Payment risk in Europe, for Turkish exporters: which markets pay on time, how an unpaid claim is pursued from one country to the next, and how to spot a customer who was never real. A summary of public sources, updated quarterly.
Six numbers that sum up the risk.
The share of each payment method in 2025 exports. Open account means delivery first, payment later: two thirds of all goods leave before any money has been received.
There is a striking contrast on the other side of the trade: Turkish importers increasingly pay their own suppliers in advance (23.7% of imports).
Source: TurkStat data, via Ekonomim, 23.06.2026. The source gives the letter-of-credit share as "approximately 3%", so the residual "other" category is our own calculation.
The EU-27 took $105.9bn of Turkish exports in 2025; with the UK, Switzerland and Norway the total comes to $122.4bn. 166,985 companies in the EU import from Türkiye, and that number is rising fast. The largest markets are not always the safest ones.
| Country | Turkish exports 2025 | Paying on time | Affected by late payment | Insolvencies 2026 | TR fraud warning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | $19.8bn (+9.7%) | 63.8% | 43% | +6.9% | — |
| United Kingdom | $14.2bn (+11.8%) | 60.5% | — | — | 2019 |
| Italy | $12.4bn (+3.0%) | 43.4% | 48% | −3.2% | 2022 |
| France | $10.5bn (+11.2%) | 46.5% | 64% | +4.4% | 2021 · 2023 · 2025 |
| Spain | $10.1bn (+10.4%) | 45.9% | 46% | −7.8% | — |
| Romania | $7.9bn (+5.0%) | 12.0% | — | −1.7% | — |
| Netherlands | $7.2bn (−7.1%) | 74.7% | 31% | −12.0% | — |
| Poland | $6.2bn (+1.2%) | 86.6% | 72% | +4.5% | 2020 |
| Belgium | $4.8bn (+17.4%) | 47.3% | 51% | +1.1% | — |
| Bulgaria | $4.7bn (+6.8%) | 19.2% | 35% | −17.7% | — |
| Greece | $3.5bn (+4.5%) | 34.1% | 64% | +45.5%* | — |
| Slovenia | $3.2bn (+27.7%) | 53.3% | 50% | — | — |
| Czechia | $2.1bn (+5.2%) | 63.8% | 69% | +0.7% | — |
| Austria | $1.9bn (+16.5%) | — | 45% | −3.0% | — |
| Slovakia | $1.8bn (+62.2%) | 60.2% | 56% | −41.8% | — |
Sources: TİM 2025 (exports); Dun & Bradstreet / CRIBIS Payment Study 2026, end of 2025 (paying on time; Romania is absent from this edition, so its figure is from end-2024); EU Payment Observatory annual report 2025, 2024 survey data (affected; EU average 52%; no comparable figure for the UK and Austria); Eurostat insolvency index (2021=100), change in Q2 2026 against the same quarter a year earlier; the UK is not part of that statistic. Orange: below 35%. * The rise in Greece is largely down to a simplified procedure introduced for small insolvencies.
Germany: $19.8bn of exports, 31,297 importers and the cheapest payment order procedure in Europe. The value sits mainly with large groups.
France, Italy and Romania take $30.7bn of exports between them, and all three are weak payers. This is where advance payment, credit insurance or a letter of credit earns its keep.
Since 2019 the number of importers has risen by 58% in France and 53% in Portugal. More, smaller and newer buyers — which means more counterparties whose creditworthiness is unknown.
The sources measure different things, but the picture is consistent: in northern Europe roughly 64% of companies pay on time, against about 31% in southern and eastern Europe (our own unweighted average of the country figures). Türkiye sits between the two at 46.4%.
Best: Denmark (94.9%, the shortest payment terms in the EU), Poland, Hungary, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany.
Weakest: Romania (12%), Portugal, Bulgaria (the highest share of delays beyond 90 days), Greece (86 days to collect), Italy and France.
Poland, with a caveat: 86.6% pay on time, yet Polish companies report the highest rate of being hit by late payment themselves (72%).
Dun & Bradstreet / CRIBIS Payment Study 2026 (end of 2025; transaction data, not a survey). ¹ End-2024 figure: Romania does not appear in the 2026 edition. Italy is measured with a different indicator (CRIBIS ITP) and is not directly comparable. ★ significant Turkish export market. Orange: below 35%. D&B/CRIBIS looks at actual payments while the EU survey records how companies feel, which is why the two can diverge for a given country.
