Debt Collection Agency in Cambodia - No Win, No Fee
Recover a debt in Cambodia through Debitura's international recovery network. No Cure, No Pay - submit your case online and track it anytime.
Get free expert advice
Response from a specialist within 24 hours.
How does debt collection work in Cambodia?
Debt collection in Cambodia starts with an amicable phase handled through Debitura's international recovery network: reminders and a formal payment demand, aimed at full payment or a written instalment agreement. Most straightforward claims are resolved at this stage. If the debtor still does not pay, escalation to court is a separate, approved step - never automatic.
The four steps from unpaid invoice to recovered cash
- Step 1 - Amicable collection: reminders, a formal payment demand and negotiation, handled through Debitura's international recovery network. Most undisputed claims are resolved in this phase, without going to court.
- Step 2 - Enforceable title: if the debtor still does not pay, the legal route to obtain an enforceable title is assessed and you approve a fixed-price quote before anything proceeds.
- Step 3 - Enforcement: with a legal title, the competent enforcement authority can attach wages, bank funds and other assets until the claim is recovered.
- Step 4 - Insolvency: if the debtor turns out to be insolvent, your proof of claim is filed and any distributions are monitored on your behalf.
Every step is tracked in your dashboard, and nothing escalates without your approval. The full legal detail for Cambodia - timelines, costs, courts and enforcement - follows in the guide below.
Debt collection in Cambodia - the complete 2026 guide
This guide covers debt collection in Cambodia for creditors, in-house counsel and finance teams: the amicable phase, Cambodia's Demand Procedure and ordinary court routes, enforcement through the execution courts and bailiffs, and what happens if a debtor becomes insolvent under the 2007 Insolvency Law.
On this page:
Why you can trust this guide
At Debitura, we uphold the highest standards of impartiality and precision to bring you comprehensive guides on international debt collection. Every guide is written from primary legal sources and reviewed by licensed local experts in the jurisdiction it covers.
Questions or feedback? Email us at contact@debitura.com , we update this guide based on your input.
Debitura By the Numbers:
- 767 licensed partners - collection agencies and law firms in our network
- 180 countries covered - with cases handled in 174 of them
- 5,306 businesses registered with Debitura
- 33 days median time to first payment on European cases
Expert-led, locally validated
Written by Lars Holdgaard, Founder of Debitura (+10 years in global B2B debt recovery). Every page is reviewed by top local attorneys to ensure legal accuracy and practical steps you can use.
Contributing local experts:
Last updated:
Debt collection in Cambodia - quick answers
Amounts below are given in Cambodian riel (KHR), the currency Cambodia's Civil Code and Code of Civil Procedure themselves use for thresholds and fees.
How long do I have to collect a debt in Cambodia?
Most claims are time-barred after 5 years under the Civil Code of the Kingdom of Cambodia (art. 482). A shorter 2-year period applies specifically where a manufacturer or merchant is claiming the price of goods or services it sold to a non-merchant buyer (art. 483). A claim already reduced to a final court judgment prescribes 5 years from the date the judgment becomes final, even if the underlying claim's own period was shorter (art. 484). The clock resets if the debtor acknowledges the debt, for example through a partial payment, or if a judicial claim or compulsory-execution act interrupts it (art. 489), and a payment demand made within the final 6 months before expiry buys a further 6 months (art. 495).
| Claim type | Limitation period |
|---|---|
| General claim (no shorter period applies) | 5 years (art. 482) |
| Merchant-to-non-merchant sale/service price | 2 years (art. 483) |
| Claim reduced to a final judgment | 5 years from finality (art. 484) |
What does it cost to collect a debt in Cambodia?
Debitura's fee is success-based, No Cure, No Pay, so there is no upfront cost to submit a claim. If a case escalates to court, Cambodia's own filing fees apply and scale with the claim's value (see the fees section below); where no interest rate was agreed, Cambodia's Civil Code sets a default statutory rate of 5% per year (art. 318), and interest left unpaid for a year or more can be added to the principal (art. 319).
How long does it take to recover a debt in Cambodia?
Amicable cases that settle without court action are usually the fastest route. Once a case is litigated, Cambodian courts must render judgment "within one month from the date on which oral arguments are concluded", with exceptions for complex cases (Code of Civil Procedure). A small-claims case must be set down for its first hearing within 30 days of filing, and the court aims to conclude on that first date (arts. 228-229). Under the Demand Procedure, a debtor who does not object within 2 weeks of service lets the ruling become as enforceable as a final judgment (arts. 324, 333).
