU Dir.2011/7 (~8%+ECB) — contractual clause matters more in CH

Art.104 OR

Opposition window

10 days shortest

DE 14d / UK 14d / ES 20d / FR 30d / IT 40d — Swiss is fastest for creditor

SchKG Art.74

Cross-border from EU

Lugano 2007

Exequatur required 4-10 weeks — direct Betreibung usually faster for documented claims

Lugano 2007

Limitation interruption

Art.135 OR

Filing Betreibung interrupts limitation — file purely to preserve claim near deadline

Art.135 OR

How does debt collection work in Switzerland?

Schuldbetreibung under SchKG: Betreibungsbegehren → Zahlungsbefehl served (3-14 days) → 10 days Rechtsvorschlag OR 20 days to pay → no opposition → Fortsetzung → Pfändung (individuals) or Konkursandrohung/Konkurs (companies). Limitation: Art.127 OR 10yr general / Art.128 OR 5yr specific. Art.135 OR: filing Betreibung interrupts limitation — use even if debtor will oppose. Cross-border from EU: Lugano 2007 — exequatur required 4-10 weeks vs direct Betreibung.