Insolvency - Discharge of residual debt

• The applicant must be a natural person. Natural persons are, for example, consumers, employees, self-employed or freelance persons, civil servants, unemployed persons, trainees, prisoners. • Enclose the declaration of assignment (Abtretungserklärung) You must submit a declaration of assignment together with your application to open insolvency proceedings. If you use the forms offered here, this declaration is included. • Declarations to be submitted The purpose of these declarations is to check whether discharge of residual debt (Restschuldbefreiung) has already been granted or refused to you, and in which period this took place. If you use the forms offered here, this declaration is included. • Expiry of 3 years This is the duration of insolvency proceedings generally set by the legislator since 01.10.2020. • Expiry of 5 years If you have already obtained discharge of residual debt within three years under the rules applying since 01.10.2020, the duration of the insolvency proceedings is five years.

• Application for the opening of insolvency proceedings and the granting of discharge of residual debt If you use the forms offered here, all declarations are included. Complete the application for the opening of standard insolvency proceedings or consumer insolvency proceedings in full. Only the application for the opening of insolvency proceedings that you submit yourself enables the later granting of discharge of residual debt.

• Application for the opening of standard insolvency proceedings including discharge of residual debt (Justizportal-NRW) www.justiz.nrw/BS/formulare/insolvenz/eroeffnung_insolvenzve • Application for the opening of consumer insolvency proceedings including discharge of residual debt (Federal Ministry of Justice) www.bmjv.de/DE/service/formulare/form_verbraucherinsolvenzve • Application for deferral of proceeding costs (Justizportal-NRW) www.justiz.nrw/BS/formulare/insolvenz/verfahrenskostenstundu

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• Insolvenzordnung (InsO, Insolvency Code) §§ 287-287b, 290, 295-298, 300-302 www.gesetze-im-internet.de/inso/

• Merkblatt Restschuldbefreiung (information sheet on discharge of residual debt) www.berlin.de/gerichte/_assets/was-moechten-sie-erledigen/ag

Regular insolvency proceedings In regular insolvency proceedings, the application for the opening of insolvency proceedings and the application for a discharge of residual debt must be filed with the Amtsgericht Charlottenburg (Charlottenburg Local Court). Consumer insolvency proceedings • In consumer insolvency proceedings, the application must be filed with the Amtsgericht (local court) at the applicant's place of residence. • Exception: If an application for the opening of proceedings was first filed by a creditor (a so-called Fremdantrag, or third-party application), the application for a discharge of residual debt must be filed with the Amtsgericht Charlottenburg, since the creditor's application is also processed there.