Resources
A practical, jurisdiction-aware playbook for cross-border B2B and B2C receivables — and why a single Cyprus-based team coordinating local-law collections in 150+ countries beats instructing foreign firms one at a time.
International debt recovery is rarely one process — it is the same commercial objective expressed through five or six very different legal systems. The limitation clock, the interest rate, the pre-action letter, the court fast-track and the enforcement tools all change at the border. The fastest, cheapest way to recover cross-border receivables is to apply the local rule from day one, under one coordinating contract.
The coordinator opens the file, validates the underlying contract, invoices and proof of delivery, and runs a debtor profile (corporate registry, beneficial ownership, credit signals) in the debtor's country before any contact is made.
First-party style outreach by phone and written demand in the debtor's local language, framed under the local late-payment statute. Most B2B files settle in this stage when the demand is credible and references the correct law.
Formal letter before action from a vetted local-law firm, citing the applicable interest rate and recovery fees (e.g. EU Directive 2011/7, UK Late Payment Act, UAE Commercial Transactions Law). A short statutory window typically follows before legal action is filed.
Local counsel files under the local fast-track route — German Mahnverfahren, French injonction de payer, Italian decreto ingiuntivo, English County Court claim, US state court, UAE Payment Order. The coordinator manages SLAs and reports milestones back in English.
Once a title is obtained, enforcement runs locally (bank attachment, charging orders, third-party debt orders, asset seizure, insolvency petition). Recovered funds are consolidated and remitted by the coordinator in the creditor's currency on a single reconciliation line.
The same unpaid invoice triggers very different procedures depending on where the debtor sits. The summaries below are the ones our network applies most often.
EU Directive 2011/7 sets 30-day public / 60-day B2B payment terms, with statutory interest of ≥ 8% above the ECB reference rate plus a €40 recovery fee. Limitation typically runs 3–10 years. Each state offers a fast-track payment order (Mahnverfahren, injonction de payer, decreto ingiuntivo) usable before full litigation.
Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 — 8% above Bank of England base + fixed compensation. Limitation Act 1980 — 6 years for simple contract debts. County Court / High Court enforcement, with charging orders, third-party debt orders and statutory demands ahead of winding-up.
Consumer collections governed by FDCPA / Regulation F — strict contact, disclosure and dispute rules. Commercial collections are state-regulated with most states requiring an agency licence. Limitation ranges from 3 to 10 years. Cross-border enforcement via state courts or, for awards, the New York Convention.
UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait apply a civil-law framework with commercial-court fast-tracks. UAE Payment Order Procedure under Federal Decree-Law No. 42 of 2022 issues an enforceable order in 3–5 working days against a written, due claim. Limitation generally 10 years for written contracts.
Common-law jurisdictions (Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, India) and civil-law jurisdictions (Japan, South Korea, China) operate side by side. Statutory demand routes are widely used as commercial pressure. China requires careful service via the Hague Convention and recognition of foreign judgments is selective.
Most LATAM jurisdictions (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia) provide an executive title route (acción ejecutiva / ação de execução) when the debt is supported by a signed instrument such as a promissory note or accepted invoice. Limitation periods generally 3–10 years.
Cyprus sits at the legal and logistical crossroads of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with an English common-law commercial tradition, EU membership and an established financial-services sector. That makes it a natural seat for a coordinating team that instructs local-law collections everywhere else.
Submit your debtor file and we will route it to vetted local-law counsel in the right jurisdiction — under one contract, one SLA and one reconciliation line.
This guide is provided for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Specific cases require analysis by qualified counsel in the relevant jurisdiction.
