In Taiwan, the Fastest Way to Collect a Debt Skips the Trial
Applies in Taiwan
Most debt-recovery advice starts with suing. In Taiwan that is often the slow option. A payment order (支付命令) is a court order issued on your paperwork alone — the debtor is never heard — and if they do not file an objection within 20 days, you may apply to enforce it. If they do object, it converts to an ordinary action and you have lost little. For amounts of NT$100,000 or less the small-claims procedure (小額訴訟) applies, with a first-instance court fee of NT$1,500. Enforcement then costs 0.8% of the sum you are chasing.
Two routes, and the quiet one is usually better
- 支付命令 Payment orderNo hearing, no argument. Enforceable if unopposed for 20 days.
Best where the debt is documented and you expect silence rather than a fight.
- 小額訴訟 Small claimsFor claims of NT$100,000 or less. Court fee NT$1,500 at first instance.
The route when the debtor genuinely disputes the debt, or has already objected.
A payment order that draws an objection does not end your claim — it becomes an ordinary action.
What enforcement costs
Enforcement (強制執行) is charged as a percentage of the claim, not a flat fee, so it scales with what you are recovering.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Small claims court fee, first instance (claim ≤ NT$100,000) | NT$1,500 |
| Enforcement fee, property claims | 0.8% (千分之八) of the claim |
| Enforcement fee, non-property claims | NT$3,000 flat |
| Worked example — enforcing NT$100,000 | NT$800 |
The NT$1,500 first-instance fee applies from 1 January 2025.
The order of operations
From unpaid invoice to enforcement
- Assemble the documents that make the debt undeniable — contract, invoice, transfer records, the messages where they acknowledge it.
- Apply to the court for a payment order, setting out the amount and its basis.
- The court issues it and serves the debtor. The 20-day objection window runs from service.
- No objection — apply for compulsory enforcement. Objection filed — the matter proceeds as an ordinary action, and for NT$100,000 or less that is the small-claims procedure.
- On enforcement, pay 0.8% of the claim and identify what is to be seized: salary, bank deposits, or property.
Common questions
Does a payment order mean I have won? No. It means the debtor did not contest within the window. That is enough to enforce, which is what you actually needed.
Can I go straight to a small claim? Yes. If you already know the debt is disputed, the payment order is a detour.
What can enforcement reach? Salary, bank deposits and property are the usual targets. Identifying a specific asset before you pay the enforcement fee is the difference between a percentage well spent and one wasted.
Is service to the debtor's registered address enough? Service is what starts the 20-day clock, so an address that fails is a filing that goes nowhere. Confirm it before applying.
Sources: 司法院 — 什麼是小額訴訟, 臺灣新北地方法院 — 執行費怎麼計算. Figures published by the Judicial Yuan and district courts at the time of writing. Fee scales change — confirm before filing. General information, not legal advice.