Debt Collection Agency in Jordan: No Win, No Fee
Need a debt collection agency in Jordan? For unpaid invoices from business customers in Jordan, your claims are handled by Sahouri and Partners LLC, our licensed partner law firm in Amman. Track progress in real time and pay only when money is recovered.
Questions about your case?
Write to us, we reply by email.
Why choose Debitura for debt collection in Jordan
Start recovering your Jordan claims in minutes
- Submit your claim: Upload the unpaid invoice and supporting documents in the dashboard. Import by CSV or connect QuickBooks Online, Zoho Books, Stripe or KashFlow, or use Zapier, the REST API or our MCP server.
- Local collection begins: Your case is assigned to Sahouri & Partners LLC, who opens amicable contact with the debtor on your behalf. If court action is needed, you approve a legal quote before anything proceeds.
- Track and get paid: Follow every update in real time, from the first reminder to the final payment. Your partner pays out your share within 30 business days, with a statement.
Transparent, success-based pricing
With Debitura you pay a success fee only when money is recovered. Pre-legal collection is No Cure, No Pay: a success fee deducted from recovered amounts, invoiced locally by your partner. Fees depend on the debtor's country, not yours.
- Debtors in Europe (EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, the UK and Switzerland): success fees from 6% depending on claim size.
- Debtors in the rest of the world: success fees from 7.5% depending on claim size.
- Older claims: a surcharge applies for claims 12 to 24 months overdue and for claims older than 24 months.
- Legal action is optional: you approve a legal quote, with court costs stated separately, before any legal spend.
See the pricing page for the full fee schedule, or get an instant estimate when you upload a claim.
How does debt collection work in Jordan?
Debt collection in Jordan starts with an amicable phase handled locally by Sahouri & Partners LLC: an Arabic reminder 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 is never automatic; your partner assesses the court route and you approve a legal quote before any court step.
- Most undisputed debts resolve in the amicable phase, without going to court.
- Ten-year limitation on commercial (B2B) claims; fifteen years on general civil claims.
- Court tier set by claim value, from the Magistrate Courts up to the Courts of First Instance.
- Enforcement by the Civil Execution Department, including wage attachment capped at one third.
The four steps from unpaid invoice to recovered cash
- Amicable collection: an Arabic reminder, a formal payment demand and negotiation, handled locally by Sahouri & Partners LLC. Most undisputed claims are resolved in this phase, without going to court.
- Enforceable title: if the debtor still does not pay, your partner files in the competent court tier to obtain a judgment, and you approve a legal quote, with court costs stated separately, before anything proceeds.
- Enforcement: with a judgment, the Civil Execution Department can attach wages, bank funds and other assets until the claim is recovered.
- Insolvency: if the debtor cannot pay, the Insolvency Law route opens and your claim is lodged in the procedure.
Every step is tracked in your dashboard, and nothing escalates without your approval. The full legal detail for Jordan, covering limitation, courts, enforcement and insolvency, follows in the guide below.
Debt collection in Jordan - the complete 2026 guide
This guide sets out debt collection in Jordan end to end for overseas and domestic creditors, in-house counsel and finance teams: how long you have to sue, which court tier hears the claim, how the Civil Execution Department enforces a judgment, and what the Insolvency Law changes when a debtor cannot pay. Jordan draws a real line between commercial and general civil claims, and it decides your deadline.
On this page:
Why you can trust this guide
Written from primary legal sources and reviewed by licensed local experts in this jurisdiction.
Questions or feedback? Email us at contact@debitura.com , we update this guide based on your input.
Debitura By the Numbers:
- 180 countries covered - each case handled by a local partner
- More than 5,000 businesses registered with Debitura
- 33 days median time to first payment on European cases
About the author
Written by Lars Holdgaard, Founder of Debitura (+10 years in global B2B debt recovery).
Contributing local experts:
Last updated:
Debt collection in Jordan - quick answers
Debt collection in Jordan turns on one question first: is the claim a commercial matter or a general civil one? The answer sets the limitation period and the governing code. The headline rules are below.