What documents do I need to collect a debt in Cambodia?
Have the underlying contract or purchase order, invoices, proof of delivery or performance, any signed acknowledgment of the debt, and a record of prior payment demands and correspondence. These support both the amicable demand and, if needed, a court filing or a Demand Procedure application.
Which recovery route should I use in Cambodia?
For a monetary claim not exceeding 1,000,000 riel, the small-claims procedure is available: filing can be oral and the case is set for a first, often final, hearing within 30 days (Code of Civil Procedure arts. 223-224, 228-229). For an undisputed debt of any size, the Demand Procedure lets a creditor ask the court for a payment order without a full trial (arts. 319-333). Larger or contested claims go through ordinary proceedings, where panels scale with the claim's value, up to 3 judges plus 2 advisors above 1 billion riel.
Are there limits on how a debtor can be pursued in Cambodia?
Yes. Cambodia has no debt-collection-specific conduct statute, but the Consumer Protection Law (2 November 2019) broadly bans unfair or misleading practices, coercion and false representations, and its National Consumer Protection Committee, under the Ministry of Commerce, can investigate and impose administrative penalties. Asset seizure is only available once a court title exists; a collection firm cannot seize property on its own.
Who does what in Cambodia debt collection?
Three types of actors typically handle a Cambodian debt collection case: Debitura's international recovery network for the amicable stage, lawyers once a claim reaches court, and the execution organs (the execution court and its bailiffs) once a judgment must be enforced.
Collection firms (amicable stage)
Cambodia has no dedicated licensing regime for private debt-collection agencies and no debt-collection-specific conduct statute; the general unfair and misleading-practice prohibitions in the Consumer Protection Law (2 November 2019), enforced by the National Consumer Protection Committee under the Ministry of Commerce, are the closest applicable framework. In practice, the amicable stage is run through Debitura's international recovery network, which sends payment demands, negotiates repayment and reports back through Debitura's platform. It has no power to seize assets; that requires a court title.
Lawyers
Ordinary court proceedings in Cambodia require legal representation, so a lawyer drafts and files the claim, presents evidence, and represents the creditor through to judgment. A lawyer also assesses whether a case fits Cambodia's Demand Procedure, which avoids a full trial for an undisputed debt, or needs to go through ordinary proceedings instead. Legal costs generally follow the complexity of the case rather than the size of the principal, which is why an early, fixed-price legal assessment matters before a case is escalated.
The execution court and bailiffs
Once a title of execution exists, enforcement is carried out by two execution organs acting together: the execution court (the court of first instance handling compulsory execution) and a bailiff (Code of Civil Procedure art. 336). A bailiff facing resistance may use force or call on police assistance, must carry identification, and needs the execution court's permission to enter premises at night, on a Sunday or on a public holiday (arts. 338, 340-341).
The courts, in brief
Behind all three actors sit Cambodia's civil courts: 25 Courts of First Instance, 4 Courts of Appeal, and the Supreme Court as the final appellate body. See the legal-framework section below for the full court hierarchy and key legislation.
Which laws and courts apply to debt collection in Cambodia?
Civil court system
Cambodia's civil courts sit in three tiers: 25 Courts of First Instance, including the Phnom Penh Municipal Court and the provincial courts, hear cases first; 4 Courts of Appeal (Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Battambang and Tbong Khmum) hear appeals; the Supreme Court in Phnom Penh is the final appellate body. A separate Military Court hears armed-forces offences. As of a 2025 review by the US Library of Congress, dedicated commercial and labor court divisions existed on paper within the Courts of First Instance but had not yet been established, although a Commercial Court Law was drafted in 2023.
Key legislation
Civil obligations, including limitation periods and statutory interest, are governed by the Civil Code of the Kingdom of Cambodia, adopted in December 2007 and in force since 21 December 2011, which replaced the 1988 Contract Law (except for carriage contracts). Court procedure, including the small-claims procedure, the Demand Procedure and enforcement, is governed by the Code of Civil Procedure, enacted in 2006, so Cambodia's enforcement and litigation rules were already in place several years before the Civil Code's substantive provisions took effect. Corporate and personal insolvency is governed by the Insolvency Law, enacted in 2007 as part of Cambodia's WTO-accession legal reforms.
