Starting debt enforcement
Payment order, objection, and continuation under the DEBA, in outline.
Allgemeine Information zur Schweizer Rechtslage, keine Rechtsberatung. Vor einer Betreibung lohnt sich der Blick auf den Vertrag und, wenn es darauf ankommt, auf eine Fachperson.
Where enforcement starts
The request goes to the debt-enforcement office at the place of enforcement, as a rule the debtor's domicile (Art. 46 DEBA). Debtors entered in the commercial register are often subject to bankruptcy proceedings (Art. 39 DEBA); others, as a rule, to seizure. There are exceptions. The office, not the creditor, serves the payment order (Art. 69 DEBA).
Ten days, then the objection
After service, ten days remain to pay or to file an objection (Art. 74 para. 1 DEBA). The objection stops enforcement. You have to set it aside: definitive opening of proceedings with an enforceable judgment or an enforceable public deed (Art. 80 DEBA), provisional opening with a written acknowledgement of debt (Art. 82 DEBA), otherwise by lawsuit.
Continuation
If there is no objection, or it has been set aside, the request to continue can be filed at the earliest 20 days after service of the payment order (Art. 88 DEBA). Seizure or bankruptcy follows, depending on the debtor.
Fees follow the ordinance on fees under the DEBA. The creditor advances them; they are claimed in the proceedings. Enforcement interrupts limitation (Art. 135 no. 2 CO). Whether it is worth it depends on solvency and evidence. That is a question for a specialist, not for software.