Notice of collection (inkassovarsel)
Also known as collection warning, notice before collection, the 10-day period, inkassovarsel, inkassotrussel, varsel om inkasso, 10-dages fristen
A notice of collection is the warning in the formal demand letter that the claim will be handed over for collection if it is not paid within 10 days.
In practice
The notice of collection and the formal demand are in practice the same letter: the formal demand letter is the document, the notice of collection is the warning that the letter must contain. Collection cannot be set in motion without it.
The notice must be unequivocal. It is not enough to hint that “the matter may have consequences”. It must state that the claim will be handed over for collection, and that this will impose further costs on the debtor.
The 10 days are a minimum, not a maximum. You may give a longer period — but not a shorter one, and the period must have expired before the case may be handed over.
Where it commonly goes wrong
- The notice is sent by email with no evidence of dispatch. If it is later disputed that the letter was received, you must be able to show when it was sent and to where.
- Collection is threatened in a reminder sent before the due date. The claim must fall due first.