Limitation periods in detail
The general extinctive prescription period for a claim is 5 years (Civil Code art. 482), unless a shorter period applies. A shorter 2-year period applies where a manufacturer or merchant is claiming the price of goods or services it sold or provided to a person who is not a merchant (art. 483). A claim already reduced to a final and binding judgment prescribes 5 years from finality, even if the underlying claim's own period was shorter (art. 484). Prescription is interrupted by a judicial claim or participation in bankruptcy proceedings, an act of compulsory execution or provisional attachment, or an acknowledgment of the debt such as a partial payment, an interest payment or the provision of security (art. 489); after an interruption, prescription runs afresh from when the interrupting ground ends, or, for a judicial claim, from when the judgment becomes final (art. 494). A payment demand made within the final 6 months before a period expires extends the deadline by a further 6 months, though a second demand cannot extend it again (art. 495).
Consumer protection
The Consumer Protection Law, enacted 2 November 2019, created a National Consumer Protection Committee under the Ministry of Commerce with investigative and administrative-penalty powers. It broadly prohibits unfair or misleading commercial acts, pyramid schemes, coercion, unfair solicitation and bait-and-switch tactics, and is the general framework that also applies to how a debt is amicably collected, since Cambodia has no debt-collection-specific conduct statute.
Step 1 - How does amicable (pre-legal) debt collection work in Cambodia?
Amicable collection in Cambodia starts with a formal written payment demand and direct negotiation with the debtor, run through Debitura's international recovery network. Cambodia has no debt-collection-specific conduct statute and no licensing regime dedicated to private collection agencies; instead, the general unfair and misleading-practice rules in the Consumer Protection Law (2 November 2019) apply, so demands must be accurate and free of harassment or misrepresentation. A debtor who believes those rules were breached can raise it with the National Consumer Protection Committee under the Ministry of Commerce. Most undisputed claims settle at this stage through full payment or a written instalment agreement, without ever reaching a court.
| Day | Action |
|---|---|
| Day 0 | Claim submitted; case reviewed and assigned within Debitura's international recovery network. |
| Day 1-15 | First written payment demand sent; debtor contacted directly. |
| Day 15-45 | Negotiation; repayment plan or instalment agreement proposed where appropriate. |
| Day 45-60 | Progress reviewed; a further demand issued if the debtor has gone quiet or broken an agreed plan. |
| Day 60-90 | Final demand if still unresolved; case assessed for escalation to a Demand Procedure filing or ordinary court proceedings. |
When to escalate
Escalation to a Demand Procedure filing or a full court claim is a separate, approved step, never automatic. It is typically considered once the debtor stops responding, repeatedly breaks agreed repayment terms, or is actively avoiding contact, and after the amicable options above have been exhausted. Because Cambodia's Demand Procedure is designed for undisputed debts and does not require the court to examine the debtor first, it is usually the faster of the two escalation routes; see Step 2 below.
Step 2 - How do you obtain an enforceable title in Cambodia?
Cambodia offers three distinct routes to an enforceable title, depending on the claim's size and whether it is disputed.
Small-claims procedure
For a monetary claim not exceeding 1,000,000 riel, a creditor can use the small-claims procedure (Code of Civil Procedure arts. 223-224). The complaint may be filed orally (art. 225), no counterclaim is permitted (art. 227), and the court aims to conclude the case on the first oral-argument date, which must be set within 30 days of filing (arts. 228-229). There is no appeal from a small-claims judgment, other than an objection to a default judgment (art. 226(2)(B)), and the defendant may elect to transfer the case into ordinary proceedings (art. 233).
Demand Procedure
For an undisputed debt of any size, the Demand Procedure lets a creditor apply for a "demand ruling" for payment without the court examining the debtor first (arts. 319, 323). This route suits invoices, unpaid loans and other debts where liability itself is not seriously contested. The debtor must object within 2 weeks of service, or the court declares provisional execution on its own initiative (art. 324(2)); an objection filed after that declaration must also be made within 2 weeks, and this period cannot be extended (art. 329). If no timely objection is filed, or a filed objection is finally dismissed, the demand ruling has the same effect as a finalised judgment (art. 333).
