The Service des créances alimentaires/Maintenance Claims Department (SECAL) was created as an entity of the FPS Finance (law of February 21st 2003).
SECAL is part of the General Administration of Tax and Tax Collection.
SECAL was created to provide a solution to the following problems:
- the fight against poverty due to the non-payment of maintenance to children or to the ex-partner;
- the non-enforcement of court decisions and notarial acts.
When your maintenance is not paid, you can, as a maintenance creditor (= the person to whom the maintenance must be paid), submit an application to SECAL.
SECAL will intervene in order to:
- claim the monthly maintenance (and arrears) from the maintenance debtor (= the person who has to pay the maintenance);
- pay you advance payments on the monthly maintenance if necessary.
It is important to know that:
- SECAL has all the enforcement measures available to you as a maintenance creditor;
- SECAL does not intervene automatically: you must submit an application and meet certain conditions;
- SECAL can collect all information on the financial situation of the maintenance debtor;
- in addition to the intervention of SECAL, the maintenance debtor can be prosecuted for non-payment of maintenance.