Verified on 3 October 2026. This guide concerns corporate bankruptcy under Russian law; individual bankruptcy follows different rules.
Start with the deadline
Locate the procedure notice and publication date. The date of a letter to the creditor does not replace the statutory trigger.
Prepare the evidence
Reconcile the contract, performance, calculation and payments. Do not claim amounts already repaid.
Monitor the outcome
A filing receipt is not admission to the register. Check the application’s progress and the court ruling.
Register admission is different from initiating bankruptcy
If no case has been initiated, you may need to assess a creditor’s petition to bankrupt a company. Once a procedure has been introduced, a claim is lodged within the existing case. Conditions for initiating bankruptcy should not be applied indiscriminately to register applications.
No procedure introduced yet
Check the petition’s status and the rules for joining the case; assess a separate bankruptcy petition if necessary. Do not use observation deadlines before observation begins.
A procedure has begun
Identify procedure → verify publication and deadline → classify the debt → prepare a claim in the existing case.
Check separately whether the obligation is a register claim. Current payments follow a different regime and are not ordinary register claims. The contract’s label or invoice date does not replace analysis of when the obligation arose.
Deadlines for claims against a Russian company
| Procedure | Statutory reference point | Practical meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Observation | 30 calendar days after publication of the observation notice — Article 71 | This deadline concerns participation in the first creditors’ meeting. It differs from register closure in liquidation proceedings. |
| External administration | Claims can be lodged during the procedure — Article 100 | Check the actual procedure and its rules, rather than assuming a universal two-month deadline. |
| Liquidation proceedings | The register closes two months after publication of the declaration of bankruptcy and opening of liquidation proceedings — Article 142 | Late filing needs separate analysis. The court can restore the deadline on a supported application where reasons are valid. |
Retain the notice and publication details. If timing is unclear, check the date, procedure and court rulings rather than relying on when you discovered the bankruptcy. See the separate guide to closure of the creditors’ register.
Prepare the application and supporting documents
The court should be able to identify the creditor, debtor, grounds and amount. Use the precise case number and the company’s INN and OGRN identifiers. State principal, interest and penalties separately: their legal treatment may differ.
| What to establish | Documents | Common error |
|---|---|---|
| Source of obligation | Contract, amendments and primary records | Only a reconciliation statement, without performance records |
| Creditor’s performance | Delivery and acceptance records, payment documents and relevant correspondence | No proof of goods, work or funds supplied |
| Outstanding amount | Dated calculation, repayments, interest and penalties shown separately | Amounts already repaid are claimed again |
| Debt established by a court | Final court ruling and information about enforcement | Partial repayment or a later change to the ruling is ignored |
| Applicant’s entitlement | Registration records, authority to sign and assignment documents where relevant | Different creditors in the calculation and application |
| Filing compliance | Evidence of service, fee payment or exemption | No evidence of sending documents to the correct recipients |
A final court ruling is one way to substantiate a claim. Articles 71 and 100 also allow other evidence: the absence of an earlier judgment does not make every claim inadmissible. A contract alone, without performance evidence and a calculation, may nevertheless be insufficient.
Working structure of a register application
- Commercial court and bankruptcy case number.
- Creditor, debtor and relevant registration details.
- Procedure, publication and explanation of timeliness.
- Origin of debt and performance evidence.
- Calculation separating principal, interest, penalties and payments.
- Basis and proposed ranking of the claim.
- Request to establish and admit the claim.
- Attachments, signatory authority, court fee or exemption; a separate restoration application if needed.
This is a preparation framework, not a universal ready-to-file document. Security, assignments, related parties and special debtor categories require additional checks.
Court fee for register admission in 2026
A creditor whose claim is confirmed by a final court ruling is entitled to the exemption in Article 333.37(1)(5) of the Russian Tax Code. State the exemption’s basis and attach the ruling. Do not assume it also covers additional amounts outside the confirmed claim.
For a monetary claim not confirmed by such a ruling and not covered by another exemption, calculate the fee for a valued property claim under Article 333.21(1)(1), taking account of the 50% rate for a separate bankruptcy dispute under paragraph (1)(9). The fixed fee for initiating corporate bankruptcy does not replace this calculation.
Obtain payment details from the court hearing the actual case. The court-fee calculator helps check the scale; the type of application and exemptions must still be considered.
File the claim and verify the outcome
- Locate the case. Check the company, court, number and procedure against rulings and bankruptcy notices.
- Prepare the documents. Application, calculation, evidence, authority and fee payment or exemption.
- Serve copies. Identify recipients under the applicable Article 71 or 100 and court rulings. Sending only to the court may not fulfil all duties.
- File electronically. The law provides for electronic submission. Use the My Arbitr system and retain confirmation.
- Monitor progress. Check notices, requests and rulings. Consideration without a hearing does not mean automatic approval.
- Check the result. Verify the amount, components and ranking in the ruling and their reflection in the register. Admission does not guarantee full payment: recovery depends on assets and the applicable distribution rules.
Frequently asked questions
I already have an enforcement writ. Is admission automatic?
The writ alone does not replace a bankruptcy claim application. Check the claim’s status and applicable procedure. The court ruling helps substantiate the debt and the fee exemption.
Can I reuse a form for individual bankruptcy?
Not unchanged: procedures and special provisions differ. See the guide to register admission in individual bankruptcy.
An incorrect amount is already registered. Is this the same procedure?
No. Initial determination and later changes to a claim require different procedural steps. See removal of a claim from the register.
Statutory sources
- Article 71 of Bankruptcy Law No. 127-FZ.
- Article 100: determination of claims.
- Article 142: closure and distributions.
- Tax Code Article 333.21: fees; Article 333.37: exemptions.
Need to lodge a claim against a bankrupt company?
A consultation can establish the procedure, deadline, evidence, court fee and required documents.
Initial legal consultation