Ordinary proceedings
Larger or contested claims proceed through ordinary court proceedings, which require legal representation. Commercial-case panels scale with the claim's value: a single judge decides claims under roughly 100 million riel; a judge plus 2 advisors decides claims between roughly 100 million and 1 billion riel; and 3 judges plus 2 advisors decide claims above roughly 1 billion riel. Once litigated, a court must render judgment within one month of the oral arguments concluding, with exceptions for complex cases.
| Route | When it applies |
|---|---|
| Small-claims procedure | Claim up to 1,000,000 riel |
| Demand Procedure | Undisputed debt, any size |
| Ordinary proceedings | Contested or higher-value claims |
More on court proceedings in Cambodia
Appeals
A civil or commercial judgment generally cannot be appealed where the disputed amount does not exceed 5,000,000 riel. Where an appeal is available, the filing fee is 1.5 times the original court fee for a first-tier appeal and twice the original fee for a further appeal to the Supreme Court.
Commercial court status
Cambodia's Courts of First Instance have civil, criminal, commercial and labor divisions on paper, but as of a 2025 review, the commercial and labor divisions had not yet been established, and commercial disputes, including debt claims, are handled within the general civil divisions. A Commercial Court Law was drafted in 2023. In the meantime, general civil judges hear commercial and debt disputes, applying the same Code of Civil Procedure and Civil Code discussed throughout this guide.
Step 3 - How does debt enforcement work in Cambodia?
Enforcement in Cambodia requires a "title of execution" (Code of Civil Procedure art. 350): a finalised judgment, decree or ruling ordering performance; a judgment or demand ruling carrying a declaration of provisional execution; a notarised document for a fixed sum with an immediate-execution clause; a domesticated foreign court judgment (art. 352); or a domesticated foreign arbitral award (art. 353).
The execution organs
Compulsory execution is carried out by two execution organs acting together: the execution court, meaning the court of first instance handling compulsory execution, and a bailiff (art. 336). A bailiff who meets resistance may use force or call on police assistance, must carry identification, and needs the execution court's permission to act at night, on a Sunday or on a public holiday (arts. 338, 340-341).
Enforcement instruments
Once a title of execution exists, Cambodian law provides for seizure of the debtor's movable property, which formally commences under art. 384 and proceeds under the seizure rules in arts. 385-386, subject to a statutory list of exempt items (art. 380); seizure of salary and other recurring payments, net of the amounts protected for tax and social-security deductions (arts. 402, 407); and seizure of the debtor's immovable property.
Enforcing a foreign title
Where the underlying judgment or arbitral award originates outside Cambodia, it must first be domesticated through the recognition tests described in the cross-border section below before these same enforcement instruments become available against the debtor's assets in Cambodia.
| Instrument | What it does |
|---|---|
| Seizure of movables | Attaches movable property, excluding a statutory exempt list |
| Seizure of salary/recurring claims | Attaches wages or recurring payments, net of tax and social-security deductions |
| Seizure of immovables | Attaches real property owned by the debtor |
Step 4 - How do insolvency procedures affect debt recovery in Cambodia?
Cambodia's Insolvency Law, enacted in 2007 as part of the country's WTO-accession legal reforms, treats a debtor as insolvent once a court pronounces that it has ceased meeting its mature, valid payment obligations. The minimum unpaid amount needed to trigger proceedings is 5,000,000 riel (approximately US$1,215-1,250); contingent liabilities and balance-sheet-only insolvency (assets below liabilities, with no missed payment) are disregarded.
Who must file, and when
A debtor's own directors, partners or managers must self-file within 30 days of missing a payment obligation. Creditors, the public prosecutor, or the Ministry of Commerce may also petition the court to open proceedings.
Reorganisation or liquidation
Once proceedings open, the case follows one of two paths. Reorganisation runs on a court- or creditor-approved plan of compromise, which can reschedule payments, exchange debt for equity, or keep the business operating while it works through its obligations. Liquidation instead converts the debtor's assets to cash for priority-ranked distribution among creditors. Which path applies depends on whether the debtor's business is viable enough to continue and whether creditors are willing to approve a compromise plan.