If your contract is governed by the law of an EU member state, the Late Payment Directive (2011/7/EU) gives the creditor real rights. They are far easier to enforce when they are spelled out on the invoice and in the contract.
Statutory interest: the ECB reference rate plus at least eight percentage points, running automatically without any reminder.
Fixed collection costs: at least € 40 per overdue invoice, plus any further reasonable costs you incur.
Payment terms: as a rule no more than 60 calendar days between businesses; longer terms only if expressly agreed and not grossly unfair to the creditor. The interest rate and the € 40 are minimums — member states may set more.
On the table: the EU proposal for a hard 30-day limit is still sitting with the Council.
The three reasons most often given when a European customer pays late or never pays at all.
The biggest risk in selling on credit. In an insolvency your claim is usually an ordinary unsecured one. When Mexx failed in 2014, more than 25 Turkish apparel suppliers lost at least € 10 million between them, on the industry body's first estimate (TGSD statement, December 2014).
The customer disputes quality or quantity and holds payment. While the dispute runs, a credit insurer will usually decline the claim as well. Technical specifications, proof of delivery and written agreements matter as much as the insurance does.
Payments are postponed with geopolitical tension given as the reason — including by customers in countries that are not affected by it at all (Turkish machinery manufacturer, İHA/Habertürk, May 2026).
Many exporters never pursue their smaller claims at all. The reasons given: legal costs, unfamiliar foreign legal systems, the absence of a written contract, and the fear of losing the customer (YTSO, 2011; still widely cited). How many exporters currently hold overdue foreign receivables is not tracked anywhere.
Amounts are 2025–2026 indications.
| Instrument | In practice |
|---|---|
| Türk Eximbank short-term credit insurance | Cover for up to 90% of the invoice, terms up to 360 days. 7,617 companies and $22.8bn of insured exports: only around 8% of total exports. Claims paid in 2025 came to $20.8m; 42% of the insured volume is EU. |
| Private credit insurers | Coface, Allianz Trade, Atradius. A small market; premiums are typically below 1% of turnover. An Eximbank policy runs about 30% cheaper. |
| An independent credit report | An independent report showing your customer's ability to pay, a recommended credit limit and any risk signals, together with an analysis of what it actually means. The quickest and cheapest protection there is, for new and existing customers alike. Credit / Risk Report → |
| Export factoring | Cross-border factoring (export and import) stood at TRY 99.6bn at the end of 2024, across 14 factoring companies (BDDK data). |
| An arbitration clause | ISTAC, İTOTAM or the ICC. Arbitral awards are recognised throughout the EU under the New York Convention — but the clause has to be in the contract before the dispute arises. |
Most European countries have a fast-track payment order procedure. The real questions are whether a Turkish company can use it directly, what it costs, and whether the court can demand security for costs.
| Country | Procedure | Lawyer | Cost | Security | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | Mahnverfahren | No | from € 38 | No | Open to creditors abroad; the competent court is AG Wedding in Berlin |
| France | Injonction de payer | No | Commercial court ~€ 30; tribunal judiciaire free | No | Repeated fraud warnings |
| Italy | Decreto ingiuntivo | Yes | € 145.50 for claims of € 5,200–26,000 | No | The fee scales with the amount claimed |
| Spain | Proceso monitorio | No | € 100 for companies (claims above € 2,000) | No | No lawyer or procurador needed to file |
| Romania | Ordonanța de plată | No | 200 lei (~€ 40) | No | — |
| Netherlands | Subdistrict court (no payment order procedure) | Above € 25,000 | € 139–1,504; from € 3,083 above € 25,000 | No | No lawyer needed up to € 25,000 |
| Belgium | Dagvaarding (writ) | No | ~€ 165 | No | The digital IOS procedure is closed to Turkish companies |
| Poland | EPU / postępowanie upominawcze | In practice yes | 1.25% above 20,000 zł; fixed fee below (min. 30 zł) | No | A Polish identifier for the debtor is required; EPU is unavailable if service abroad is needed, and the claim must have fallen due within the past three years |
| Czechia | Platební rozkaz | No | 4% (min. CZK 200) | No | — |
| Slovakia | Upomínacie konanie | In practice yes | 3% | No | A Slovak electronic ID is required |
| Hungary | Fizetési meghagyás (notary) | No | 3% (min. HUF 12,000, max. HUF 300,000) | No | Compulsory route up to HUF 3 million |
