Limitation of claims

A man holding an hourglass

If the limitation period for a claim has expired, this means that the party you owe money to (the creditor) no longer has the right to demand payment. The claim therefore lapses due to its age.

Limitation periods

The normal limitation period is three years. That means that a creditor must make sure that its claim is paid within three years or be granted an extension of the limitation period.
Attachment proceedings, for example, will result in an extension of the limitation period by ten years from the day on which the attachment proceedings were held.
Acknowledgement of the claim also results in an extension of limitation period. Payments made on a claim and verbal and written communication about the claim are examples of what is meant by acknowledgement here.

Other rules relating to the limitation of claims

Other limitation rules than the general rule apply to some types of claims.
For example, an absolute limitation period of ten years applies to fines.
This means that, even if events occur that would normally result in an extension of the limitation period, such as attachment proceedings, this does not apply to fines.

 

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