Debt in Liechtenstein

Early action can prevent unpaid bills from becoming enforcement proceedings. Caritas Liechtenstein helps record income, expenses and obligations, prepare a budget, prioritise payments, negotiate with creditors and agree repayment arrangements. The Amt für Soziale Dienste refers people seeking debt restructuring to Caritas. The counselling provider changed from the BSB Hand in Hand Foundation, which operated until 30 June 2026, to Caritas under a state service agreement from 1 July 2026. The current Caritas fee is not publicly stated; the historical BSB service was free. For young people aged 14 to 18, Banking 4 you offers debt-prevention education through the Liechtenstein Bankers Association, member banks and Hand in Hand. This is prevention and belongs to banking rather than debt enforcement. Economic social assistance from the Amt für Soziale Dienste can support basic living costs, housing costs and health-related costs, including health-insurance premiums, when a household faces financial hardship and cannot cover essential needs. It stabilises living conditions but does not pay creditors or remove debt. A creditor can enforce a claim through the Landgericht Vaduz. A judgment, order or Zahlbefehl can provide the basis for enforcement. A Zahlbefehl is issued through the Schuldentriebverfahren when the creditor does not yet have another enforceable title. The debtor has 14 days to object; without an objection, the Zahlbefehl becomes legally effective and enforceable. Enforcement can affect real estate through a compulsory lien or forced sale, movable property, bank balances, wages and other monetary claims. The Exekutor carries out enforcement measures. At least CHF 1,980 per month, CHF 495 per week or CHF 70 per day remains generally protected from wage attachment. The protected amount increases by CHF 803 per month for a spouse or registered partner and by CHF 542 per month for each child. Social-security and tax contributions, the statutory minimum health-insurance premium and occupational pension contributions are deducted when the protected amount is calculated. A person can request a higher protected amount in a hardship case. The exact calculation depends on the household and income situation. An out-of-court settlement is a preliminary solution in which all creditors agree to a comprehensive arrangement. It does not automatically lead to a discharge of the remaining debt. If a natural person is unable to pay due debts within a reasonable period because of their overall financial situation, the person or a creditor can apply to open debt-regulation proceedings. The main formal options are a Sanierungsplan, a Zahlungsplan and an Abschöpfungsverfahren. A Sanierungsplan generally requires creditors to receive at least 20 percent and normally lasts no more than five years. It requires the necessary majority by both number of creditors and total claim amounts, and can generally avoid the realisation of assets. A Zahlungsplan has no fixed minimum percentage but must normally offer at least the amount that could be attached from income over the following five years. It can last up to seven years. If the debtor has no attachable income or only income slightly above the protected amount, a Zahlungsplan may not be required; assets are then fully realised. If income worsens, the debtor can request a change within 14 days after a creditor's warning. An Abschöpfungsverfahren can follow an admissible but rejected Zahlungsplan or apply when no Zahlungsplan is required. It does not need creditor approval. For five years, attachable income shares are transferred to a Treuhänder, who distributes them after procedural and estate claims according to the creditor quota. Early distribution is possible once at least a 10 percent quota has been reached. During formal proceedings, the debtor must make reasonable efforts to work or obtain suitable employment, disclose income and assets, transfer inheritances, gifts and gambling winnings as required, report changes of residence and third-party debtors immediately, and make payments only to the Treuhänder. The debtor must not favour individual creditors, take on new debts that cannot be paid when due or conceal assets. Serious breaches, false statements, unreasonable refusal of work, waste of assets, disproportionate new liabilities, relevant insolvency offences or a previous Abschöpfungsverfahren within 20 years can lead to exclusion or early termination. After a proceeding that has not been terminated early, Restschuldbefreiung can follow five years of the Abschöpfungsverfahren. It generally affects all insolvency creditors, including creditors who did not register their claims. Claims based on intentional unlawful conduct or criminally unlawful omissions, and claims excluded because of the debtor's conduct, remain outside the discharge. A guarantor or co-debtor remains exposed to the creditor's rights. A discharge can be revoked within two years if an intentional breach of duty causes substantial creditor damage. Applications and online forms are handled by the Fürstliches Landgericht at Spaniagasse 1, 9490 Vaduz. Forms include applications for debt-regulation proceedings, a Zahlungsplan or Sanierungsplan, a statement of assets and the registration of claims. The first hearing usually takes place after two to three months according to the court information sheet, and personal attendance is required. An application usually requires an advance covering at least the initial procedural costs. The advance may be avoided if the applicant submits a complete statement of assets, a permissible Zahlungsplan and an Abschöpfungsantrag, and proves that income covers procedural costs. A legal-aid form is available. The exact court fees were not stated in the reviewed sources. The 2025 court report recorded 2,331 new Zahlbefehle, 5,775 enforcement proceedings against movable property and 1,892 enforcement proceedings for monetary claims. It recorded one opened debt-regulation proceeding. These figures show that enforcement is common while formal personal insolvency proceedings are rare; they do not measure the prevalence of debt among households.