How to Close an Enforcement File: File Statement and Lifting Attachments

The question people who want to pay their debt ask most often is how to close an enforcement file. Because the amount of the proceedings grows over time with interest and costs, the figure in the payment order does not show the current debt; moreover, paying the debt does not automatically lift attachments on land registry records, vehicles and bank accounts. In this article we explain the steps for closing an enforcement file completely.

1. Find out the current debt: the file statement #

In practice, the up-to-date amount of the debt in an enforcement file is called the file statement (kapak hesabı). This statement consists of the following items:

• The principal claim
• Interest accrued from the date of the proceedings to the day of payment
• Enforcement costs: fees, service, attachment and custody costs
• Enforcement attorney fees, if the creditor conducted the proceedings through a lawyer
• The collection fee

The file statement can be requested from the enforcement office where the file is held; a statement of the file can also be requested from the creditor’s lawyer. Since interest accrues every day, the statement should be obtained for the day on which payment will be made. You can see the files opened in your name, together with the file number and the enforcement office, on the UYAP Citizen Portal in e-Devlet (the Turkish e-government gateway).

Legal basis: Lifting the attachment after payment and removing the file from the docket rest on Article 78 and the following articles of the Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law No. 2004.

2. Make the payment to the right place #

The safest way is to make the payment to the account of the enforcement file. Payment can be made to the bank account notified by the enforcement office, writing the file number in the description, or through UYAP. In this way the payment is recorded directly in the file and cannot become the subject of a dispute.

Paying the creditor directly (outside the file) #

The debt can also be paid outside the file, directly to the creditor or the creditor’s lawyer; this is called collection outside the file (haricen tahsil). In this case, the creditor must declare to the enforcement office: “I have collected my claim outside the file”. In collection outside the file, the fee is charged at half the normal collection fee rate (for 2026, 2.27% before attachment, and 4.55% after attachment but before sale). A payment made by hand to the creditor and not notified to the file is the riskiest route: if the creditor makes no declaration, the proceedings may continue. If payment is to be made directly, it should be made by bank transfer with the file number in the description, and a written release (ibraname) should be obtained from the creditor.

3. Who pays the collection fee? #

As a rule, the collection fee is borne by the debtor and is included in the file statement. The 2026 rates vary depending on the stage at which payment is made:

The advance fee of 0.5% paid by the creditor when opening the proceedings is deducted from the collection fee. As can be seen, paying the debt at an early stage also reduces the fee burden.

4. Ask for the attachments to be lifted #

Paying the debt does not automatically lift the attachments already imposed. Once the payment has reached the file, you should ask the enforcement office:

• to decide that the file has been satisfied (infaz, i.e. that the debt has been paid in full),
• to write to the relevant institutions for the lifting (fek) of land registry, traffic (vehicle), bank, salary and other attachments

The creditor may also consent to lifting the attachment without waiting for the payment to be recorded in the file. A few weeks later, you should check via e-Devlet that the land registry, vehicle and bank records have actually been cleared; attachments imposed on the same asset in other files are not lifted by this step.

5. Can the file be closed by instalments? #

If a lump-sum payment is not possible, an instalment agreement can be made with the creditor. It is recommended that the agreement be submitted to the enforcement file in writing, that the instalments be paid into the file account, and that it be agreed that no new attachment steps will be taken as long as the agreement continues. In files with a wage attachment, the creditor may also consent to reducing the deduction; for details, see our article on how to lift a wage attachment.

If you want to object to the debt, think before paying #

If you believe that part or all of the debt is unjustified, you should not pay before considering the periods for objection and complaint. The period for objecting to the payment order is 7 days in general proceedings and 5 days for cheques and promissory notes. If it is claimed that a debt paid after the proceedings became final was not owed, an action for restitution can be filed within 1 year of the payment. For the routes and deadlines, see our article on objecting to enforcement proceedings and our Istanbul debt enforcement lawyer page.

Common problems when closing a file #

In most files the answer to how to close an enforcement file is simple; in practice, however, some situations prolong the process:

• More than one file for the same debt: If the creditor has started proceedings for the same claim at different enforcement offices, the closing of the proceedings other than the file in which payment was made must also be requested separately.
• The creditor cannot be reached: If the creditor or the creditor’s lawyer does not respond, it is sufficient to make the payment to the file account; the enforcement office is then asked to declare the file satisfied.
• Partial payment: A payment below the file statement does not close the file; the proceedings continue for the remaining interest and costs. Before paying, make sure the statement is up to date.
• Attachments by other creditors: If an attachment on an asset was imposed in a different file, it is not lifted by closing this file; separate steps are required for each file.
• Guarantors and joint debtors: When the debt is paid in full, the proceedings end for all debtors in the file; if the guarantor made the payment, the guarantor acquires a right of recourse against the principal debtor.

Once these steps are completed, the process of closing the enforcement file is also finished. In problematic files, the question of how to close an enforcement file needs to be assessed by looking at the file’s own documents; especially in files that have reached the attachment and sale stage, delay creates additional costs.

Removal from the records after the file is closed #

Enforcement of the file does not mean that the record disappears at once and everywhere. There are three records to follow after payment:

• UYAP and e-Devlet record: The file moves to the status “enforced” or “removed from the docket”; it continues to appear in searches, but the outstanding balance is reduced to zero. If a file still appears pending, a statement of file status should be requested from the enforcement office.
• Land registry, traffic and bank attachments: A writ lifting the attachment must be sent to each of these institutions separately. Even though the file is closed, the attachment annotation at the land registry does not fall away by itself; that it has been removed should be confirmed from the land register.
• Credit records: An enforcement file is not entered directly into banks’ own risk records; but where the creditor is a bank or an asset management company, a notification should be requested from the creditor so that the closure of the debt is reflected in the credit bureau records.

The problem met most often in practice is coming across an attachment annotation years later, during a vehicle sale or a land registry transfer, that was never lifted. Checking the land registry and traffic records once after the file is closed therefore prevents later delays.

How does the file close if the debtor has died or is a company? #

Death of the debtor #

If the debtor dies during the proceedings, the proceedings do not lapse automatically; the creditor continues against the heirs. The law, however, grants the heirs a waiting period: no enforcement step may be taken within three days of the date of death, and as a rule no sale may be requested during the period for renouncing the inheritance. Proceedings cannot continue against an heir who has renounced; we explain where the three-month period starts in our article on renouncing an inheritance.

A company debtor #

If the debtor is a company, payment is made by the authorised representative and the file is closed in the company’s name. For the personal assets of a shareholder or director to be attached, the proceedings must also have been directed against them; for tax and premium debts the liability of the legal representative is determined by special provisions. If the company is struck off the trade register, the proceedings cannot be pursued unless it is restored.

Consequences of an unclosed file and limitation #

A file on which no payment is made and no step is taken becomes a “dormant file”; that does not mean the debt has ended.

Limitation does not take effect on its own; the debtor must raise it. It is therefore sensible to assess limitation before making payment on a file where no step has been taken for a long time. Once payment is made the debt is deemed acknowledged and the limitation defence is lost.

Short checklist #

1. Find out the file number and the enforcement office via e-Devlet.
2. Obtain a file statement for the day you will pay.
3. Make the payment to the file account, writing the file number.
4. If you paid outside the file, confirm that the creditor has declared the collection to the file.
5. Ask for a decision that the file has been satisfied and for the attachments to be lifted.
6. A few weeks later, check that the land registry, vehicle and bank records have been cleared.