French court procedure · debt notice
I received a French order to pay: is it a court order, and what should I check?
A French ordonnance portant injonction de payer is a court order made from the creditor’s documents before you have been heard. It is different from a demand letter or a debt collector’s notice. First check the words “ordonnance”, the court, reference number, service document and attachments. French law provides a specific opposition procedure before the court that issued the order, with strict forms and timing rules. This page helps you identify that route and preserve evidence; it does not calculate your deadline or decide whether the debt is owed.
Do not calculate your deadline here. A seizure, hearing or date already stated on the act calls for prompt review of the complete file.
Identify the act without deciding the debt
This table classifies documents. It does not decide validity, debt, or an individual time limit.
| Act or reference | What it may establish | Keep | Safe route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ordonnance portant injonction de payer + named court | Possible French court order | Complete order, reference and received papers | Read the opposition instructions on the act |
| Acte de signification | Possible formal service | Act, envelope, notice and delivery context | Have service checked where material |
| Mise en demeure, reminder or invoice | Pre-litigation demand | Letter, contract and invoices | Use the demand/debt route |
| Attachment, wages, bank or enforcement wording | Possible enforcement | Whole act and bank/employer notice | Urgent help; leave the order-only route |
| Link, SMS or email without a court | Insufficient evidence | Message, URL and screenshots | Verify sender; do not pay from the message |
Classify the document you received
Answer with visible document categories. No amount, name, date or file is requested.
Complete the four categories to display a preservation and verification route.
Enforcement · urgent
An attachment or enforcement measure goes beyond simple order recognition.
Possible court order
Keep the order and service act together. This page does not decide the debt or calculate a deadline.
Incomplete act
Formal wording appears, but the court or reference is unclear.
Pre-litigation
A demand or reminder follows a different route.
Unidentified
The document does not safely identify a French payment order.
Is this document actually a French court order to pay?
Look for ordonnance portant injonction de payer, the issuing court, case reference and service document. Classification alone cannot establish validity.
How is a French payment order different from a demand letter or debt-collection notice?
A demand, invoice or collection letter is pre-litigation correspondence. It is not, by itself, a payment order issued by a French judge.
Why was the order made without a hearing?
The procedure begins from the creditor’s application and documents. French procedure then provides an opposition route for the debtor.
Which French court issued the order, and why does that matter?
Use the court named on the order. This page never infers a court from your address or postcode.
How is an opposition to a French ordre d’injonction de payer filed?
CPC Article 1415 provides for opposition before the issuing court, through the registry by declaration or registered letter. Read the current law and the act’s own instructions.
What does the one-month opposition rule mean in French procedure?
CPC Article 1416 states the general rule after service. This page explains it but does not calculate, confirm or promise an individual deadline.
What changes if the order was not served on the debtor personally?
French procedure contains an alternative rule linked to a later personal service act or an enforcement measure making assets unavailable. It requires full-file review.
Does an opposition pause enforcement of the order?
The opposition period and an opposition formed within it are suspensive under the statutory conditions. An email to the creditor is not an opposition.
Which papers should be kept with a French payment-order file?
Keep the complete order, service act, envelope or notice, creditor papers and evidence relating to the claim. Retain copies before sending anything.
When can a lawyer be required for the opposition hearing?
Representation depends on the court, value and type of dispute. Check the summons and current official guidance rather than relying on a generic threshold alone.
What happens after an opposition is registered?
The parties are summoned and the case becomes adversarial. The resulting judgment replaces the order; this page cannot predict the outcome.
What if the notice mentions a French bank attachment, wages, or enforcement?
Treat it as potential enforcement. Preserve every original and obtain a prompt full-file review instead of remaining on the order-only route.