How to Collect a Debt From a Dutch Company
Dutch companies are, on the whole, reliable payers. That is precisely why the ones that aren't tend to be good at it. They know how Dutch collection works, and they know that most foreign suppliers don't.
If you are a supplier in Denmark, the UK, the US or anywhere else, and a B.V. in Rotterdam, Eindhoven or Utrecht has stopped paying you, this guide sets out the sequence that Dutch finance teams take seriously, and the one step that changes their payment queue fastest.
What happens next if a Dutch company ignores your invoice?
Nothing, unless you can say what happens next. Well-run accounts payable teams, in the Netherlands as elsewhere, triage supplier pressure with a single question: and then what? "We will take legal action" fails it (which court, and when?). A tenth "final notice" fails it. A letter that names the next four steps passes it.
Try it on your own file before you write. Can you explain, in order, what you will do if the customer ignores your next letter, what it costs you, how long it takes, and what it does to the customer? If you stall at step two, so will your letter. The rest of this guide is those four steps.
What can you claim on top of a late invoice under Dutch law?
Three things, without needing a clause in your contract. Statutory commercial interest (wettelijke handelsrente) runs automatically from the due date at the ECB refinancing rate plus eight percentage points; if no payment term was agreed, the invoice is due 30 days after receipt. Under the EU Late Payment Directive you can claim at least €40 per invoice in compensation. And reasonable extrajudicial collection costs are recoverable; between businesses the statutory scale applies unless your contract sets something else.
Put all three in the demand, calculated to the day. Specific numbers read as preparation. "Plus interest and costs" reads as a template.
Can a creditor freeze a Dutch company's bank account before judgment?
Yes, and this is the step foreign creditors most often don't know exists. Dutch law allows a pre-judgment attachment (conservatoir beslag): your Dutch lawyer applies to the preliminary relief judge, without the debtor being heard, and leave is commonly granted within days. A bailiff then serves it on the debtor's bank, and the balance is frozen up to the amount of the claim.
Two conditions come with it. You must start the main proceedings within the period the judge sets, and if your claim later fails, you can be liable for the damage the freeze caused. It is a tool for clear, documented claims, not for disputes. Used properly, it changes the conversation: a frozen account moves an invoice from the bottom of the payment run to the top.
Which Dutch court hears a commercial debt claim?
It depends on the amount. Claims up to €25,000 go to the subdistrict court (kantonrechter), where companies can appear without a lawyer. Above €25,000, the case goes to the civil section of the district court (rechtbank), where a lawyer is mandatory. Either way, proceedings start with a summons (dagvaarding) served by a court bailiff (gerechtsdeurwaarder).
If the debtor doesn't respond, the court can give a default judgment, typically within weeks. A defended case takes months. Judgments are enforced by the bailiff, most often through an attachment of the debtor's bank account. If both parties agree in writing, commercial disputes can also be heard in English before the Netherlands Commercial Court in Amsterdam, though for an ordinary unpaid invoice that is rarely the efficient route.
Is a bankruptcy petition a legitimate way to collect a debt in the Netherlands?
It can be, in narrow circumstances. A Dutch creditor can ask the court to declare a debtor bankrupt if the debtor has stopped paying its debts; the court needs to see more than one creditor, and at least one claim that is due. The hearing is quick, and Dutch debtors know it, which is why the possibility alone concentrates minds.
It is not a tool for disputed claims: the court will reject a petition where the debt is genuinely contested. And if the company is declared bankrupt, you become an unsecured creditor in the queue. Treat it as a last resort for undisputed debts owed by a company that has stopped paying everyone.
| Route | What it achieves | Typical timing | Cost exposure | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formal demand with interest and costs | Moves you up the payment queue | 7–14 days to respond | Low | Solvent debtor, undisputed invoice |
| Pre-judgment bank attachment | Freezes the account balance up to the claim | Days to obtain leave | Lawyer and bailiff; liability if the claim fails | Clear documents, real risk of delay or dissipation |
| Summons at the kantonrechter or rechtbank | Enforceable judgment | Weeks if undefended, months if defended | Court fees; lawyer mandatory above €25,000 | Debtor silent or claim well documented |
| European Payment Order | EU-wide enforceable order | Typically a few months | Low court fees | Uncontested cross-border claim within the EU |
| Bankruptcy petition | Pressure, or liquidation | Weeks | Petition costs; you may end up unsecured | Undisputed debt, debtor has stopped paying generally |
How long does it take to collect a debt from a Dutch company?
For a solvent company and an undisputed invoice, a demand that names the next steps usually settles it within weeks. Where a pre-judgment attachment is needed, the timeline is set by how fast you move: leave can be obtained within days, and the freeze tends to produce a payment conversation well before the main proceedings finish. A defended court case takes months.
What makes it slow is almost always the creditor's preparation, not the Dutch system: an incorrect legal name, general terms that were never properly provided, or delivery evidence nobody can find.
What should you check before you start?
Start with a Chamber of Commerce (KvK) extract: the exact legal name and number (a holding B.V. and an operating B.V. are different debtors), the registered address, the directors and whether annual accounts are filed. Then check your paperwork. Under Dutch law, general terms and conditions must be made available to the customer before or when the contract is concluded; terms that were only printed on the invoice may be voidable. Gather the order, the delivery evidence and any written acknowledgment of the debt.
With those in order, every step in the table becomes faster, and your demand letter passes the "and then what?" test on the first reading.
If a Dutch customer has gone quiet on your invoice, tell us about it. We work with people on the ground in the Netherlands, on a no cure, no pay basis. Contact us.