| Bulgaria | Заповедно производство | No | 2% | Waived by treaty | Not a party to the 1954 Hague Convention; covered by the 1975 bilateral treaty |
| Austria | Mahnklage | Above € 5,000 | ~€ 335 | No | — |
| Portugal | Injunção | No | from € 102, depending on the bracket | No | — |
| Greece | Διαταγή πληρωμής | Yes | unclear | At the judge’s discretion | Security is not automatic; a judge may order it where recovery of costs looks doubtful |
| Ireland | Summary summons | Usually yes | from € 130–190 | Risk | No true payment order procedure exists |
| United Kingdom | County Court (N1) | No | £ 35–455 up to £ 10,000; 5% of the claim above that | Risk | The online route requires the parties to have an address in England or Wales |
| Denmark | Betalingspåkrav | No | DKK 750 | No | Simplified procedure up to DKK 100,000; new form since 2026 |
| Sweden | Betalningsföreläggande | No | SEK 300 | No | The debtor must be located in Sweden |
| Finland | Suppea haastehakemus | No | € 65 electronically; € 86 by post | No | — |
| Switzerland | Betreibung | No | CHF 60–190 | No | Provisional enforcement requires a signed acknowledgement of debt |
| Norway | Forliksrådet / utlegg | No | NOK 1,345–2,071 | No | Utlegg allows an invoice to be enforced without a court case |
Amounts are 2026 indications for a simple, undisputed claim. In many countries the court fee scales with the amount claimed, and if the debtor objects the case moves into ordinary proceedings, which cost more. Source: official fee schedules and court portals per country (2026). The amounts for Switzerland, Greece, Czechia, Slovakia, Austria and Ireland rest on secondary sources.
In Germany, France, Romania, Sweden and Finland a Turkish supplier can apply for a payment order without a lawyer and at low cost; in Germany the competent court for creditors abroad is in Berlin (AG Wedding). Spain also needs no lawyer, with a € 100 fee for companies. In Norway the utlegg route makes an unpaid invoice enforceable without a court case at all.
Belgium: the digital IOS procedure requires both parties to be on the Belgian register. United Kingdom: the cheap online route requires an address in England or Wales. Poland: the electronic procedure (EPU) cannot be used if the debtor has to be served abroad. Slovakia: the e-filing system asks for local identification. In these countries you need a local partner.
Türkiye has been a party to the 1954 Hague Convention since 1972 (in force 1973), so most of the countries covered here cannot require a Turkish claimant to put up security for costs. The exceptions are Greece, Bulgaria, Ireland and the UK. For Bulgaria the 1975 bilateral treaty solves it; in Greece security is not automatic but at the judge's discretion; in the UK and Ireland the test is the claimant's residence rather than nationality.
Recognition of Turkish court judgments in Europe varies by country and usually requires separate recognition and enforcement proceedings, which is why an arbitration clause, or proceeding directly in the debtor's country, is often faster. Knowing the procedure, the language and the right local partner makes a visible difference to how quickly you are paid. Our debt collection service →
The official Turkish warnings all concern fraudsters impersonating well-known Western European companies. France is the only country to appear repeatedly. On Allianz Trade's Benelux figures, fake-buyer fraud accounts for 24% of all corporate fraud.
| Date | Country | Method | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | France | Fake orders placed through fake websites, email and WhatsApp in the names of Carrefour, Lidl and E.Leclerc | Ministry of Trade / Commercial Counsellor Paris; AA, 25.12.2025 |
| 2021 and 2023 | France | Fake customers impersonating well-known retail chains | Commercial Counsellors Lyon and Paris, chamber and association circulars |
| Jan 2022 | Italy | Transport documents intercepted; goods cleared from customs without payment (hazelnuts) | Ministry of Trade letter, 07.01.2022; trade press |
| 2019 | United Kingdom | Email account compromised, followed by a request to pay into a "new IBAN" | Ministry of Trade |
| 2019 | United Kingdom | Fake employees of large companies requesting passport details and "visa fees" (apparel, confectionery) | İHKİB / Commercial Counsellor London |
No official Turkish warning was found for Germany, Belgium, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania or the Netherlands in the 2019–2026 period. That does not mean there is no risk there.
Find out how the European customers you sell to on open account are actually doing, with an independent credit report. And if an invoice is already overdue, send us the case.
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