Debt collection · Russia
Notice of assignment of a Russian debt
This says someone else now handles the debt. By itself it asks for nothing and opens no deadline for you — it changes who is to be paid and who may deal with you.
How serious: routineAlso called: уведомление о переуступке долга, письмо коллектора о переходе прав, цессия, уведомление о смене кредитора
The notice says one of two things: the claim has been assigned to a new creditor, or an agent has been engaged to deal with you. The duty to notify is the creditor's — article 9 of Federal Law 230-FZ gives it five working days to enter the information in the federal register and send the notice.
The Civil Code attaches a risk to the notice rather than a deadline: until the debtor has been notified in writing, paying the original creditor counts as good performance (article 382).
Article 385 of the Civil Code lets the debtor withhold performance from the new creditor until it produces evidence that the claim passed to it.
Who sends it
The original creditor or the new one — a collection agency entered in the state register, or whoever the claim passed to.
A letter naming the original creditor and the new party, the agreement details, the debt as at the date of transfer and new payment details. From a collection agency, its entry in the state register. It often arrives with a first demand for payment, but those are two different documents.
The deadline
срока для должника нет — срок закон устанавливает кредитору
The notice opens no deadline for the debtor. The statutory period belongs to the creditor: five working days from engaging an agent or from the claim passing, to enter the information in the register and send the notice (article 9 of Federal Law 230-FZ).
If you do nothing
Nothing happens: the notice calls for no reply. What matters is different — after proper written notice the new creditor is the one to pay, and payment to the old one stops discharging the debt.
How it escalates
- 01The notice itself calls for no reply, and letting it pass carries no consequence.
- 02After proper written notice, payments to the original creditor stop discharging the debt (Civil Code articles 382 and 385).
- 03The new creditor or the engaged agent starts dealing with you under Federal Law 230-FZ, and the next document is usually a demand for payment.
- 04The assignment by itself changes neither the size of the debt, nor the terms of the agreement, nor the running of limitation.
How to respond
Below is the procedure: what is worth asking for and how to record payments. Whether the debt itself is owed is a separate question, and the assignment does not touch it.
Response types
- Ask for proof of the transferЗапрос доказательств перехода права требования · Гражданский кодекс ст. 385
- Confirm receipt and the detailsПодтверждение получения уведомления и сверка реквизитов · Гражданский кодекс ст. 382
- Pay to the new detailsПлатёж по новым реквизитам либо подтверждение прежних платежей
Where and how
- Registered post with acknowledgement of receipt and an inventory of contents, where the date has to be provable.
- Ordinary post, which proves nothing.
- The creditor's account page or website, where the notice names one.
- The creditor's telephone — to confirm details; a call is not evidence of the transfer.
What to attach
- A copy of the notice.
- Your own payment records for the agreement.
- Confirmations of payments to the original creditor, where they were made before the notice.
What makes it count
The notice opens no deadline for you. What matters is that after proper written notice the payment that discharges the debt is the one to the new creditor — so keep the payment confirmations and the correspondence.
Common questions
Do I have to reply?
The law does not require it. But recording in writing that the notice arrived and which details you will pay to is useful: it forecloses a later argument about who the right payee was.
Can I refuse to pay the new creditor?
Article 385 of the Civil Code lets you withhold performance from the new creditor until it produces evidence that the claim passed to it. That is not refusing the debt; it is waiting for proof.
Have the terms of the debt changed?
The assignment by itself changes neither the size of the debt, nor the terms of the agreement, nor the running of limitation. Only the payee and who may deal with you change.
How do I check a collection agency?
The state register of collection agencies is kept by the FSSP, and the creditor must enter the assignment in the federal register of legally significant information (article 9 of Federal Law 230-FZ).
Sources
Facts verified against the sources below on 10 September 2026.