Do you need a collection licence to offer debt collection in your platform?
Usually the answer turns on who actually collects. In a referral model, your platform passes the invoice on, your user signs the collection agreement, and a local agency or law firm collects under the rules of the debtor's country. This page explains the roles and the rules in five markets. It is general information, not legal advice.
Four parties, four roles
Regulators look at who contacts the debtor and who collects money for someone else. In Debitura's referral model, that is the local collection partner, not your platform.
| Party | What it does | GDPR role |
|---|---|---|
| Your user (the creditor) | Owns the claim, signs the collection agreement and, where the collector needs one, a power of attorney[1] | Data controller[2] |
| Your platform | Shows the button and sends the invoice data to Debitura on your user's instruction; does not contact the debtor | Check how your own terms with your users cover this transfer |
| Debitura | The technology platform: matches the case to a local partner, handles the agreement and runs case operations. Does not contact debtors[2][3] | Data processor for the creditor[2] |
| The local collection partner | A collection agency or law firm in the debtor's country that contacts the debtor and collects under local law[3] | Independent data processor for the creditor[2] |
Debitura clients can generate and sign a Data Processing Agreement in the platform.[2]
Three questions that decide it
Who collects for whom?
Rules usually target collecting claims for someone else as a business. A platform that refers the claim to a collector is in a different position from one that chases the debtor itself.
Is the debtor a business or a consumer?
Several regimes apply only to consumer debts, others to all claims. This is why Debitura's partner program is built for business debts, with consumer claims off by default and opened per country.[3]
How do you present it?
Describing the service as your own collection service can raise different questions from offering a named third party's service. Check your wording with your own legal adviser.
What collectors need in five markets
These rules apply to the collector working the claim. They are summarised from the sources named, checked 11 November 2026.
| Country | What the rule requires | Business debts? |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | FCA-regulated debt collecting is defined as taking steps to procure payment of a debt due under a credit agreement or a consumer hire agreement (Regulated Activities Order, article 39F).[4] | The article is about credit and consumer hire agreements, not ordinary trade invoices |
| Germany | Collecting another party's claims as a business of its own (Inkassodienstleistung) requires registration with the Federal Office of Justice (Rechtsdienstleistungsgesetz, sections 2 and 10).[5][6] | The definition does not depend on who the debtor is |
| Netherlands | Since 1 April 2024, collection agencies must register with Justis under the Debt Collection Services Quality Act (Wki).[7] | The Act covers debts owed by natural persons, including people running a business without a legal entity[8] |
| France | Amicable collection for others requires professional liability insurance, a bank account used only for collected funds, a written declaration to the public prosecutor before starting and a written agreement with the creditor (Code des procédures civiles d'exécution, R124-1 to R124-6).[9] | The rules do not distinguish business and consumer debtors |
| United States | The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act defines a debt as a consumer's obligation for personal, family or household purposes (15 U.S.C. 1692a). Collection agency licensing is set state by state.[10] | The federal act covers consumer debts; check the rules in the debtor's state |
With Debitura, the claim is worked by a local agency or law firm in the debtor's country, which carries the local requirements. Your platform does not become the collector.
Licences and compliance: questions
Does my platform need a collection licence to offer a "Send to collection" button?
That depends on your country and on how you present the service, so check with your own legal adviser. In Debitura's referral model, your platform passes the invoice on, your user signs the collection agreement, and a local agency or law firm in the debtor's country collects under local law.
Who contacts the debtor?
The local collection agency or law firm. Debitura does not contact debtors directly, and neither does your platform.
Why are consumer claims off by default for partner platforms?
Consumer debts carry stricter rules in many countries. Debitura's partner program is built for business debts; consumer claims are opened per country.
Who signs what?
Your user signs the collection agreement once, and a power of attorney for the local collection partner where one is needed. Chaser's customers, for example, sign both once before their first case goes live.
How is personal data handled?
The creditor is the data controller, Debitura is a data processor, and the collection partner is an independent data processor acting for the creditor. Debitura clients can sign a Data Processing Agreement in the platform.
Where these facts come from
All opened 11 November 2026. Rules change: check the current text before relying on it.
- Debitura, How Chaser added debt collection to its product. debitura.com/chaser-case-study
- Debitura, Data protection. debitura.com/data-protection
- Debitura, Debt collection API. debitura.com/integration/debt-collection-api
- legislation.gov.uk, The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001, article 39F. legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2001/544/article/39F
- gesetze-im-internet.de, Rechtsdienstleistungsgesetz, section 2. gesetze-im-internet.de/rdg/__2.html
- gesetze-im-internet.de, Rechtsdienstleistungsgesetz, section 10. gesetze-im-internet.de/rdg/__10.html
- SRA, Nieuwe regels voor incassodienstverleners vanaf 1 april 2024. sra.nl
- Clifford Chance, Debt Collection Services Quality Act (briefing, January 2024). cliffordchance.com
- Bpifrance Création, Recouvrement de créances: réglementation. bpifrance-creation.fr/activites-reglementees/recouvrement-creances
- Legal Information Institute, 15 U.S. Code § 1692a, Definitions. law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1692a
Leave the regulated work to local collectors
Your platform builds the button. Debitura's local partners do the collecting, under the rules of each debtor's country.