Skip to content
BriefDiener
DE

Gerichtsvollzieher (bailiff)

Ladung zur Vermögensauskunft (summons to give a statement of assets): what now?

What this letter means

With this letter, the Gerichtsvollzieher (bailiff) asks you to pay the creditor's claim. At the same time, he or she sets a date on which you must give a Vermögensauskunft (statement of assets) if you do not pay. In the past this was called eidesstattliche Versicherung or Offenbarungseid.

The appointment may take place at the earliest two weeks after the demand for payment. It can take place at the Gerichtsvollzieher's office, at your home, at another suitable place or by video.

In the Vermögensauskunft you list all your assets, for example bank accounts, income, vehicles and money owed to you. The information is the basis for further seizures. After you have given it, you are usually protected from having to give a new Vermögensauskunft for two years, as long as your situation does not change significantly.

What to do now

  1. 1Put the appointment in your calendar straight away.
  2. 2Check who the creditor is and which title (Titel) is named.
  3. 3If you can pay, pay within two weeks and send the proof to the Gerichtsvollzieher.
  4. 4If you cannot pay all at once, offer the Gerichtsvollzieher instalments that you can manage within twelve months. Write in German; the templates (Vorlagen) on this site are in German.
  5. 5Make an appointment with a debt advice service (Schuldnerberatung) and take documents on your accounts, income and contracts with you.
  6. 6Go to the appointment even if you own nothing. If you cannot come, get in touch beforehand with proof, for example a doctor's certificate (ärztliches Attest).

How you can reply

Pay and prove it

If the claim is paid in full and you prove it, you do not have to give the Vermögensauskunft.

Agree on instalments

If the creditor has not ruled out a payment agreement, the Gerichtsvollzieher can allow you to pay in instalments if you can credibly show that you are able to pay them. The debt should be paid off within twelve months. As long as the plan is running, enforcement is postponed.

Give the Vermögensauskunft

Fill in the list of assets (Vermögensverzeichnis) completely and truthfully. If possible, get help from a debt advice service.

Common questions

What happens if I do not go to the appointment?

The creditor can apply to the court for an arrest warrant (Haftbefehl) to force you to give the Vermögensauskunft. In addition, the Gerichtsvollzieher orders your entry in the Schuldnerverzeichnis (register of debtors).

Will I be entered in the Schuldnerverzeichnis after the Vermögensauskunft?

That is possible, for example if the statement shows that the creditor cannot be paid in full, or if you do not prove full payment within one month. If an instalment agreement is running, you are not entered for this reason.

Can a debt collection agency summon me to give a Vermögensauskunft?

No. Only the Gerichtsvollzieher takes the Vermögensauskunft, and only if the creditor has a title.

Sources (German law and official pages)

  1. § 802f Verfahren zur Abnahme der Vermögensauskunft (ZPO)
  2. § 802c Vermögensauskunft des Schuldners (ZPO)
  3. § 802b Gütliche Erledigung; Vollstreckungsaufschub bei Zahlungsvereinbarung (ZPO)
  4. § 802g Erzwingungshaft (ZPO)
  5. § 882c Eintragungsanordnung (ZPO)
  6. Verbraucherzentrale: Vermögensauskunft, das gilt es zu beachten

Research as of: 10 November 2026