How to Vacate a Small Claims Judgment in Germany

What the Law Says

German small claims judgments typically arise from the dunning procedure (Mahnverfahren) or simplified oral hearings before the Amtsgericht. Vacating such judgments depends on procedural stage and legal basis.

Under § 694 of the Zivilprozessordnung (ZPO), a payment order (*Mahnbescheid*) becomes enforceable unless the debtor files a timely written *Einspruch* (objection) within two weeks of service (§ 695 ZPO). If filed, the case proceeds to ordinary litigation at the Amtsgericht.

If a judgment was issued after an oral hearing (e.g., for claims up to €5,000), it may be appealed via *Berufung* to the Landgericht within one month (§ 511 ZPO)—but only if the value in dispute exceeds €600 (§ 511(2) ZPO) and certain formal requirements are met. For judgments below that threshold, *Einspruch* is generally unavailable post-judgment; instead, extraordinary remedies like *Wiederaufnahme des Verfahrens* (reopening of proceedings, §§ 578–582 ZPO) apply only in narrow cases (e.g., fraud, new decisive evidence, or procedural violation).

Statutory Text

Der Einspruch muss binnen zwei Wochen nach Zustellung des Mahnbescheids bei Gericht eingelegt werden.

— ZPO § 695(1)

Statutory Text

Die Berufung ist nur zulässig, wenn der Streitwert mehr als sechshundert Euro beträgt.

— ZPO § 511(2)

What to Do

Sources

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