Debt Review Clearance Certificate
Restore your credit profile with an official Form 19 clearance certificate. Professional assistance from NCR registered debt counsellors to complete your debt review journey.
Clearance Certificate Process
Debt Verification
Confirm all debts paid
Fee Check
No outstanding counselling fees
Form 19 Issue
Official certificate issued
Bureau Update
Credit profile restored
What to Expect When Getting Your Clearance Certificate
Timeline
Certificate issued within 7-14 days after verification. Credit bureau updates take 1-4 weeks.
Cost
R450 (VAT excluded) – includes certificate issuance and submission to all credit bureaus.
What You Get
Official Form 19 certificate, bureau notifications, and debt review flag removal from your profile.
What is a Debt Review Clearance Certificate?
A debt review clearance certificate, also known as Form 19, is a certificate that verifies that a consumer has satisfied all obligations under every credit agreement that was subject to a debt review court order or debt review repayment agreement. This certificate is evidence that you are debt-free and you have completed the debt review process.
Legal Framework - Section 71 NCA
The issuing of a clearance certificate as per section 71 of The National Credit Act (NCA 34 of 2005) signals the end of a successful debt review process. The effect is that even if you have a long-term agreement like a mortgage bond, you can obtain a clearance certificate after every other short-term credit agreement is paid in full.
Who Issues the Certificate?
In terms of the National Credit Act, the debt counsellor and not a court must issue a clearance certificate. Only registered debt counsellors can issue this certificate.
Clearance Certificate Requirements
This debt review clearance certificate can only be issued by a registered debt counsellor if the following requirements are met:
All Restructured Accounts Paid Up
All restructured accounts as per the court order or agreement must be paid up in full. Credit providers must issue paid-up letters on short-term agreements prior to the issuing of a clearance certificate to ensure that the debt has been repaid in full.
No Outstanding Debt Counselling Fees
There must be no outstanding debt counselling fees owed to your debt counsellor.
Home Loan Exception
Your home loan or bond may be excluded. A clearance certificate can be issued even if there's an outstanding balance on your home loan account, as long as all short-term credit agreements (which may include vehicle financing) have been paid in full and the home loan is not in arrears in terms of the debt review court order or repayment agreement.
What Can You Do With Your Clearance Certificate?
The National Credit Act requires your debt counsellor to present all paid-up letters with your clearance certificate to all registered credit bureaus. This serves two purposes:
- Rearranged accounts get amended by the credit bureaus as paid up
- The National Credit Amendment Act requires all registered credit bureaus to remove the negative months in arrears from your credit profile
Clearance Certificate Timeline
Certificate Issued
Debt counsellor issues Form 19 clearance certificate
Bureau Submission
Certificate and paid-up letters sent to credit bureaus
Flag Removal
Debt review flag removed from credit profile
Credit Application
Recommended waiting period before applying for new credit
Score Recovery
Credit score significantly improves over time
What Happens After Credit Bureaus Receive Your Certificate?
Once the bureaus receive your Clearance Certificate, they will remove the debt counselling flag from your profile. The National Credit Amendment Act requires all registered credit bureaus to remove negative months in arrears from your credit profile.
How Long Until I Can Apply for Credit Again?
Many people think they can get credit straight away after receiving their clearance certificate. This is not always possible.
In theory: You should be able to apply for credit within a week of receiving your Clearance Certificate.
In practice: Credit bureaus often take longer to update records.
Our recommendation: Wait at least 3 months before applying for new credit.
Before Applying for Credit
Pull Your Credit Report
Pull your credit report about one month after receiving your Clearance Certificate. Check that everything is in order before applying for credit.
Verify Account Status
After the credit bureaus receive your Clearance Certificate, each account in your Payment History should have a "Paid-Up" or "Closed" status. Since your Payment History remains on your credit report for 2 years, your credit score will take some time to improve.
If Debt Review Flag Still Shows
If you see that the Debt Review listing still reflects on your credit profile after receiving your certificate, contact the credit bureau immediately to rectify the listing.
Important Considerations
Payment History Impact
Your payment history remains on your credit report for 2 years. Each account should show "Paid-Up" or "Closed" status after clearance. As time passes your credit score will improve, and by six months it will be in a much better standing (but you don't have to wait that long to apply for credit).
Credit Provider Internal Flags
Even with a cleared credit bureau record, credit providers may still have internal flags indicating your debt review history on their systems. They must remove these records.
Important: It always remains the decision of the credit provider whether or not they want to extend credit to you. If they decline your credit application, you have a legal right to know exactly why they declined it.
Credit Score Recovery
Your credit score will gradually improve over time. By six months after clearance, your score will be in a much better standing. Pull your credit report one month after receiving your certificate to verify everything is in order.
Clearance Certificate Fee
(VAT excluded)
All-inclusive fee. Fully disclosed in writing before any work begins and before any fee becomes payable, in accordance with Section 126A(3) of the National Credit Act.
Frequently Asked Questions
Client Reviews
5 out of 5 based on 4 reviews
"Got my clearance certificate within a week of paying off my debts. NDRC handled everything with the credit bureaus."
"After 4 years under debt review, finally got my Form 19. The team made the process so easy."
"My credit score started improving immediately after my clearance certificate was submitted to the bureaus."
"Professional service. They even helped me check my credit report after clearance to make sure everything was updated."
Conclusion
A consumer under debt review can only be issued with a clearance certificate when:
- They have paid up all their debts listed in the debt review court order or repayment agreement, OR
- All short-term credit agreements (including vehicle financing) have been paid in full and they are only left with a mortgage loan that is not in arrears
Once the clearance certificate is issued, it must be forwarded to all credit bureaus together with the paid-up letters. The debt counsellor and credit bureaus have to update their systems to show that the consumer has successfully completed the debt review process.
Ready for Your Clearance Certificate?
Contact The National Debt Review Center experts today. We can help to issue a clearance certificate if all your accounts under debt review have been paid up so that you are able to enter into new credit agreements.
Clearance Qualifier Tool
Upload your ID, proof of debt review, and paid-up letters. We'll verify in minutes whether you qualify for a Form 19 Clearance Certificate.
- No upfront fee
- R450 (excl. VAT) only on issuance
- We request your file from your current DC for you
NCR Registered Debt Counsellor
Registration: NCRDC3106