How long do I have to sue on a debt in Jordan?
A commercial (business-to-business) claim is time-barred after ten years under Article 58(1) of the Commercial Code (Law No. 12 of 1966), unless a shorter period is set elsewhere in the law, while a general civil claim runs for fifteen years under Article 449 of the Civil Code (Law No. 43 of 1976). The split is textual, not a matter of practice: Article 2 of the Commercial Code makes the Civil Code the general regime and the Commercial Code the special regime for commercial matters (Articles 6 to 9). Note that the fifteen-year civil period is a procedural bar rather than an extinction of the right: the debt itself survives, but a court will not hear the claim against a debtor who denies it once the period has run without lawful excuse.
| Claim type | Limitation period |
|---|---|
| Commercial (B2B) matters | 10 years (Commercial Code, Law No. 12 of 1966, Art. 58(1)), subject to shorter special periods. |
| General civil claims (including B2C) | 15 years (Civil Code, Law No. 43 of 1976, Art. 449). |
| Enforcing a final judgment | 15 years (Commercial Code Art. 58(2); Execution Law Art. 8). |
| Which code applies | Commercial Code Art. 2: the Civil Code is the default, the Commercial Code is the special regime for commercial matters. |
How much does debt collection cost in Jordan?
Pre-legal collection is commonly success-based (No Cure, No Pay), so the creditor pays only on recovery, and the fee depends on the debtor's country rather than yours. Court costs are separate and arise only if the case escalates: the creditor advances the court filing fee, which is set by the court-fees schedule and scales with the value of the claim, plus the fees of the Jordanian advocate who must file in Arabic. Execution-stage fees follow the Execution Law and are met from the proceeds of realisation.
Which court will hear my debt claim in Jordan?
Jordan's civil courts run in four tiers: the Magistrate Courts hear lower-value claims, the Courts of First Instance hear larger and more complex civil claims, the Courts of Appeal review their decisions, and the Court of Cassation rules on points of law. The value threshold between the Magistrate Courts and the Courts of First Instance is set by the Magistrate Courts Law and is revised from time to time, so it should be confirmed at the point of filing.
How is a Jordanian judgment enforced?
Enforcement runs through the Civil Execution Department attached to each Court of First Instance, under the Execution Law (Law No. 25 of 2007, as amended). Once execution opens, the debtor is served with a notice giving 15 days to pay (Article 15). Attachment of wages, salary or pension is capped at one third of total earnings, except in enforcement of statutory alimony (Article 31(b)).
What documents do I need to collect a debt in Jordan?
Assemble the contract or purchase order, the unpaid invoices and statement of account, proof of delivery or performance, the payment history, and all correspondence with the debtor. Documents filed in court must be in Arabic, so a sworn translation of the contract and invoices should be budgeted for at the outset rather than at the point of filing.
Who does what in Jordan debt collection?
Recovery in Jordan involves collection agencies and advocates for the amicable and court phases, the civil courts for the judgment, and the Civil Execution Department for enforcement. Debitura supports you across all stages through Sahouri & Partners LLC.
Debt collection agencies in Jordan
Agencies and law firms handle the pre-legal, out-of-court phase: contacting the debtor in Arabic, issuing reminders and a formal demand, and negotiating settlement or an instalment plan. Jordan has no dedicated debt-collection statute, so this work sits on the general civil and commercial law rather than on a collection-specific licensing regime. An agency cannot attach or seize anything; only the Civil Execution Department can, and only on a judgment or other executive instrument.
Advocates (lawyers) in Jordan
Advocates registered with the Jordan Bar Association file and argue the claim, obtain the judgment and open execution. Their role is not optional in practice for a foreign creditor: pleadings and evidence are filed in Arabic, and the choice of court tier turns on the value and nature of the claim. Sahouri & Partners LLC is registered with the Jordan Bar Association under Reg. 200151086.
