Cross-border recovery
Recovering an unpaid invoice from a French debtor
A five-step process designed so that a foreign creditor takes no financial risk and loses no time.
01
Free assessment of your claim
Send us the invoice, the contract or purchase order and the exchanges with your debtor. We assess enforceability, evidence and the debtor's solvency at no cost.
02
A French lawyer is appointed
We mandate a lawyer from our network, admitted before the competent French court. Obligatio advances 100% of the fees — you pay nothing upfront.
03
Formal notice within 48 hours
A letter from a French lawyer changes the balance of power immediately: many debtors settle at this stage rather than face proceedings at home.
04
Summary proceedings (référé)
Based on experience we favour référé before the President of the Commercial Court: it produces an enforceable title very quickly and, unlike an injunction to pay, cannot be opposed afterwards.
05
Enforcement and payment
With the enforceable title, a French bailiff seizes bank accounts or receivables. Recovered sums are transferred to you; our fee is indexed on what is actually collected.
Frequently asked questions
- We are based outside France — can you still act for us?
- Yes. Most of our foreign clients never travel: the mandate is signed remotely and all reporting is in English. What matters is where the debtor and its assets are, not where you are.
- Why not use a European Payment Order ourselves?
- You can, but the title still has to be enforced in France, with French formalities and a French bailiff. Going straight to a French lawyer usually saves several months and avoids procedural mistakes that give the debtor grounds to challenge.
- What does it cost?
- Nothing upfront. Obligatio advances all lawyer fees and is remunerated only on the sums actually recovered. If nothing is recovered, you owe nothing.
- How old can the invoice be?
- Commercial claims in France are generally time-barred after five years, but the older the debt, the harder recovery becomes. Send it to us as soon as the amicable phase stalls.