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Court · Germany

Vollstreckungsbescheid — the enforcement order, and the last simple way to stop it

A Vollstreckungsbescheid is the second stage of the court dunning procedure, issued because no objection was made to an earlier Mahnbescheid. It is the last chance to stop the claim with a simple objection.

How serious: enforcement closeAlso called: VB, enforcement order from the Mahngericht

A Vollstreckungsbescheid is an enforcement order from the Mahngericht. It is issued because you did not object to an earlier Mahnbescheid, and it is the second, far more serious stage of the court dunning procedure.

By law it is equivalent to a provisionally enforceable default judgment (ZPO §700). That means the creditor can already send the bailiff or garnish your account while your objection period is still running.

No court has ever examined whether the claim is justified. The Einspruch is the last ordinary way to bring the case before a judge.

Who sends it

The same Mahngericht — the central Amtsgericht for the court dunning procedure — that issued the earlier Mahnbescheid, again on the creditor's application.

Again a yellow envelope from the Amtsgericht or Mahngericht, this time with the word 'Vollstreckungsbescheid'. It refers to the earlier Mahnbescheid and its Geschäftsnummer, contains instructions about the Einspruch, and the total now includes court and enforcement costs.

The deadline

Einspruch: 2 weeks from service — the Vollstreckungsbescheid is treated like a default judgment (ZPO §700), and the Einspruch period for a default judgment is a two-week Notfrist starting with service (ZPO §339).

The Einspruch period is 2 weeks from service: the Vollstreckungsbescheid is treated like a default judgment (ZPO §700), and the Einspruch period for a default judgment is a two-week Notfrist starting with service (ZPO §339). It runs from the delivery date stamped on the yellow envelope.

If you do nothing

The Vollstreckungsbescheid becomes final. It is already provisionally enforceable from the start (ZPO §700), so enforcement does not even wait for the deadline. After the deadline, the ordinary way to contest it is lost, and the claim — never checked by any court on the merits — is established for 30 years (BGB §197 Abs. 1 Nr. 3).

How it escalates

  1. 01The title becomes final (rechtskräftig).
  2. 02A bailiff visit, wage garnishment, or a Pfändungs- und Überweisungsbeschluss against your bank account follows on the creditor's request (ZPO §829, §835).
  3. 03If enforcement fails, you can be summoned to give the Vermögensauskunft — the asset disclosure (ZPO §802f context).
  4. 04The claim remains enforceable for 30 years (BGB §197 Abs. 1 Nr. 3).

Your options, procedurally

  • An Einspruch can be filed with the court within 2 weeks of service (ZPO §700 in conjunction with §339) — the case then goes to a normal court hearing.
  • The titled amount, including costs, can be paid to stop further enforcement.
  • The bank account can be converted into a P-Konto (ZPO §850k) to protect the basic monthly allowance if garnishment is imminent.

Common questions

Can enforcement start before my 2 weeks are over?

Yes. The Vollstreckungsbescheid is provisionally enforceable from the start (ZPO §700). The 2-week Einspruch period is about contesting the claim — it is not a pause on enforcement.

Did any court check whether I really owe this?

No. In the court dunning procedure the merits are never examined. The Einspruch is what brings the case before a judge in a normal hearing.

What happens after the deadline passes?

The title becomes final, and the claim is enforceable for 30 years (BGB §197 Abs. 1 Nr. 3).

Sources

Facts verified against the sources below on 28 August 2026.