The Civil Execution Department in Jordan
Execution is carried out by the Civil Execution Department attached to every Court of First Instance, under the Execution Law (Law No. 25 of 2007, as amended). The department serves the execution notice, attaches wages and bank funds, seizes and sells assets, and applies the proceeds. It works only from an enforceable title, and its powers, including the statutory caps and exemptions, are fixed by the Execution Law rather than negotiable between the parties.
Which laws and courts apply to debt collection in Jordan?
Jordan is a civil-law jurisdiction with codified private law. A debt claim runs on the Civil Code or the Commercial Code for the substance and the limitation period, on the civil procedure rules for the court stage, on the Execution Law for enforcement, and on the Insolvency Law where the debtor cannot pay.
The civil court system in Jordan
The civil courts sit in four tiers: the Magistrate Courts for lower-value claims, the Courts of First Instance for larger and more complex civil matters, the Courts of Appeal for review of their judgments, and the Court of Cassation for points of law. The monetary threshold dividing the Magistrate Courts from the Courts of First Instance is fixed by the Magistrate Courts Law and has been revised, so it should be checked before filing. Proceedings and filings are in Arabic.
Key legislation in Jordan
- Civil Code (Law No. 43 of 1976): the general law of obligations, and the fifteen-year civil limitation period in Article 449.
- Commercial Code (Law No. 12 of 1966): commercial obligations; Article 2 sets its relationship to the Civil Code, Articles 6 to 9 define commercial matters, and Article 58 sets the ten-year commercial limitation period and the fifteen-year period for enforcing a final judgment.
- Execution Law (Law No. 25 of 2007, as amended): the Civil Execution Department, the fifteen-year limit on enforcing an executive instrument (Article 8), the fifteen-day execution notice (Article 15), the one-third cap on wage attachment (Article 31(b)) and the rules on debtor imprisonment (Articles 22 and 23).
- Insolvency Law (Law No. 21 of 2018): reorganisation of a viable business as an alternative to liquidation.
Consumer and data protection in Jordan
Jordan has no debt-collection conduct statute equivalent to the consumer-collection regimes found in the EU or the United States, so the limits on collection behaviour come from the general civil and criminal law. In practice that means the sum demanded must be stated accurately, pressure must stop short of threat or harassment, and the debt should not be disclosed to third parties who have no interest in it. A creditor collecting from Jordan into an EU or UK entity also remains subject to its own data-protection obligations when handling the debtor's personal data.
Step 1 - How does amicable (pre-legal) debt collection work in Jordan?
Pre-legal collection in Jordan means recovering an unpaid invoice without opening a court file, through an Arabic reminder, a formal written demand and negotiation. The aim is full payment or a written, signed instalment agreement. Working in Arabic matters from the first letter: it is the language of the courts, so a demand already in Arabic doubles as the foundation of the later file.
Amicable collection timeline
| Stage | Action |
|---|---|
| First reminder | In Arabic, stating the invoice, the due date and the amount, and asking the debtor to confirm the debt. |
| Follow-up | Ask whether the invoice is disputed and, if not, why it is unpaid. Many claims resolve once the delivery documents are produced in Arabic. |
| Formal demand | A written demand setting the full sum, a deadline and the intention to file, sent so that delivery can be proved. |
| Negotiation | Settlement or a signed instalment plan setting amounts, dates and the consequence of default. |
| Hand-over | If unpaid, the file passes to a Jordanian advocate to file in the competent court tier. |
Keep proof of delivery
Send the formal demand by a method that produces a receipt, and keep every call note, email and delivery slip. Two things turn on that record: it evidences a genuine attempt to settle before filing, and it fixes the dates you will need to show the claim was brought inside the ten-year commercial or fifteen-year civil limitation period.
When to escalate to court in Jordan
Escalate when the formal demand goes unanswered, the debtor disputes the claim without substance, the limitation period is approaching, or assets look likely to be moved. Prepare the contract, invoices, proof of delivery, statement of account and an Arabic translation set, because the same bundle supports the claim, the judgment and the execution file that follows.
Step 2 - How do you obtain an enforceable title in Jordan?
