Definitions
Country - A sovereign nation that stores high-level information such as ISO codes, default currency, VAT rate, and regional grouping (continent, EU membership status). Country data affects pricing calculations and reporting.
Jurisdiction - The specific legal territory where a case is handled. A jurisdiction belongs to one country and may represent the entire country (when laws are uniform) or a subdivision such as a U.S. state. Jurisdictions store local legal parameters like small-claims court limits and determine which collection partners may handle cases.
Coverage - Whether Debitura has a collection partner available to handle cases in a given jurisdiction. Coverage depends on partner availability and the specific case parameters (see below).
Why both country and jurisdiction?
Debt collection laws often vary within a country. By storing both levels, Debitura can:
Apply national settings (such as default currency) at the country level.
Respect local rules (such as different small-claims limits) at the jurisdiction level.
Match cases to collection partners by specific jurisdiction or broader country groupings.
The four matching parameters
When a case is created, Debitura automatically attempts to match it with a collection partner. The matching system uses exactly four parameters:
Parameter | Purpose |
Jurisdiction | Geographic location where the debtor is located. Partners specify which jurisdictions they service. |
Amount | Total claim amount. Partners define minimum and maximum claim amounts they accept. |
Currency | Currency of the claim. Used for conversion before amount comparison. |
Debtor Type | Company or Private. Some partners specialize in B2B (company debtors) while others focus on B2C (individuals). |
For more on what debt types Debitura accepts and minimum requirements, see Case eligibility and Minimum claim amounts.
Pricing regions
For success fee pricing, countries are categorized as either European or International. This categorization is separate from geographic continents or EU membership.
European pricing region: All EU member countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway (EEA/EFTA), United Kingdom, and Switzerland.
International pricing region: All other countries worldwide.
European cases qualify for lower success fee rates due to similar legal frameworks across these countries. The categorization and fee structure are defined in the Standard Debt Collection Agreement (SDCA).
Missing partner coverage
Debitura aims to provide global debt collection coverage, but complete worldwide coverage is not realistic. Coverage gaps exist due to:
Geographic gaps - No partner operates in that jurisdiction.
Partner requirements - Partners exist but have specific criteria that the case does not meet, such as minimum claim amounts, business type restrictions (B2B only), or industry limitations.
When a case creation attempt fails to find a matching partner, Debitura records this as a missing coverage event. This happens in two scenarios:
Web portal - A client or partner fills out the case creation form, the system shows that no partner is available, and the user does not proceed. The system tracks this during form filling so the coverage gap is recorded even though no case was created.
API and integrations - Direct API calls, automated integrations, or bulk imports attempt to create a case but no partner is available. The system tracks this during validation.
Each missing coverage record captures the jurisdiction where coverage is missing, when the gap was detected, and whether the attempt came from a client or collection partner.
This data helps Debitura identify which markets to prioritize for partner acquisition. If a case cannot be assigned to an exclusive partner, it may be sent to the legal network for competitive quotes. See Custom Quotes for details.
Clients experiencing coverage gaps should see Clients: I don't have partner coverage in a country.
Jurisdiction changes
A debtor's jurisdiction is set at case creation based on the debtor's location. Changing a jurisdiction after case creation is restricted because it affects partner assignment:
Jurisdiction changes are blocked if any unclosed cases are in active states (Active, Paused, Leads, or Needs Additional Details).
Jurisdiction changes are allowed only if all unclosed cases are in validation states (Pending Verification Internal or Pending Contract Signing).
When jurisdiction changes, all validating cases are re-matched to partners in the new jurisdiction.
A signed Power of Attorney (PoA) with the new partner is required before the change can complete.
Impact by actor
Client
Jurisdiction determines which collection partner receives a case and which pricing region (European or International) applies.
Cases cannot be submitted if no partner covers the debtor's jurisdiction, unless sent to the legal network as a lead.
Changing a debtor's jurisdiction after case assignment requires closing and recreating the case.
Collection Partner
Partners define which jurisdictions they serve through their lead agent configuration. See Collection Partners: Understanding partner types.
Exclusive partners receive automatic case assignments for their configured jurisdictions.
Legal network partners can submit quotes for cases in any jurisdiction where they operate, including jurisdictions without exclusive coverage.
Referral Partner
Cases submitted through referral partner integrations follow the same jurisdiction matching rules as direct client submissions.
Missing coverage events are tracked for cases submitted via referral partner APIs.
Debtor
The debtor's location (jurisdiction) determines which collection partner contacts them and which local collection laws apply.
Debitura
Maintains jurisdiction and country data across the platform.
Tracks missing coverage events to inform partner acquisition priorities.
Enforces pricing region rules defined in the SDCA.
Related pages
Standard Debt Collection Agreement (SDCA) - Defines pricing regions and fee structures
Pre-legal Case Definition - Criteria for standard pre-legal cases
Custom Quotes - When standard terms do not apply