🇫🇷 Country guides

Debt collection and enforcing a judgment in France

How creditors recover debts in France: the injonction de payer, the commissaire de justice small-claims route, attachment, and EU enforcement.

LG
The LawyerGo Team
· 6 min read
Debt collection and enforcing a judgment in France

France offers a quick judicial route for undisputed sums and a streamlined option for smaller debts.

The injonction de payer

The order to pay (injonction de payer) lets a creditor obtain an enforceable order for an undisputed claim without a full hearing; the debtor can object and trigger ordinary proceedings.

The small-debt route

For smaller undisputed money claims (under a statutory threshold, historically around €5,000), a simplified procedure run by a commissaire de justice — the merged bailiff/huissier profession — can produce a title without going before a judge, if the debtor agrees.

Enforcement

A commissaire de justice enforces a title by attachment (saisie) of bank accounts, wages or goods.

Cross-border recovery

The European Payment Order applies to cross-border claims, and EU judgments are enforced in France under Brussels Ia.

For foreign creditors

A verified French colleague can choose the injonction or the simplified route and instruct the commissaire de justice — or enforce your EU judgment.

Thresholds and procedure change — confirm with admitted French counsel.

LG
The LawyerGo Team
Editorial

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