1. Costs - No Win No Fee! 

Having long standing relationships with all our overseas partners we have agreements to provide these services on a NO WIN NO FEE basis charging the agreed commission rate against monies recovered only. 

2. Coverage in Netherlands 

We cover all 12 provinces and 358 municipalities in Netherlands including the 3 overseas special municipalities in the Caribbean (Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius). Our local office is in Almere where we recover debts throughout all of Netherlands. 

3. Local Experience 

Unlike many of our competitors all cases are handled by the local office or partner. The reasons for this are they speak the debtors' language in this case Dutch and understand the local cultures and know all the legal processes. These are reasons why Creditreform are the ideal people to help you in collecting debts from overseas. 

4. Statute of Limitation in Netherlands 

In general it’s 5 years and once you have a court order it’s 20 years but there are many special exemptions so whatever the age please contact us and we will advise if we can assist with your claim 
Search a country below for debt collection: 

How to Instruct Us 

We simply require the following details: 
Full name & address of the debtor 
All available contact details of the debtor i.e. contact name(s) / Tel / Mobile / Email(s) 
Amount owed (Invoice(s) or Statement will help) 
PLEASE CALL US ON +44 121 442 5330 FOR FURTHER DETAILS 
Or ask us to call you – just leave us your details: 

Netherlands Debt Collection – No Win No Fee 

Creditreform operates a global specialist International debt collections service. We have local offices and fully approved expert international debt collection agency partners in every country worldwide. All our International debt collection agency partners and offices operate on a No Win No Fee basis charging an agreed commission against monies recovered only. 
 
Main reasons why a local country debt recovery agency is so important rather than trying to recover from a debt collection agency UK are as follows: 
 
The local International Debt collection Partners know: 
 
The local cultures 
The languages 
The laws 
Are in the same time zones 
 
Herewith details of our debt collection service Netherlands: 

Location of debt recovery office in Netherlands? 

Almere. All debt collection letters are sent by the local head office. 

Number of debt collection staff? 

10. Each staff member is allocated a client and all their debt collection letters are personalised in order to effect the best response result s from debtors. 

How long have you been operating a debt recovery service in Netherlands? 

We have been operating a European debt collection service on a no win no fee basis in Netherlands since 1997. Netherlands is included on our debt collection agency list

What type of debt collection services do you provide? Do you do commercial debt recovery (B2B) and consumer debt recovery (B2C)? 

We handle both Business to Business debt recovery cases and Business to Consumer debt collections cases. There is different content for business to business debt collection letter templates and business to consumer debt collection letters templates

Statue of Limitation in Netherlands? 

In general it’s 5 years and once you have a court order it’s 20 years. 
 
Netherlands civil litigation statute of limitations is a law that time limits a plaintiff’s right to bring a claim against a defendant. The statute of limitations in Netherlands is 5 years. However, if an action has been taken within this time then the statute of limitations time will be extended to account for this. Once the specified time period elapses then no action can be taken through the legal processes unless the plaintiff is able to prove exceptional circumstances. Other Statute of Limitations include: 
 
Netherlands Open Account Years – 5 years for B2B and 2 years for B2C 
Netherlands Promissory Notes – 6 years 
Netherlands Written Contracts – 5 years for B2B and 2 years for B2C 
Netherlands Oral Agreements – 5 years for B2B and 2 years for B2C 

How EU (European Union) laws effect debt collection in Netherlands? 

GDPR and legal procedures (EPO) have an effect. Other than that, we also have a set of laws/regulations for debt collection in the Netherlands e.g. with regard to the interest and costs. 
 
Netherlands has been a European Union (EU) member country since 1958, Euro area member since 1999 and Schengen area member since 1995. 

How many companies registries in Netherlands for businesses (i.e. UK has just 1 central registry)? 

In the Netherlands we have one, the Kamer van Koophandel or Chamber of Commerce. 
 
There is 1 company registry in Netherlands which is called The Netherlands: Trade Register — company search, maintained by Kamer van Koophandel located at De Ruijterkade 5, 1013 AA Amsterdam, Netherlands. 
 
We have access to Netherlands Company Registry searches to find out who further background information on all Netherlands companies. 

What is the debt collection process in Netherlands? 

