Recover a debt from a customer abroad
A customer overseas is still a debtor you can recover from. What changes is who you instruct: the agency needs its own people or partner firms in the debtor’s country, and a plan for what happens if a demand is ignored.
- Decides interest and time limits
- The contract’s governing law
- UK judgments in the EU
- Claims from 1 July 2025: Hague 2019
- Who does the chasing
- People or partners in the debtor’s country
Three steps, about a minute
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Describe the debt
Amount, age, debtor location and type. About a minute.
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Compare them blind
Fees, minimum debt, coverage and rating side by side. No names, no logos.
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We introduce you
Pick one, the name is revealed, and they contact you to agree terms.
Start with your terms, because the law that governs the contract decides the interest you can add and how long you have to act. Where it is the law of England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland and you supplied from the UK, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act usually applies even though the customer is abroad: statutory interest at 8% plus the Bank of England base rate, and £40, £70 or £100 compensation per invoice. Where an EU country’s law governs, its version of the EU Late Payment Directive gives similar rights: interest of at least the European Central Bank reference rate plus eight percentage points, and at least €40 per invoice.
An invoice in euros or dollars is not a problem in itself, because a court in England and Wales can give judgment in a foreign currency. The harder question is whether a UK judgment will be recognised where the debtor’s money is. For claims started on or after 1 July 2025 against a debtor in an EU member state other than Denmark, the Hague Judgments Convention 2019 generally allows it, and an exclusive UK jurisdiction clause can bring in the Hague Choice of Court Convention 2005. Elsewhere it ranges from registering the judgment in some Commonwealth countries to suing again locally.
That is why most overseas debts go to an agency with people or partner firms in the debtor’s country: the demand arrives from someone local, in the debtor’s language, who can start local proceedings if the amicable stage fails. Collect Compare shows you vetted agencies that list international recovery, side by side on fee model, specialisms and track record, with names hidden until you choose. Free for creditors: the agency you choose pays for the introduction.
How to choose an agency for overseas debtors
- Which countries they cover with their own staff, and which through partner agencies or lawyers
- The fee model for overseas work, and how a local partner’s share changes the commission
- What legal action in the debtor’s country would cost if the amicable stage fails, and who would run it
- Whether demands go out in the debtor’s language, from someone in their time zone
How agencies charge for overseas debtors
Most use one of these, or a blend. The model matters more than the headline rate, because it decides what happens if the debt proves hard to collect.
- No win, no fee
- A share of what is recovered, nothing if nothing comes back.
- Commission
- A share of the recovery, sometimes with a small set-up charge.
- Fixed fee
- A set price per case or per letter, whatever the outcome.
- Blended
- A smaller share plus a modest fixed element.
Compare vetted agencies for overseas debtors
Answer a few quick questions and compare vetted agencies side by side, free.
Common questions about international debt recovery
Can I add statutory interest to an invoice owed by a customer abroad?
Usually, if your contract is governed by the law of a part of the UK and you supplied from here: the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act then applies whatever country the customer is in, giving interest at 8% plus the Bank of England base rate and £40, £70 or £100 per invoice. If the order went through on the customer’s terms and its own law governs, look to that law instead. EU countries give broadly equivalent rights under the Late Payment Directive.
Can I sue an overseas customer in a UK court?
Often, where your contract gives the courts of England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland jurisdiction, and with such a clause in favour of England and Wales a claim can usually be served abroad without first asking the court’s permission. Whether it is worth it depends on what comes next: a UK judgment only helps if it can be enforced where the debtor has money, or if the debtor has assets in the UK.
Will a UK judgment be enforced against a debtor in the EU?
For claims started on or after 1 July 2025, generally yes in EU member states other than Denmark, under the Hague Judgments Convention 2019 and subject to its conditions. An exclusive jurisdiction clause in favour of a UK court can also bring in the Hague Choice of Court Convention 2005. Older claims depend on each country’s own rules, which is why creditors often use the local fast-track payment-order procedures instead, through local lawyers.
What if my invoice is in euros or dollars?
You can still claim it. A court in England and Wales can give judgment in the currency of the contract, converted into pounds when it is paid or enforced, so a currency invoice is not lost by it. When you compare agencies, ask each for the cost in pounds for this debt so you can set the quotes side by side.
How long do I have to recover a debt from a customer abroad?
It depends on the law that governs the debt. Under the law of England and Wales a contract debt can generally be pursued for six years from when it fell due; Germany’s regular period is three years from the end of the year the claim arose, and France’s is generally five. Where you are not sure which law governs, treat the shortest plausible period as the real one.
General information, not legal advice. Statutory interest and compensation apply to qualifying commercial debts under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 - our free calculator works out what you can add, at the correct rate for your dates.
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