About this service
Enforcement of alimony begins where the court ends — the decision is in hand, but the sum will not be collected by itself. The Law of Georgia on Enforcement Proceedings regulates this stage fully: which acts are subject to enforcement, who issues the enforcement sheet, how the National Bureau of Enforcement commences the proceedings, and what special rule applies to an alimony collection case. This page lays out the practical route of enforcing arrears — from the standpoint of both recipient and payer.
Which acts are subject to enforcement
Article 2 of the law establishes the list of acts subject to enforcement, and in the alimony context three of its items matter. First — a court decision entered into legal force in a civil case: an established alimony decision belongs precisely to this circle. Second — a notarial act: an agreement on alimony formalised before a notary carries enforcement force. Third — a decision of a foreign court within the framework of the Hague Convention on the international recovery of child support and other forms of family maintenance, as well as a maintenance agreement formalised by an authorised body, backed by a court decision on recognition and enforcement — for disputes with an international dimension, these are exactly the gateways.
The enforcement sheet and its issuance
Under Article 20 of the law, enforcement proceedings may not be instituted without the enforcement sheet (the original), save for the exceptions provided by law. The enforcement sheet is issued on a decision subject to enforcement, and it is issued to the creditor — in the alimony case, to the recipient. This detail is decisive: the sheet is in the creditor's hands, and the creditor decides on its use. A court ruling obtained within enforcement proceedings and subject to enforcement is enforced without a separate sheet, on the basis of a ruling entered into legal force or one subject to a private complaint.