Aanmaning, incasso, deurwaarder: debt letters step by step
Published: August 3, 2026 · 3 min read · The Letrin team
Dutch words in this post
Hover over an underlined word in the text (tap it on a phone) and see what it means straight away.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| betalingsherinnering | payment reminder · The first, friendly reminder; usually no extra costs |
| aanmaning | formal notice of default · Means the stage where costs get added has been reached |
| veertiendagenbrief | fourteen-day letter · The legal last chance to pay without costs; it must grant 14 days |
| incassobureau | collection agency · A private company; it has no official powers |
| dagvaarding | court summons |
| verstek | default judgment · If you do not answer the court, you lose automatically |
| vonnis | court judgment |
| deurwaarder | bailiff · Comes in after the judgment; this one does have real powers |
| loonbeslag | wage garnishment |
| beslagvrije voet | protected minimum income · The amount that must be left to you to live on, even during a seizure |
| schuldhulpverlening | free debt help · Support the municipality offers at no cost |
In the Netherlands an unpaid invoice does not stay one letter; it turns into a series of letters, and each one costs more than the one before. Knowing where in the chain you are is the difference between paying 50 euro and 300 euro for the same invoice.
The chain, step by step
1. Friendly reminder: betalingsherinneringpayment reminder · The first, friendly reminder; usually no extra costs
A polite note saying "we have not seen your payment". Usually no costs yet. Often the invoice really did slip past you; pay it and the matter is closed.
2. Formal notice: aanmaningformal notice of default · Means the stage where costs get added has been reached and the fourteen-day letter
Now it is official. For consumers the law is clear: before costs may be added, you must receive a last-chance letter. It is called a veertiendagenbrieffourteen-day letter · The legal last chance to pay without costs; it must grant 14 days; once it reaches you it must grant 14 days to pay without costs and state plainly what the costs will be if you do not. Collection costs are capped by law as well: at least 40 euro, and for ordinary invoices at most 15 % of the first 2,500 euro.
If a letter demands vague "administrative costs" without following this order, those costs are usually not legally owed, even if the invoice itself is.
3. Collection agency: incassobureaucollection agency · A private company; it has no official powers
The debt has been handed to a collection agency. The tone gets harder, but one important fact does not change: an incassobureaucollection agency · A private company; it has no official powers has no official powers. It cannot seize anything, cannot enter your home, cannot touch your wages. It writes, it calls, and at most it tells the creditor to go to court. These companies now have to be registered too; unregistered companies and invented costs are things you can dispute.
4. Court and enforcement: dagvaardingcourt summons, deurwaarderbailiff · Comes in after the judgment; this one does have real powers
A dagvaardingcourt summons is a court summons; answer it, because if you do not you lose by default (verstekdefault judgment · If you do not answer the court, you lose automatically) and all the costs are added. After the judgment (vonniscourt judgment) the deurwaarderbailiff · Comes in after the judgment; this one does have real powers steps in, and this one does have real powers: wage garnishment (loonbeslagwage garnishment), seizure of accounts and belongings. Even at that stage there is protection: the beslagvrije voetprotected minimum income · The amount that must be left to you to live on, even during a seizure guarantees that the minimum income you need to live on stays with you.
Stopping the chain works the same way at every step
- Talking always beats silence. Instalments are possible and perfectly ordinary at every step. Propose in writing a monthly amount you can genuinely keep up.
- Dispute in writing whatever is wrong. Is the amount wrong, was the subscription cancelled, has it already been paid? Say so in writing straight away. A disputed claim is handled differently.
- Check the fourteen-day letter. If a proper veertiendagenbrieffourteen-day letter · The legal last chance to pay without costs; it must grant 14 days is missing, the collection costs (not the invoice itself) can usually be struck off.
- If debts are piling up, the municipality's free debt help (schuldhulpverleningfree debt help · Support the municipality offers at no cost) can talk to all creditors at once. The earlier, the more options.
Why the language barrier is expensive right here
This chain does not punish the ill-intentioned; it punishes the uninformed. A veertiendagenbrieffourteen-day letter · The legal last chance to pay without costs; it must grant 14 days you cannot read looks no different from an advertising leaflet, but its 14 days run all the same.
Letrin reads the letter from a photo and tells you in English: which step of the chain you are on, what the amount is, whether the costs demanded look within the legal cap, when the deadline is and what you should do. It reminds you before the deadline.
The explanation helps; it is not legal advice. If the deurwaarderbailiff · Comes in after the judgment; this one does have real powers is at the door, or you are disputing a claim: Juridisch Loket and the municipality's sociaal raadslieden are free.