How do I collect an unpaid bill abroad?

For a company, marketing its products or services abroad is always an attractive proposition.
In France, getting payment for these invoices is already sometimes complicated, so what about an invoice from a debtor based abroad?
If your customer-debtor decides not to pay, how can you recover your foreign invoice?
Discover our advice and support for international debt collection.

International invoice collection procedures

There are a number of procedures for collecting a debt issued from France against a foreign customer.
But in the majority of cases, these procedures are carried out on the basis of French law.
In the case of European countries, you may have a chance of recovering your unpaid invoice, but the procedure is long and cumbersome.
We recommend that you use a network of international collection agencies .
In this way, your invoice is monitored and processed by a contact person in the debtor’s country.

Recover unpaid invoices in the debtor’s country

Thanks to our integration in the Sekundi network, we are in contact with numerous collection professionals in Europe.
These professionals are experts in their field, and have a thorough knowledge of their country’s collection procedures.
Collection is therefore initiated in each party’s native language, for better understanding.
Our promise:

• A partner collection company in each country.
• Negotiation in the debtor’s language, with the country’s commercial and legal specificities.
• Pay-as-you-go, one-time pricing.
• A single point of contact for global management of local actions.
• We follow up your files with appropriate reporting.

A word of caution: the statute of limitations for international B2B receivables

As in France, unpaid bills cannot be recovered indefinitely.
There are statutes of limitations that restrict you in time.
This means that it will not be possible to collect your unpaid invoice if this time limit is exceeded.

Summary of prescription times by sector and country :

  It is important to note other specificities linked to prescription periods in the country.
For example, the date of application.
In most cases, the limitation period begins as soon as the debt is due and payable (i.e., after the 30-day period in France).
We’re talking here about the receivable, not the invoice issue date.
However, there are some notable exceptions, depending on the country.
In Germany and Poland, for example , the limitation period begins at the end of the year in which the claim was generated.

Signing contracts with international players is not to be taken lightly.
It’s an undeniable opportunity for your company, but one that must be properly managed. By anticipating potential collection problems, you’ll gain peace of mind and improve your payment times.
To find out more about our services, please contact us.