In Jordan an enforceable title normally means a judgment of the civil courts, obtained by an advocate registered with the Jordan Bar Association and filed in Arabic. The tier is set by the value and nature of the claim: the Magistrate Courts take lower-value claims, the Courts of First Instance take larger and more complex civil matters.
Choosing the court tier
The threshold between the Magistrate Courts and the Courts of First Instance is fixed by the Magistrate Courts Law and has been revised over time, so it should be confirmed at the point of filing rather than assumed. Filing in the wrong tier costs time, so the value of the claim, including any interest and costs claimed, should be settled before the file is opened.
What the court needs
The claim is built on documents: the contract or order, the invoices, proof of delivery or performance, the statement of account and the record of demands made. Everything filed must be in Arabic, so translation is part of the preparation rather than an afterthought. A judgment can be appealed to the Courts of Appeal and, on points of law, to the Court of Cassation, which is why a well-documented, undisputed claim is materially faster than a contested one.
More on court proceedings in Jordan
Why the judgment matters
A final judgment does two things. It converts the claim into an executive instrument the Civil Execution Department can act on, and it carries its own fifteen-year enforcement window: Article 58(2) of the Commercial Code and Article 8 of the Execution Law each cap enforcement of a final judgment or executive instrument at fifteen years.
Costs of the court stage
The creditor advances the court filing fee, which is set by the court-fees schedule and scales with the value of the claim, together with the advocate's fees and the cost of sworn translation. Court-awarded costs can be claimed from the debtor as part of the judgment, subject to the court's assessment.
Step 3 - How does debt enforcement work in Jordan?
Enforcement in Jordan runs through the Civil Execution Department attached to each Court of First Instance, under the Execution Law (Law No. 25 of 2007, as amended, most recently by Law No. 29 of 2017). The creditor files the judgment or other executive instrument, and the department serves the debtor with a notice giving 15 days to pay (Article 15). A final judgment or executive instrument can be enforced for up to 15 years (Article 8; Commercial Code Article 58(2)).
Ways to enforce a claim in Jordan
- Attachment of earnings: wages, salary or pension can be attached up to one third of total earnings. The only exception to the cap is enforcement of statutory alimony (Article 31(b)).
- Attachment of bank funds and receivables: money held for the debtor by a bank or owed to the debtor by a third party can be attached and paid over.
- Seizure and sale of assets: movable and immovable property is attached, valued and sold, with the proceeds applied to the debt and the costs of execution.
- Imprisonment of the debtor: where the debtor neither pays nor offers a settlement whose first instalment is at least 25% of the judgment, the Execution Law allows imprisonment, capped at 90 days per year for a single debt (Article 22).
Who cannot be imprisoned
Article 23 of the Execution Law exempts a defined group from imprisonment, including government employees, minors, persons who lack mental capacity, debtors already in bankruptcy or composition proceedings, pregnant women and new mothers, and debts owed between spouses or between ascendants and descendants. Imprisonment is a pressure measure and does not discharge the debt, so it runs alongside, not instead of, attachment of assets.
The enforcement process in Jordan
- Open the file: lodge the judgment or executive instrument with the Civil Execution Department at the competent Court of First Instance.
- Notice to the debtor: the department serves the execution notice giving 15 days to pay (Article 15).
- Identify assets: establish where the debtor banks, is employed, and holds movable or immovable property.
- Attach: the department attaches earnings within the one-third cap, bank funds, receivables or property.
- Realise and distribute: attached property is valued and sold, and the proceeds are applied to the debt, interest and the costs of execution.
- If nothing is recovered: keep the file open within the fifteen-year window and return to it if the debtor's position changes.
Step 4 - How do insolvency procedures affect debt recovery in Jordan?
Where a debtor cannot pay at all, individual enforcement gives way to the collective route under the Insolvency Law (Law No. 21 of 2018). The law's central change was to make reorganisation of a viable business a genuine alternative to liquidation, so an insolvent debtor is no longer automatically wound up and sold.
