Italy combines sophisticated commercial law with famously slow court proceedings. Understanding the system's strengths and limitations is essential for foreign creditors.
Italy's fast-track payment order. The creditor applies to the Tribunale with documentary evidence. The court issues a decreto ingiuntivo without hearing the debtor. The debtor has 40 days to oppose. If no opposition, the decree becomes enforceable. Timeline: 4-8 weeks for uncontested claims.
For disputed claims, Italian courts are slow: 18-36 months in first instance, with appeals potentially extending to 5+ years. This makes the decreto ingiuntivo route critical for documented claims.
Bank account seizure (pignoramento presso terzi), property attachment (pignoramento immobiliare), and asset seizure (pignoramento mobiliare) through the Ufficiale Giudiziario.
10 years for ordinary commercial claims. 5 years for periodic payments.
Italian debtors are skilled at using procedural delays. Automatic 40-day opposition windows, multiple adjournments, and appeal rights create leverage for debtors who prefer to delay rather than pay. Professional agencies with Italian litigation experience navigate these tactics.
Our debt recovery agency with over 21 years of experience provides: Business to Business Collections Services, Legal Debt Collections and worldwide Skip Tracing services.
