53What is a debt review clearance certificate and who issues it?
The clearance certificate, known as Form 19, is the document that ends debt review and starts the removal of the flag from your credit record. Your debt counsellor must issue it. Section 71 of the National Credit Act gives the counsellor seven days to do so once you have met the conditions. The debt review itself is explained in our guide to how debt review works, so this page deals only with getting out.
When do you qualify for the certificate?
You qualify in one of two ways. Either you have paid every agreement that was part of the court order or repayment agreement, or you have paid everything except a mortgage and shown that the bond is not in arrears and that you can carry it on your own. The NCR's explanatory note to its withdrawal guidelines reads section 71 the same way, and it counts vehicle finance as a short-term agreement that must be fully paid first.
A bond is the usual exception. Say you have settled a car loan and two store cards but still owe R640 000 on your home loan, and the instalments on it are up to date. Section 71(1)(b) allows the counsellor to issue the certificate on that basis, after applying the prescribed affordability checks.
How long until the debt review flag comes off?
Allow roughly a fortnight for the paperwork and then some weeks for the bureaux. The counsellor has seven days to issue the certificate and seven more to file a certified copy with the national register and every registered bureau. After that, section 71(5) obliges a bureau to expunge the re-arrangement, the related defaults and the note on each agreement. It names no deadline for that last step.
Pull your reports about a month after the final payment and look for the debt review marker. If you have never ordered one, see how to check your credit score for free.
What if the counsellor delays or does not file?
Start with a phone call on day eight, then use the remedy that fits the problem.
| Problem | Remedy |
|---|---|
| Refuses or fails to issue the certificate | Ask the National Consumer Tribunal to review it, under s 71(3); it may order the certificate issued |
| Issued it but did not file it with the bureaux | File a certified copy with the NCR yourself and complain about the counsellor, under s 71(4)(b) |
| Simply hard to deal with | Transfer to another counsellor; the 60 business days in s 86(10) keep running and no new application fee applies |
Keep a paid-up letter from each credit provider; it settles most arguments.
Can you cancel debt review before you finish paying?
Yes, but the route depends on how far the process has gone, and a counsellor cannot cancel it for you. The NCR's explanatory note states that a debt counsellor has no statutory power to terminate or withdraw a debt review. Only the consumer can withdraw, and only in the ways below.
| Stage | What the NCR guidelines say | What it takes |
|---|---|---|
| Before you are declared over-indebted and before Form 17.2 goes to creditors | You may withdraw; the counsellor issues Form 17.W A and updates the bureau status | Counsellor issues Form 17.W A and updates the bureau status |
| Form 17.2 issued, no court order yet | Apply to the Magistrate's Court to reject the over-indebtedness finding | A court application with your current finances, at your own cost |
| Court order already granted | Apply to the Magistrate's Court to rescind the order and declare you no longer over-indebted | A rescission application at your own full cost; Form 17.W follows the order |
| Plan fully paid, or only a bond left in good standing | Clearance certificate (Form 19) under section 71 | Counsellor issues it within seven days |
In every court route the NCR says the consumer carries the full cost of the application, and married-in-community couples who applied jointly must apply jointly. The step is only complete once the counsellor has sent Form 17.W to your creditors and updated the bureau status, as the NCR explanatory note sets out.
A credit provider has its own exit, too. Section 86(10) lets a provider terminate the review if you are in default and at least 60 business days have passed since you applied. Keep paying the plan while you decide what to do.
Can anyone charge to remove debt review for you?
Not for the certificate, as far as the NCR's published figures go. The NCR's August 2021 media release lists R50 to apply, R300 for administration, a restructuring fee capped at R8 000 and monthly aftercare of 5% of what you have left to share among creditors, never above R450. A debtor with R6 000 of that pays R300 a month. Form 19 is not a line on the list.
We found no rule that expressly bans a charge for Form 19, but the list gives a counsellor nothing to hang one on. If a bill arrives, ask which item it is under. No good answer, ring the NCR. And an advert for "fast removal" at a fixed price is not part of this process at all. When you borrow again, check the lender's NCR registration and use the lender directory.
Questions about removing debt review
How much does it cost to remove debt review?
The certificate itself is not a priced item in the NCR's fee list. What you pay is the review: R50 up front, R300 admin, the restructuring fee and monthly aftercare. A court exit adds legal costs.
Can I leave debt review without going to court?
Only early on. Once Form 17.2 has gone to your creditors you need the Magistrate's Court. Paying the plan off and getting Form 19 is the one exit that needs no application.
Will the record disappear when I finish?
It should. Bureaux that receive the certificate must expunge the debt review fact and the related defaults. If a flag survives, the counsellor can tell you the filing date.
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