All Judgments of the District, Circuit, and High Court may be enforced through District Court enforcement procedures, such as an Instalment Order or a Committal Order.
Note: In the case of District Court enforcement procedures, the relevant forms refer to you, the claimant, as a "creditor" and to the respondent as a "debtor".
Instalment Order
An application by you for an Instalment Order allows the court to assess if the respondent is able or unable to repay the debt. The court will then decide the amount, frequency, and method of repayment, if relevant.
To get an Instalment Order, you must:
- Complete a form known as a 'Summons for Attendance of Debtor' (Form 51A (01)).
- Submit this form, and a copy of it, in the court office in the district where the respondent lives. The court office will then provide the court date and time, and return the original Summons to you.
- Serve a copy of the Summons on the respondent.
- Return the original Summons and a Statutory Declaration of Servicein the relevant court office at least four days prior to the allocated court date. For more information on serving and proof of service, please see our Serving and Proof of Service Proof of Service page.
When the court office provides a court date and time, the office will allow sufficient time for you to serve a copy of the Summons.
Variation of an Instalment Order
If new information becomes available and/or if the respondent's financial circumstances have changed, either you or the respondent can apply to vary the terms of the order, in the court where the Instalment Order was made. This is known as a Variation of Instalment Order.
To get a Variation of Instalment Order, you must:
- Complete a form known as a 'Summons to vary an Instalment Order' (Form 51A (05)).
- Submit this form, and a copy of it, in the court office in the district where the Instalment Order was made. The court office will then provide the court date and time, and return the original Summons to you.
- Serve a copy of the Summons on the respondent.
- Return the original Summons and a Statutory Declaration of Service in the relevant court office at least four days prior to the allocated court date. For more information on serving and proof of service, please see our Serving and Proof of Service Proof of Service page.
When the court office provides a court date and time, the office will allow sufficient time for you to serve a copy of the Summons.
Committal Order
In cases where the terms in the Instalment Order are not being followed by the respondent, you can apply to the court where the Instalment Order was made for a Committal Order.
As part of this application, you must provide evidence beyond reasonable doubt, that the respondent has the means to pay the debt but is wilfully or deliberately refusing to pay. If the Committal Order is granted at a court hearing, the respondent may be sent to prison for failing to follow the terms of the Instalment Order.
To get a Committal Order, you must:
- Complete a form known as a 'Summons on failure to comply with an Instalment Order' (Form 51A (06)) and a Statutory Declaration, providing evidence beyond reasonable doubt, that the respondent has the means to pay the debt but is wilfully or deliberately refusing to pay.
- Submit these forms, and a copy of both, in the court office in the district where the Instalment Order was made. The court office will return the original Summons to you, with a date and time for the court hearing.
- Serve a copy of the Summons on the respondent by personal service, unless otherwise directed by the court. This involves you, your solicitor, or a summons server handing a copy of the Summons to the respondent in person.
- Return the original Summons and a Statutory Declaration of Service in the relevant court office at least four days prior to the allocated court date. For more information on serving and proof of service, please see our Serving and Proof of Service Proof of Service page.
For more information on the timelines in which the documents mentioned above must be submitted, please see the relevant District Court Rules.
District Court Fees
Original documents must be stamped with a court fee. You can pay the court fees at your local court office (or in Dublin, at the Stamping Office in the Áras Uí Dhálaigh building in the Four Courts complex). You can pay these fees by card or cash.
Summons for Attendance of Debtor: €15.
Summons to Vary an Instalment Order: €15.
Summons on Failure to Comply with an Instalment Order: €15.