After the amicable procedure (communication by debt recovery letter, call, e-mail etc… and setting us a payment plan) we can start a legal procedure. Up to the amount of € 25.000 we do not need to instruct a law office but can act in court ourselves. 

Average length of time to collect a debt? 

It depends on the case. Can be within a week, can be years but in general one could say that we try to solve the file within a timeframe of 4 months. It depends if a client has B2B collection or B2C clients only and the services or goods they delivered. 

Can late payment fees / interest to be added to claims? 

In case of a B2C claim, there is a true set of rules that one must follow. If you do not do that, you can NOT add any costs. Dutch court does not take into account that a creditor has terms and conditions that state differently. 
In case of a B2B claim, costs can be added if parties have agreed to so it must be in the conditions of the creditor and if not or if not signed, the B2B debtor will fall under the costs regime of a B2C claim. 

Details on legal service / process in Netherlands? 

A default court order can be reached within approximately 10 to 12 weeks and in case of a disputed claim, the client must be aware of the fact that the court will quickly call for a meeting of parties (which we can represent or our lawyer can represent). In can even be -in case of a heavily disputed claim- that the court will order the creditor to appear in court in person so not represented but truly the creditor. 
 
Claims up to Eur. 25000; Kantongerecht. No lawyer needed 
Claims over Eur. 25000; representation by lawyer required 
Court costs based on the amount of the claim. 
Claims up to Eur 500 – court fees are Eur 121 
Claims over Eur 500 to Eur 12500 – court fees are Eur 486 
Claims over Eur 12500 to Eur 25000 – court fees are Eur 972 
Claims from Eur 25000 to Eur 100000 – court fees are Eur 1992 
Claims over Eur. 100,000 – court fees are Eur 4030 
Bailiffs are the only ones that may serve legal documents and execute court orders and clearly, they will charge you for that too. Costs are recoverable for a large part. Lawyer costs can be recovered according to set regulations 
 
Consumer (B2C) debt 
 
Interest rate for consumer debtors is 2% (2019) 
Final reminder is a must “14 days notice” 
Collection costs are fixed by law: 
Populair name is WIK: Wet Incasso Kosten (law on collection costs) 
Official name is BIK: Besluit vergoeding voor buitengerechtelijke incassokosten (regulation regarding compensation of amicable collection costs) dates from March 2012, became effective on July 1st, 2012. 
 
1. Course of the proceedings 
 
The plaintiff served a summons on the defendant on 4th September 2023. This summons contained the incorrect address of the Rechtbank (court) Noord-Holland, Chamber for Cantonal Affairs, Haarlem location. Following the interim judgment of the district court, the plaintiff filed an application for reinstatement on 18th October 2023. The court issued an order for reinstatement on 18th October 2023. A default judgement was issued against the defendant. 
 
2. The judgement 
 
2.1 The plaintiff requests that the defendant be ordered to pay € 695.60 plus statutory interest on this amount from 25 August 2023. In addition, it requests that order the defendant to pay the costs of the proceedings plus statutory interest. 
 
(Pre-)contractual information obligations 
 
2.2 The claim is based on a contract between a company/trader and a consumer. When concluding such contracts, the statutory (pre-)contractual information obligations of Book 6, Title 5, Section 2B of the Dutch Civil Code (BW) must be fulfilled in order to protect the consumer. Compliance with these obligations must be justified and documented. The district court must ensure ex officio that these requirements are met, i.e. even if no defense has been put forward. See, inter alia, the judgment of the Supreme Court of 12 November 2021 (ECLI:NL:HR:2021:1677). 
 
2.3 In the opinion of the Local Court, the plaintiff did not sufficiently demonstrate and prove that it had complied with its (pre-)contractual information obligations. This is because the plaintiff failed to submit a readable version of the contract concluded between the parties. Although the plaintiff submitted the contract as Production 1, this submission is so poorly readable that the court cannot examine whether the plaintiff has fulfilled its (pre-)contractual obligations. 
 