Creditor priority on liquidation
Cambodia's Insolvency Law ranks liquidation proceeds in four tiers: first, employee wages, administrator compensation and court costs; second, secured creditors; third, state taxes; and fourth, unsecured creditors. Shareholder loans are excluded from this ranking entirely.
| Priority | Claim type |
|---|---|
| 1 | Employee wages, administrator fees, court costs |
| 2 | Secured creditors |
| 3 | State taxes |
| 4 | Unsecured creditors |
Discharge, and the practical reality
A debtor may apply to be released from unsatisfied admissible claims once proceedings end, unless it has a dishonesty conviction or was already discharged within the prior 10 years. As of a practitioner review published around 2020, relatively few Cambodian insolvency cases had been recorded, suggesting the formal insolvency system remains comparatively underused against the volume of businesses in the country, a factor worth weighing against pursuing amicable settlement first.
Fees, interest and who pays what in Cambodia
- Our fee: success-based, No Cure, No Pay. Fees depend on the debtor's country, not yours: within Europe, from 6%; for the rest of the world, including Cambodia, from 7.5% (see pricing).
- Court & enforcement fees: Cambodia's courts charge a filing fee tiered by the claim's value (see table below); these state fees apply only if a case escalates to legal action.
- Statutory debtor items: where no interest rate was agreed, Cambodia's Civil Code sets a default rate of 5% per year (art. 318); interest left unpaid for a year or more, despite a demand, may be added to the principal (art. 319).
- Who keeps what: recovered principal is yours; statutory interest and court costs follow Cambodian law.
A contract can agree an interest rate above the 5% default for a loan-for-consumption (Civil Code arts. 584-585), but Cambodia caps this at a "limited interest rate" fixed by regulation, exceeding it voids only the excess; confirm the current ceiling with your legal adviser before relying on a specific percentage. This general rate is separate from, and must not be confused with, the sector-specific interest cap the National Bank of Cambodia sets for microfinance and rural-credit lending (Prakas No. 109, 13 March 2017).
| Claim value (riel) | Court filing fee |
|---|---|
| Up to 10,000,000 | 1,000 riel per 100,000 riel |
| 10,000,000 - 100,000,000 | 700 riel per 100,000 riel |
| 100,000,000 - 1,000,000,000 | 300 riel per 100,000 riel |
| Above 1,000,000,000 | 100 riel per 100,000 riel |
A first-tier appeal costs 1.5 times the original filing fee; a further appeal to the Supreme Court costs twice the original fee.
Cross-border debt collection in Cambodia
Cambodia recognises a foreign court judgment only if all four conditions in the Code of Civil Procedure are met (art. 199): the foreign court's jurisdiction is recognised by law or by a treaty Cambodia has joined; the losing defendant was served with the claim or otherwise responded to it; the judgment is not contrary to Cambodian public order or good customs; and reciprocity is guaranteed between Cambodia and that country. Even once recognised, enforcing the judgment still requires a Cambodian court to grant a local "judgment for execution", issued without re-examining the foreign judgment's merits (art. 352).
Cambodia is a party to the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards; UNCITRAL's official treaty-status table records Cambodia's accession, with entry into force in 1960 and no reservations noted. A foreign arbitral award is enforced through a local execution ruling issued by the Court of Appeal, refusable only on the New York Convention's own grounds as codified in the Code of Civil Procedure (art. 353): incapacity or an invalid arbitration agreement, improper notice, an award outside the scope of the arbitration, an improperly constituted tribunal or procedure, an award not yet binding or already set aside, a non-arbitrable subject matter, or a breach of public order.
Find a Local Debt Collection Lawyer
Need court-ready representation? Share your case once and receive up to three proposals from vetted litigation attorneys. Free, fast, and with no commitment.
- Verified specialists
- Quotes in 24 h, no hidden fees
- Fair, pre-negotiated rates
TIP & PARTNERS is a premier law firm in Phnom Penh offering effective Debt Collection services in Cambodia, established in 1995 and recognized for its membership with the Bar Association of the Kingdom of Cambodia, delivering trusted legal solutions to diverse clientele.
CACC Law Firm is a premier law firm in Phnom Penh offering effective Debt Collection services in Cambodia, recognized as a Top 10 Corporate Legal Consultant and Real Estate Law Firm of the Year, and a member of the Bar Association of the Kingdom of Cambodia since 2006.
.webp)
.png)
.png)
Frequently Asked Questions
Explore our most common FAQs below, or reach out directly at contact@debitura.com if you need help with a specific case.
.svg){kind=icon}
.png)
.png)
.svg)
.svg)
