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Your overseas buyer has the goods. The payment never arrived.

Send the core documents. We assess the debtor, the evidence and the practical recovery route — before you spend money on the wrong next step.

Start a Debt Audit

PO/contract, invoice, proof of delivery and the debtor's legal name are enough to begin.

Before You Decide

Recovery is a decision process — not an automatic lawsuit.

A foreign invoice can fail for simple reasons:

The named buyer is not the legal debtor
Delivery cannot be proved
The debt is already disputed
The company has no practical assets
The cost of procedure exceeds the likely recovery

A written first review helps separate a case worth pursuing from a case that needs more evidence — or should not absorb more money.

The First Review

What the initial audit checks

Not an automatic "yes", and not a vague call — a concrete look at the file you actually have.

We check	What that means
The legal debtor	We confirm the legal entity you may actually need to pursue — not only the name shown in an email signature or on a container label.
Provable facts	We map the documents from order to delivery to the payment obligation.
Disputes	We identify quality, delivery, set-off or authority issues before they become expensive.
Country & route	We identify the relevant country, urgency and a practical next route.
Economics	We discuss whether the likely route is commercially sensible before external legal spend is approved.

What you receive

A practical written view: what is clear, what is missing, what may block recovery, and what the next step could be.

How It Works

Four clear steps — no black box

You stay in control of the decision at every stage.

Send the file

Submit the core documents and the debtor's details.

We review the facts

We assess the entity, documentation, age, dispute indicators and possible route.

You receive the options

We explain the practical next step, likely information gaps and any external-cost decision.

You decide whether to proceed

If local legal action is appropriate, licensed local counsel is engaged under agreed terms.

No recovery outcome is promised. The decision to proceed remains yours.

Why Timing Matters

The older the debt, the fewer practical options remain.

Do not wait for a perfect file. Send what exists if:

The buyer has stopped replying
You keep getting requests for one more extension
The invoice is being disputed only after delivery
The debtor has changed its company name or payment account
The debt may be approaching a limitation deadline

Time limits and practical recovery options depend on the jurisdiction and the facts — the file should be assessed promptly.

Your Documents

Start with the documents you already have

One of the most practical things you can do today — a complete file is not required.

Document	Why it matters
PO, contract or accepted quotation	Shows who agreed to buy — and on what terms.
Invoice / statement of account	Shows the amount owed and the payment due date.
B/L, AWB, CMR, signed POD or delivery record	Connects the goods to the actual delivery.
Emails, WeChat messages or payment reminders	Show acknowledgment of the debt, payment promises or the nature of the dispute.
Debtor's full legal name, address and website	Needed to verify the correct legal entity.
Any partial payment or settlement proposal	May confirm the balance — or reveal the real negotiating position.

Missing documents do not automatically end the review. Send the file you have — we will tell you what matters most next.

Send the documents you have. We will identify what is clear, what is missing and the practical next step to discuss.

Start a Debt Audit

Who Does What

One case file. The right local route.

Portage coordinates the commercial file, documentation and communication. Where legal proceedings are appropriate, they are handled by independently licensed local counsel in the debtor's jurisdiction under agreed engagement terms.

Portage is not a law firm and does not replace jurisdiction-specific legal advice.

Costs

Know the route before you approve the cost.

Fee arrangements, any success-based component and external costs depend on the file, the jurisdiction and the route chosen. Before outside legal spend is approved, you should understand what the cost covers, who is engaged and what decision is being made. Terms are confirmed in writing.

Where a success fee applies, it is quoted from 30% of amounts actually recovered. The "from" matters: the rate reflects the age of the debt, the jurisdiction, the strength of the documents and the level of dispute. External costs — such as court fees, local counsel disbursements, translation or legalization — are identified and approved by you before they are incurred.

FAQ

Can you recover a debt if there is no signed contract?

Possibly. A signed contract is helpful, but it is not the only evidence. Accepted quotations, purchase orders, invoices, delivery records, emails and messages may also matter. Send the documents you have; we will identify the strongest and weakest parts of the file.

Do you need to sue immediately?

Not necessarily. The right first step depends on the documents, the debtor's response, the country, the urgency and the economics of the file. A demand, negotiation, payment plan or further fact-checking may be more sensible than immediately starting a claim.

What documents should I send first?

Start with the PO or contract, invoice, B/L, AWB or delivery proof, correspondence about payment, and the debtor's full legal name and address. If some documents are missing, send what you have.

How quickly will I know whether the case is worth pursuing?

We aim to acknowledge the file promptly and explain what information is needed for an initial view. The time required for a meaningful assessment depends on the quality of documents, the country and the complexity of the debtor structure. We do not promise a recovery outcome within a fixed period.

Do I need to travel to the debtor's country?

Usually, the first stages can be coordinated remotely. If legal action is appropriate, licensed local counsel in the relevant jurisdiction handles the local process under agreed terms. Specific requirements depend on the case and jurisdiction.

Are you a law firm?

No. Portage is a commercial debt recovery agency, not a law firm. We coordinate the commercial file, documentation and communications. Jurisdiction-specific legal advice and proceedings are provided by independently licensed local counsel under separate agreed engagement terms.

What will it cost?

The cost structure depends on the amount, jurisdiction, documentary position and route selected. Any success-based component, external legal costs and other expenses are discussed before they are approved and confirmed in writing.

What if the debtor disputes the goods or services?

A dispute does not automatically end the case. The important questions are when it was raised, what the documents show, whether delivery or acceptance can be proved and whether the issue can be resolved commercially. We review the dispute indicators before recommending a route.

Will pursuing the debt destroy my customer relationship?

Not always. Where commercially appropriate, a documented settlement or payment plan can be explored. The objective is to improve recovery, while keeping you informed about the trade-off between speed, amount and future commercial relations.

Is my information confidential?

We use the information submitted to assess and coordinate the file. If outside counsel or another provider needs to be involved, the scope of sharing should be limited to what is necessary and handled under the applicable engagement and privacy terms.

Debt Audit

You don't need a perfect file to get a first view.

Send the documents you have. We will tell you what is clear, what needs to be confirmed and whether there is a practical route worth discussing.