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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).

Compute your date

The rule above is what the law sets. Put in the dates on your own letter and it becomes a date.

That date is on the envelope or the delivery stamp, not in the letter — enter it and we count the deadline for you.

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.

How to respond

Response types

  • File the objectionEinspruch gegen den Vollstreckungsbescheid · § 700 Abs. 1 ZPO i. V. m. §§ 338, 339, 340 ZPOForm: No prescribed form. §340(1) ZPO requires an Einspruchsschrift; the Vollstreckungsbescheid is served with an objection sheet that may be used. Written form is mandatory — lawyers and authorities must file through beA/beBPo under §130d ZPO.
  • Ask for more timeAntrag auf einstweilige Einstellung der Zwangsvollstreckung · § 719 Abs. 1 i. V. m. § 707 ZPO (über § 700 Abs. 1 ZPO)
  • Ask for instalmentsZahlungsvereinbarung mit dem Gläubiger (Ratenzahlung gegen Ruhen der Vollstreckung)
  • Confirm paymentNachweis der Erfüllung und Aufforderung zur Rückgabe des Titels

Where and how

  • Brief an das Gericht
  • Einschreiben (Übergabe-Einschreiben / Einschreiben mit Rückschein)
  • Telefax an das Gericht
  • Erklärung zu Protokoll der Geschäftsstelle des Gerichts
  • Sicherer Übermittlungsweg (Mein Justizpostfach / eBO; beA und beBPo für Berufsträger)
  • Einfache E-Mail
  • Telefon

What makes it count

A response is in time only when it has reached the COURT named on the order — not the creditor and not the creditor's lawyer. §694(1) ZPO requires the Widerspruch to be lodged in writing with the court that issued the Mahnbescheid; against a Vollstreckungsbescheid §700(1) ZPO applies the rules on the Versäumnisurteil, so the Einspruchsfrist is two weeks from service and is a Notfrist (§339(1) ZPO). The date of posting preserves neither. A missed Notfrist can be cured only by Wiedereinsetzung in den vorigen Stand where the party was prevented without fault (§233 ZPO): the application runs two weeks from the day the obstacle falls away, and no application at all is possible more than a year after the period ended (§234 ZPO).

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.