The two routes
Reorganisation aims to keep the business trading under court supervision while creditors are satisfied out of the restructured undertaking. Liquidation realises the assets and distributes the proceeds. Which route opens depends on whether the business is viable, and both are conducted through the court rather than by agreement between individual creditors.
What this means for a creditor
- Stop individual action: once an insolvency procedure opens, enforcement by a single creditor gives way to the collective procedure. Continuing to press the Civil Execution Department is not the route.
- Lodge the claim: the claim must be filed in the procedure, with the contract, invoices, statement of account and details of any security. Claim-filing deadlines are set within the procedure, so the opening notice should be acted on promptly.
- Security matters: a creditor holding security over identified assets is in a materially different position from an unsecured trade creditor, so any pledge, mortgage or retention-of-title clause should be identified and evidenced at the point of filing.
- Expect a partial recovery: an unsecured trade claim ranks behind secured and preferential claims, which is the practical argument for obtaining a judgment and enforcing it while the debtor is still trading.
Act before the debtor fails
The ten-year commercial and fifteen-year civil limitation periods are long enough to encourage delay, but the debtor's solvency is not. Enforcement against identified assets under the Execution Law is the higher-recovery route, and it is only available while there are assets to attach.
Fees, interest and who pays what in Jordan
- Our fee: success-based, No Cure, No Pay (see pricing).
- Court & enforcement fees: the court filing fee under the court-fees schedule, the advocate's fees and the cost of sworn Arabic translation apply only if the case escalates to court; execution-stage fees follow the Execution Law and are met from the proceeds of realisation.
- Statutory debtor items: Jordanian law limits the interest that may be claimed on a debt, and a contractual rate above the statutory ceiling is not enforceable, so the interest actually recoverable should be calculated on the governing code rather than on the contract alone. Court-awarded costs can be added to the claim.
- Who keeps what: recovered principal is yours; interest and costs follow the statute and the court's order.
What the debtor faces at the execution stage
Once execution opens the debtor has 15 days to pay under Article 15 of the Execution Law. Beyond that, attachment of wages, salary or pension is capped at one third of total earnings except for statutory alimony (Article 31(b)), and the Execution Law also allows imprisonment of a debtor who neither pays nor offers a settlement, capped at 90 days per year for a single debt (Article 22) and subject to the exemptions in Article 23.
Cross-border debt collection in Jordan
A judgment obtained outside Jordan is not directly enforceable there. It has to be recognised first through an exequatur application under Jordan's foreign-judgment enforcement legislation, which examines matters such as the jurisdiction of the foreign court, whether the defendant was properly heard, and whether the judgment conflicts with Jordanian public policy. Only once recognition is granted does the judgment become an executive instrument the Civil Execution Department can act on.
Within the Arab region, Jordan is a party to the Riyadh Arab Agreement for Judicial Cooperation (1983), a multilateral convention among Arab League states covering judicial cooperation and the recognition of judgments, which can shorten the route for a creditor holding a judgment from another member state. For a creditor outside that framework, it is often faster to sue in Jordan from the outset than to litigate abroad and then seek recognition.
Partners in our network
These firms are partners in our network for this country. Open a profile to learn more about each one. If court action is needed on your case, your partner sends a quote on the platform; nothing starts until you accept it.
- Verified specialists
- Nothing starts until you accept the quote
- Fair, pre-negotiated rates
Sahouri & Partners LLC is a premier law firm in Jordan offering effective debt collection services, recognized for its 60 years of expertise and strategic partnerships in over 30 jurisdictions, and a Debitura partner providing No Cure No Pay solutions.
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Muad Al Fuqaha & Associates is a premier law firm in Amman offering effective Debt Collection services in Jordan, positioning the firm as the go-to partner for debt recovery since 2012, with a reputation bolstered by prestigious awards and memberships.
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Faidi Law Firm is a premier law firm in Amman offering effective Debt Collection services in Jordan, established in 1995, renowned for its innovative strategies and high ethical standards, and a proud member of the Jordan Bar Association.
Frequently Asked Questions
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