What is the consequence of this? 
2.4 Pursuant to Article 111(2)(d) of the Code of Civil Procedure (Rv), the summons must state the claim and its grounds, and pursuant to Section 21 Rv, the claimant must fully and truthfully state the facts relevant to the judgement. 
2.5 The applicant has not fulfilled these requirements. The action is therefore dismissed. 
2.6 The legal costs shall be borne by the claimant if he is wrongly convicted. These have been set to zero on the defendant's side to date 
 
3. The decision 
The judge of the court: 
 
3.1 The action is dismissed 
3.2 The plaintiff shall bear the costs of the proceedings, which have so far been set at zero for the defendant. Defendant to be set at zero. 

Netherlands Business Credit Reports 

Creditreform provides over 88 million international business credit reports throughout Europe and 200 million international business credit reports worldwide. We provide freshly investigated Netherlands Credit Reports which can be done prior to trading to make sure the company you will be dealing with can meet the commitment or once the debt becomes overdue to ensure the debtor can meet the amount owed. 

Netherlands Skip Tracing Agents 

Creditreform’s debt collection company service also uses expert local Netherlands tracing agent services to locate any absconded debtor. This debtor tracing service is provided on a No Find No Fee basis only charging for a successful trace. 

Specialist Debt Recovery Experts 

There are many unique requirements to recovering international debts in all countries including The Netherlands debt collection services which differ from the UK and therefore it is very important that cases are handled directly by our expert international debt collection agencies and not from debt collectors UK. This method of international debt collection sets Creditreform aside from the competition who in many cases try and recover debts from a UK debt collector only. Using the local offices and partners enables us to achieve a far greater success rate and our No Win No Fee service together with competitive commission rates against monies recovered only ensures you get the best service. 

European Payment Order in Netherlands 

The Netherlands introduced the European Order of Payment (EOP) Regulation Implementing Act (Uitvoeringswet (EBB-Vo) of 29 May 2009 to implement the EOP 
The European order for payment (EOP) procedure has been established for claims in excess of €2,000 in the Netherlands. 
 
In the Netherlands the District Court (Rechtbank) of The Hague has been designated as the competent court for dealing with applications under the European order for payment procedure. The Netherlands has opted only to accept forms presented in Dutch for the purposes of this procedure. The court dealing with an application for a European order for payment will charge court fees. 

What language should the application be made in Netherlands? 

In the Netherlands, Dutch is the official language of court proceedings. Writs, summons or the (written) application initiating proceedings must be drawn up in Dutch. As an exception, procedural documents in a case pending before a court established in the province of Friesland may be drawn up in Frisian. 

What Courts are used in Netherlands? 

In general most proceedings are initiated in the District Courts. There are 11 district courts in the Netherlands and each court is made up of several divisions: 
 
Civil law (disputes between citizens), Administrative law (citizen versus government), Criminal law (offences), Local cases (kantonzaken, relating for example to rents, debts, appeals against traffic fines, employment disputes, and minor offences) 
 
The Supreme Court (Hoge Raad) is the highest court in the Netherlands in civil, criminal and tax law. The Supreme Court can overturn judgments, in particular those of the appeal courts (whose judgments can be challenged in the Supreme Court on points of law, a process known as cassatie). The Supreme Court is also responsible for ensuring legal uniformity and the development of Dutch law. 

Mediation (Alternative Dispute Resolution - ADR) in Netherlands 

There are various registers of mediators in the Netherlands. The Dutch Mediators’ Federation (Mediatorsfederatie Nederland, MfN) manages the Register of Mediators (previously known as the NMI Register). The MfN is the federation representing the largest mediators’ associations in the Netherlands. Its register contains only mediators who meet carefully considered quality standards. The Dutch government uses the MfN’s standards as the basis for the register of mediators who work under the legal aid system (register of the Legal Aid Board (Raad voor Rechtsbijstand)). There is also the ADR International Register. 
Mediation is mainly used in civil cases and public-law cases. Mediation in criminal cases has also been possible for a number of years. 
 
Recourse to mediation is entirely voluntary. The law does not require the participating parties to sign a mediation agreement, which is an agreement with clauses on such matters as confidentiality and the representation of the parties. Under the MfN’s 2017 Mediation Regulation (Mediationreglement 2017), however, parties who use the services of an MfN mediator must sign a mediation agreement. 
 
MfN mediators must abide by the MfN’s code of conduct and comply with its Mediation Regulation. Anyone who has a complaint about a mediator’s work can file it with the Mediators Quality Foundation (Stichting Kwaliteit Mediators, SKM). 
 
