ROUTE
Court Dunning Order & Debt Collection
A yellow court dunning order or a debt-collection letter? Do not pay blindly, do not ignore it. How to check the claim, object within 2 weeks and prevent an enforcement order.
β Checked: 20/07/2026
A yellow letter from the court and a letter from a debt collection agency carry very different weight, and confusing them is expensive. A collection demand is at first only mail from a private firm: on its own it enforces nothing. A court Mahnbescheid, by contrast, starts a clock after which the claim can be enforced, even if it is unfounded.
COSTS AND DEADLINES
Deadlines you cannot miss
- Objection against the Mahnbescheid: 2 weeks from serviceDunning Order: object within 2 weekshard deadline
- Einspruch against the enforcement order: 2 weeks from serviceDunning Order: enforcement order and next stepshard deadline
Amounts follow official fees as of each stepβs verification date. Your city may charge a different rate β check the step itself.
βΊ More about this route
When issuing it the court does not check whether you owe the money. It checks the form alone. Silence therefore works against you: without an objection the order becomes an enforceable title valid for decades.
This three-step route leads through the whole situation: how to examine the claim on its merits and spot inflated costs, how to file the Widerspruch within the two weeks allowed, and what happens next β including the enforcement order and protecting your income if enforcement has already begun.
WHERE PEOPLE MOST OFTEN LOSE MONEY AND TIME
- Ignoring court mail. Without a timely objection the order becomes a title, and the claim is considerably harder to challenge afterwards.
- Paying without checking the claim. Payment acknowledges it in full, including inflated collection costs and interest, and recovering that money is practically impossible.
- Signing an acknowledgement of debt or an instalment agreement. Such a signature interrupts the limitation period and restarts the clock, even on a disputed claim.
- Mistaking a collection letter for a court order. The first has no force on its own, the second starts deadlines β the envelope and the form show which is which.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ROUTE
How long is the deadline to object?βΎ
Two weeks from service of the court order. The objection form comes with it, no reasons are required at this stage, and only timely dispatch counts.
How does a collection letter differ from a Mahnbescheid?βΎ
A collection letter is a private firmβs demand, with no enforceability and no court deadlines. A Mahnbescheid is issued by the court, and only then do the two weeks begin.
Does the court check whether the claim is justified?βΎ
No, in this procedure the court examines only the formal details of the application. Whether the claim exists is decided after your objection, in ordinary contested proceedings.
What if the deadline has already passed?βΎ
Against the enforcement order an Einspruch remains, within two weeks of service. If that deadline has passed too, the question becomes protecting income and account rather than contesting the claim.