Enforcement of Judgments - A Won Case Is Not Yet Money Received
The judgment has entered into force and the debtor has not paid voluntarily. Here a separate process begins, with its own rules, deadlines and fees. A large share of creditors lose their money precisely at this stage: the judgment sits in a drawer while the debtor's assets are already in someone else's name.
This page looks at enforcement from both sides. For the creditor: how to obtain the writ, how to find assets the bureau will not discover on its own, and how to speed the process up. For the debtor: what rights you have, what cannot be taken from you, how to obtain instalments and how to challenge an unlawful act of the bailiff.
Updated · Practice area: Civil litigation lawyer
The Enforcement Route From Judgment to Money in the Account
Writ of execution
After the judgment enters into force, the court issues a writ on the creditor's application. The lawyer checks that the amount, interest, costs and party details in the writ match the judgment exactly: an error in the writ halts enforcement.
Application to the enforcement bureau
An application to the National Bureau of Enforcement with the writ, identification of the debtor and an advance on the enforcement fee. The bailiff gives the debtor a period for voluntary compliance, after which compulsory measures begin.
Asset tracing
The bureau checks registries and banks automatically, but it does not see: the debtor's receivables from third parties, cash income, recently transferred property, assets abroad. This is where the lawyer adds value: finding the information, feeding it to the bureau and moving for attachment of specific assets.
Attachment, deduction, sale
Debits from accounts, deduction of part of the salary, attachment of movable and immovable property, valuation and auction. The lawyer monitors the auction terms and the valuation: an undervalued asset harms both sides.
Recovering transferred assets
If the debtor transferred property to a relative during or just before the court case, the lawyer considers an action to void the transaction: a sham transfer, or one to the creditor's detriment, is reversed and becomes subject to enforcement.
Completion or suspension
Enforcement ends with full satisfaction or is suspended when no assets exist; the writ is returned and can be resubmitted when the debtor acquires property. The lawyer periodically reviews the debtor's position and resubmits the writ in time.
What Can Be Recovered and What Is Protected From Enforcement
Enforcement is not "taking everything": the law protects the debtor's minimum living conditions. Lawyers on both sides need to know exactly where that line runs.
Enforcement Has Started Against You - Legal Tools, Not Evasion
Hiding or transferring assets after enforcement has begun is not only a civil risk (the transaction is voided) but can also amount to a criminal offence. The debtor's lawyer does something different: controls the lawfulness and the amount of enforcement and uses the debtor's legitimate rights.
First, checking the sum: the bureau calculates interest and fees, and errors are not rare. Second, carving out protected assets and income, which does not happen automatically; the debtor has to request it. Third, instalments or deferral: the court sets a payment schedule with regard to the debtor's financial position, provided the debtor acts in good faith and the creditor is not materially harmed.
Fourth, challenging the bailiff's acts: attachment of protected property, an auction at an undervalued appraisal, a miscalculated fee, breached deadlines. A complaint to the head of the bureau and then to court works on short deadlines; the lawyer counts the deadline from day one.
The Numbers That Define an Enforcement Case
- Deadline for submitting the writ
- A writ of execution has its own limitation period for submission to the bureau, counted from the date the judgment took effect. A missed deadline turns the judgment into paper; the lawyer does not delay submission.
- Voluntary compliance period
- A short period from the bailiff's notice during which the debtor can pay without compulsory measures and without the full fee. The cheapest moment for the debtor.
- Enforcement fee
- A fee proportional to the amount, ultimately borne by the debtor but advanced by the creditor. Reduced on voluntary compliance. The lawyer checks the fee calculation.
- Auction
- Property is sold at an electronic auction at the appraised value; if the first auction fails, the price is reduced. Both sides have an interest and a right to challenge the valuation.
- Complaint deadline
- A bailiff's act can be challenged within a short period from notification of the act. Missing it makes the act lawful, even if it was wrong.
Information That Speeds Up Enforcement - What the Bureau Will Not Find Alone
- The debtor's workplace and employer: for salary deductions the bureau needs the employer's identity.
- The debtor's business, company shares, and contractors who pay them money.
- The car the debtor actually drives: it may be registered to someone else, but the information is still useful.
- Property transferred during or just before the court case: dates and the transferee's identity for a voidance action.
- Assets abroad and the debtor's whereabouts if they are outside Georgia: enforcement there follows a separate procedure.
- The debtor's messages acknowledging the debt or promising payment: for assessing deadlines and good faith.
Three Enforcement Cases
The bureau "finds nothing"
The writ is filed; the answer is that there are no assets. Lawyer: tracing the debtor's real activity, identifying the employer, the debtor's receivables from third parties, specific motions to the bureau. Typical result: salary deductions and third-party payments, with money starting to arrive within months.
The flat was signed over to the mother during the case
One month before the judgment the debtor gifted the flat to a relative. Lawyer: an action to void the gift as a transaction to the creditor's detriment, attachment of the flat as security. Result: the flat returns to the debtor's estate and becomes subject to enforcement.
A debtor comes to us: the whole salary was debited
The bureau attached the account and the entire salary was taken. Lawyer: a complaint for return of the protected portion, identification of the salary account, a motion for instalments in court. Result: a monthly payment schedule and release of the account.
Questions About Enforcement
I have a judgment but the debtor has nothing. Does the bureau still ask for an advance?
The fee advance is statutory and may not be refunded when no assets exist. So the lawyer reviews the debtor's financial picture before filing and advises whether to file now or wait until assets appear, while keeping the writ deadline under control.
How long does enforcement take?
With funds in the account: weeks. Through salary deductions: depends on the ratio of debt to salary, often years. Through auction of real estate: 4-8 months with valuation, auctions and possible complaints. A lawyer shortens these periods but cannot eliminate them.
Can a foreign court judgment be enforced in Georgia?
Only after recognition by the Supreme Court of Georgia, on the basis of an international treaty or reciprocity. Recognition is a separate application with translation and legalisation; after recognition, enforcement proceeds in the ordinary way. An arbitral award has its own, simpler recognition regime.
The debtor paid part and says they cannot pay the rest. What now?
Enforcement continues for the balance; partial payment does not stop it. The debtor may request instalments and you may object. The lawyer often recommends an agreed schedule under the bureau's supervision: a debtor acting in good faith means real money, while an auction means years and undervaluation.
The bailiff attached property that is mine, not the debtor's.
A third party whose property was attached by mistake has the right to bring an action to release it from attachment. Proof of ownership (receipt, contract, registry) and a short deadline: the lawyer files before the auction, because recovering property after sale is far harder.
Lawyers for Enforcement Cases
Years of litigation are won or lost at the enforcement stage. Within 15 minutes the coordinator connects you with a lawyer experienced in working with the bureau: asset tracing for a creditor or protection of rights for a debtor.
No published lawyers in this category yet
That does not mean we cannot help. Call us - we will match you with a specialist for a remote consultation or from a nearby city.
Call: 568 330 318You Have the Judgment but Not the Money?
In a free consultation the lawyer tells you what stage your enforcement is at, where the debtor's assets may be and which motion will speed things up - or, if you are the debtor, which instrument protects you. The coordinator's call comes within 15 minutes.