The cost of mediation are based on the skills, experience and qualifications held by the mediators and on the duration of the mediation process and the number of times the mediator is consulted. On average, a mediator costs around EUR 150 per hour. 

Can Statutory Interest Rate be added in Netherlands? 

The Netherlands does have statutory interest. This is the interest which a creditor can legally demand in the event of a late payment. 
 
Statutory interest for non-commercial transactions is 2%. Statutory interest for commercial transactions is 8%. 

Netherlands Debt Collection Partners in the following Dutch Cities: 

What is the legal system in Netherlands? 

The Netherlands legal system is based on Napoleonic code with German law influence. 

What is the name of the Government Gazette in Netherlands? 

The Gazettes in Netherlands are called Staatsblad (Laws) and Staatscourant (Regulations). 

Which countries border Netherlands? 

Netherlands is in Western Europe which shares borders to the east with Germany and south by Belgium

Who are the main trading partners for Netherlands? 

The major trading partners for Netherlands are Germany, Belgium, France, United Kingdom, USA and China

What is the Supreme Court in Netherlands? 

The Supreme Courts for Netherlands are called 
The Supreme Court of the Netherlands (Hoge Raad der Nederlanden) which is officially called the High Council of the Netherlands. The Court was established on 1 October 1838 and is located in The Hague. It also applies in Curaçao, Sint Maarten and Aruba
The Council of State (Raad van State) which was established on 1st October 1931. 

Netherlands Debt Collection Agency FAQs 

1. How does a Debt collection agency in Netherlands recover overdue debts? 

The debt collection process is initiated by an introductory letter to your debtor stating the amount owed to you and informing them of our involvement. Letters are then followed up with emails and telephone calls. From our experience the most effective part of this process will be the outsourcing to a third party debt collection agency in Netherlands as the debtor now has to resolve the debt and can no longer hide or provide lame excuses. 

2. How long does the debt recovery agency in Netherlands take to process a case? 

The debt collection case will be processed immediately up receipt and a letter sent normally by email and post. You will receive an automated confirmation by return. 

3. What is the success rate for debt collection agencies in Netherlands? 

The success rate of the debt recovery case depends on a number of factors including the solvency of the debtor and whether the case has a legitimate dispute. Our aim is to recover every debt that is recoverable. 

4. Does the debt recovery agency in Netherlands operate a No Win No Fee debt collection? 

We take on all debt collection cases on No Win No Fee basis only charging the agreed commission against monies recovered. 

5. Why use a local debt recovery agency Netherlands? 

The reasons for using a local Netherlands debt collection agency than processing from a different country is the debt collector in Netherlands speaks the local language, knows the local laws and operates in the same time zones. 

6. Are there any debts too old or too small for Netherlands debt collection? 

We will assess all debt cases, irrelevant of age and size and then advise the best processes to recover these through the Netherlands debt collector. 

7. How do I instruct the debt collectors in Netherlands? 

Instructing the debt collectors Netherlands is a simple process. You just email details of the debt, debtor and amount to be recovered and the case can be initiated. 

8. What evidence do I need to provide when instructing the Netherlands debt collector? 

When instructing the debt collector in Netherlands just provide copies of invoices/statements, debtor contact details and any relevant information you may have to assist with the recovery process. 

9. Who does the debtor pay? 

In general the debt collector in Netherlands will request payments to be sent directly to the client but if not possible for any reasons will take payment directly. If payment is taken then cleared funds will be processed and sent to client straight away. 

10. Can I instruct multiple cases? 

You can send unlimited debt case instructions. Our systems will automate volume cases to meet your requirements. 

11. Can you trace debtors in Netherlands? 

Through our network of skip tracing agents we have an extremely high success rate of locating your absconded debtor. 

12. How long does the debt collection process take? 

On average the debt collections process takes 90 days to resolve an amicable debt recovery case. There are a number of factors that can delay this process but we will keep you informed every step of the way. 

13. What are my options if debt collection in Netherlands is not successful? 

If the debt recovery service is not successful we will advise you of your options including legal actions. Please note no legal actions or other processes will be taken without prior instruction from you. 
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