A courier, a letter from the district court, and two words you have never seen: «betalingspåkrav» and «fogedretten». It looks like a verdict. It is not — it is a creditor's REQUEST for the court's help, and Danish law gives you a short, clear window to say no. Here is what the letter means, the four tracks you can take, and the two deadlines that decide everything.
What has actually happened?
A creditor — a company, a debt collector or a private person — claims you owe money and has filed a payment-order form with the enforcement court (part of the district court). The simplified procedure may only be used for claims of at most DKK 100,000, interest and costs not included, and only where the creditor expects you NOT to dispute the debt — see domstol.dk and section 477 a of the Administration of Justice Act.
Two things are worth knowing before you pick a track:
- There are rules BEFORE this letter: the creditor must first have sent you a demand letter under the Danish debt-collection act, and that deadline must have expired, before a payment order may be filed (section 477 b(2)). If the order arrived out of nowhere, say so in your objection.
- You are not alone with the paperwork: the Danish Court Administration publishes an official guide for debtors on what the order means and what to do to protect your interests (section 477 d(3)). And service rules exist precisely so the deadline cannot run in secret.
Your 4 tracks — pick one before the deadline
| Your situation | Your track |
|---|---|
| You agree — and can pay | Pay the creditor and keep the receipt. The sooner, the fewer costs get added. |
| You agree — but cannot pay now | Contact the creditor about an instalment plan. If you are summoned to a meeting at the enforcement court, your ability to pay and possible security for the debt is exactly what gets discussed there. |
| You disagree (fully or partly) | Written objection to the enforcement court within 14 days of service (section 477 e) — 4 weeks if served abroad. The claim can then only continue as an ordinary civil case. |
| The deadline already passed | Demand reopening: write to the enforcement court within 4 weeks of the endorsement — exceptionally up to 1 year (section 477 e(4)). |
The 14-day deadline: how it works
- It runs from service (forkyndelse) — the day the order was formally brought to your attention — not from the day you manage to read the Danish.
- The objection must be in writing and go to the court — not to the creditor. The court's name and the case number are in the letter.
- Served abroad, in the Faroe Islands or in Greenland? Your deadline is 4 weeks — this matters if you moved away from Denmark and the letter caught up with you there.
- The law only requires a written statement that you object — but a short reason plus documents makes the next stage easier.
Template: a calm, written objection
Danish courts work in Danish, so the safest format is a short Danish letter — copy it, fill in the brackets, and let Sofia help you with the wording:
Til [fogedretten ved … — the court named in the letter]
Jeg gør indsigelse mod kravet i betalingspåkravet med sagsnummer [case number], forkyndt for mig den [date of service].
Jeg er ikke enig i kravet, fordi [your reason — fx: beløbet er forkert / jeg har allerede betalt den [dato] / varen blev aldrig leveret].
Vedlagt: [receipts, correspondence or other documents].
Venlig hilsen
[Name, address, phone — and preferably e-mail]
Translation: "I object to the claim in the payment order with case number […], served on me on […]. I disagree with the claim because […]. Enclosed: […]."
Send it so the court HAS it before the deadline, and keep a copy plus proof of sending. The legally decisive part is that the court can clearly see you object — the rest can be unfolded later in the case.
If you do not respond
Without a timely objection, the court endorses the order — and from that moment it has the same binding effect as a judgment (section 477 e(3)). If the creditor ticked the box for it, the court can proceed directly to seizure of assets without a new request. And if you lose a court case in Denmark, the starting point is that you also pay its costs, cf. domstol.dk on debt-collection cases.
Even here there is an emergency exit: reopening. Ask the enforcement court in writing within 4 weeks of the endorsement, and you can demand the case reopened. Later than that, the court can reopen only exceptionally, for up to 1 year — and may condition it on you paying awarded costs or providing security (section 477 e(4)). The sooner, the stronger you stand.
Where this page stops
This is the letter logistics: the deadlines, the tracks and the template. Whether the CLAIM itself is right in your case — interest, limitation, defects — is a legal assessment this page does not make. Free help exists: legal aid clinics (retshjælp), your union, or a lawyer's on-call service. Sofia meanwhile helps you understand the letter, find your deadline and put your objection into clear Danish.
Got a payment order you cannot decode?
Take a photo of the letter (cover your CPR number). Sofia explains in plain English what the creditor demands and when your deadline runs out — and helps you write the objection in Danish. Free to try, no login.
Explain my letterFrequently asked questions
What is a betalingspåkrav (payment order)?
A simplified debt-collection procedure at the Danish enforcement court (fogedretten, part of the district court): a creditor claiming you owe at most DKK 100,000 (excluding interest and costs) can ask the court to collect without a full lawsuit. The order is formally served on you, and from that day your objection deadline runs.
How long do I have to object?
14 days from the day the payment order was served on you — the objection must be in WRITING and go to the enforcement court (section 477 e of the Danish Administration of Justice Act). If you were served abroad, in the Faroe Islands or in Greenland, the deadline is 4 weeks. It runs from service, not from the day you get around to reading the letter.
What happens if I do not react?
The court endorses the payment order, and it then has the same binding effect as a judgment. If the creditor ticked that box on the form, the court can proceed straight to seizure of assets (udlæg) without a new request. Silence is the most expensive option — respond before the deadline even if you agree but cannot pay.
I missed the deadline — is it over?
Not necessarily. You can demand the case reopened by writing to the enforcement court within 4 weeks after the order was endorsed. Later reopening is possible only exceptionally, for up to 1 year, and the court may require you to pay awarded costs or provide security first.
If the court letter you received is not about a debt but about a deceased person's estate, it is from the probate court instead — see the guide to the letter from the Danish probate court (skifteretten).