Court · Russia
Заочное решение суда — a judgment made without you, and the 7-day route to undo it
A Заочное решение суда is a judgment the court issued without you, because a properly notified defendant did not appear. It usually grants the claimant's demands — but the absent defendant has a special quick route: a cancellation application within 7 days of receiving the copy.
How serious: enforcement closeAlso called: заочное решение, default judgment, решение суда, вынесенное в ваше отсутствие
The court heard the case in your absence because you — a properly notified defendant — did not appear, gave no valid reasons and did not ask to proceed without you (ГПК РФ ст. 233). The judgment usually grants what the claimant asked for: a debt, damages, eviction.
Unlike an ordinary judgment, a заочное решение has a special quick cancellation route reserved for the absent defendant: a заявление об отмене заочного решения filed with the same court within 7 days of receiving the copy (ГПК РФ ст. 237). If granted, the case is reheard with you taking part.
The copy arrives by registered 'Судебное' mail, which the post office keeps for 7 days. Unclaimed mail returns to the court, and delivery rules can deem you notified (ГК РФ ст. 165.1).
Who sends it
A суд общей юрисдикции — a районный суд or a мировой судья — the civil court that heard the case without the defendant present.
A court decision titled 'ЗАОЧНОЕ РЕШЕНИЕ / Именем Российской Федерации', naming the court, the case number, the plaintiff and you as ответчик, and stating the case was heard 'в порядке заочного производства'. The copy arrives by registered 'Судебное' mail.
The deadline
7 days from the day the copy of the judgment was handed to you to file a заявление об отмене заочного решения with the same court (ГПК РФ ст. 237: 'в течение семи дней со дня вручения ему копии этого решения'). If cancellation is refused — appeal (апелляционная жалоба) within 1 month from the ruling refusing cancellation.
A заявление об отмене заочного решения can be filed with the same court within 7 days from the day the copy of the judgment was handed to you (ГПК РФ ст. 237: 'в течение семи дней со дня вручения ему копии этого решения'). If cancellation is refused, an апелляционная жалоба can be filed within 1 month from the ruling refusing it.
If you do nothing
The judgment enters into legal force after the cancellation and appeal windows pass; the plaintiff obtains an исполнительный лист and enforcement through ФССП begins — accounts, property, travel ban. The 7-day clock is tied to delivery of the copy, but unclaimed 'Судебное' mail returns to the court after 7 days of storage, and delivery rules can deem you notified (ГК РФ ст. 165.1).
Compute your date
The rule above is what the law sets. Put in the dates on your own letter and it becomes a date.
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How it escalates
- 01The заочное решение takes legal force.
- 02An исполнительный лист is issued to the claimant and passed to ФССП: 5 days voluntary, then the 12% fee, account debits, property seizure, a possible travel ban.
- 03The special easy-cancellation route (7 days) is lost; later you are limited to appeal and восстановление срока arguments.
How to respond
Response types
- File the objectionЗаявление об отмене заочного решения суда; после отказа в его удовлетворении — апелляционная жалоба на заочное решение · ГПК РФ ст. 237 ч. 1 (семь дней со дня вручения копии), ст. 238 (содержание заявления; государственной пошлиной не оплачивается), ст. 242 (основания для отмены), ст. 240 (рассмотрение в течение десяти дней); ст. 237 ч. 2 (апелляционная жалоба — один месяц со дня вынесения определения об отказе в отмене, а если заявление не подавалось — по истечении срока на его подачу), ст. 320-322 (порядок и содержание апелляционной жалобы)
- Ask for more timeЗаявление о восстановлении пропущенного процессуального срока (подаётся вместе с заявлением об отмене) · ГПК РФ ст. 112 (восстановление процессуальных сроков по причинам, признанным судом уважительными)
Where and how
- ГАС «Правосудие» (the state court information system) — filing documents with courts of general jurisdiction
- Registered letter with delivery notice and inventory of enclosures (Почта России)
- Ordinary (unregistered) post
- In person at the registry of the authority or the court, against a dated receipt stamp
- Telephone — the number printed on the document
What makes it count
The seven-day period is met if the application is handed to a postal operator before 24:00 on the last day (ГПК РФ ст. 108 ч. 3) or filed through ГАС «Правосудие» — the system records the time of arrival. Given that the period is only seven days, post is acceptable but only as a registered letter with a form 107 inventory of enclosures and a form 119 delivery notice; the most reliable route is filing in person at the court registry in two copies, keeping your own with the incoming stamp. The date the copy of the judgment was served on you is the key fact: keep the envelope and a printout of the tracking.
Common questions
Why did the court decide without me?
Because a properly notified defendant did not appear, gave no valid reasons and did not ask to proceed in absence (ГПК РФ ст. 233). A letter that was refused or never collected can count as delivered (ГК РФ ст. 165.1).
When do the 7 days start?
On the day the copy of the judgment is handed to you — вручение (ГПК РФ ст. 237).
What if the cancellation application is refused?
An апелляционная жалоба can be filed within 1 month from the ruling refusing cancellation (ГПК РФ ст. 237).
Sources
Facts verified against the sources below on 28 August 2026.