Italian courts tighten rules on using payroll slips in debt enforcement

Italian legal practice offers a streamlined procedure, the decree ingiuntivo, that allows creditors to obtain a payment order based on a simple invoice. The process bypasses a full civil trial, with the judge issuing an enforcement order after reviewing the written proof. For claims up to €5,000 the case falls under the peace judge; larger amounts go to ordinary courts, and a lawyer must be appointed for the creditor.

In a separate ruling, the Rome Tribunal clarified that an intervention in forced execution founded solely on a payroll slip does not meet the statutory categories of title‑less intervention under article 499 of the Civil Procedure Code. The judge rejected the creditor’s claim and upheld the inadmissibility of such a basis, confirming that only credits backed by an enforceable title or specific statutory rights may be used in execution proceedings.