Debt Review Clearance Certificate (Form 19): A Simple 1-2-3 Process
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- Clearance Certificate (Form 19)
Getting Your Clearance Certificate (Form 19) from Debt 365 Is a Simplified 1-2-3 Process
You finished debt review. The certificate that proves it should take days, not months — and the law says so. Here is exactly what has to happen, by when, and what to do if it doesn't.
Reviewed by the Debt 365 debt counselling team · NCR registration NCRDC2403
Published 21 September 2026 · Last updated 21 September 2026 · 8 min read
Short answer
A Form 19 clearance certificate is issued under section 71 of the National Credit Act once your re-arranged debts are settled — or once your short-term debts are settled and your home loan is up to date and affordable. Your debt counsellor must issue it within seven days of you qualifying, and file it with the bureaux within seven days of issue.
On this page
- What a Form 19 actually is
- Do you qualify? Two ways in
- The 1-2-3 process
- Who does what, by when
- “I'm paid up but still flagged”
- What changed in 2026
- If the certificate is refused or delayed
- What it does — and doesn't — clear
- What we need from you
- Frequently asked questions
What a Form 19 actually is
Form 19 is the prescribed clearance certificate issued under section 71 of the National Credit Act 34 of 2005. It is the formal, statutory confirmation that you have completed debt review.
It matters for one reason above all others: it is the document that obliges the credit bureaux to expunge the debt review notation and the default information related to the re-arranged agreements. Without it, you can be completely debt-free and still show as being under debt review — which means vehicle finance and home loan applications continue to be declined.
It is also the cleanest of the four ways out of debt review. Unlike a court application to rescind a section 87 order, it needs no attorney, no court date and no opposing credit provider. It is an entitlement, and it comes with deadlines attached.
Do you qualify? There are two ways in
Section 71 provides two separate routes to a clearance certificate, and the second one is the one most consumers do not know about.
Route A — Everything settled
You have satisfied all the obligations under every credit agreement that was subject to the debt re-arrangement order or agreement.
Straightforward, and the route most people assume is the only one.
Route B — Short-term settled, long-term current
You have settled all other credit agreements in the arrangement, your mortgage agreement or other prescribed long-term agreement is not in arrears, and you can demonstrate you are financially able to meet those future obligations.
You do not have to pay off a 20-year bond to leave debt review.
Route B is the reason many South Africans qualify for a clearance certificate years before they think they do. If your credit cards, personal loans and store accounts are cleared and your bond is current and affordable, test it — do not assume you have another decade to go.
The 1-2-3 process
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1. Confirm you qualify — send your paid-up letters
We check your file against both section 71 routes and tell you in writing which one applies. You send a certified ID copy, paid-up or settlement letters from each credit provider in the re-arrangement, and your latest home loan statement and proof of income if Route B applies. If a paid-up letter is missing, we request it from the credit provider directly.
Typical time: 3–10 working days, driven mostly by how quickly credit providers issue paid-up letters.
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2. We issue Form 19 and file it
Once you qualify, the certificate is issued and certified copies are filed with the national register and with every registered credit bureau. You receive your own copy at the same time, with written confirmation of the filing date.
Statutory deadline: issued within 7 days of qualifying; filed within 7 days of issue.
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3. The bureaux expunge the notation — and you verify it
On receipt of the certificate, the credit bureaux must expunge the debt review notation and the related default information. We tell you when to check, and you draw your own report to confirm. Verifying it yourself is not optional — it is the only way to know it actually happened.
Typical time: around 21 days from filing.
Who does what, by when
Section 71 clearance certificate responsibilities and deadlines
WhoWhat they must doBy when
YouSettle the re-arranged agreements, or settle short-term debt and bring the bond currentNo deadline — this is the qualifying event YouProvide paid-up letters, certified ID, income proofAs soon as possible — this is the usual bottleneck Debt counsellorIssue the Form 19 clearance certificateWithin 7 days of you qualifying Debt counsellorFile certified copies with the national register and every credit bureauWithin 7 days of issuing the certificate Credit bureauxExpunge the debt review notation and related default informationOn receipt of the certificate YouDraw a fresh credit report and confirm the flag is gone~21 days after filing
Those seven-day periods are not service standards invented by the industry. They come from the Act. If they pass without anything happening, you have a remedy — set out below.
“I'm paid up but I'm still showing under debt review”
This is the single most common complaint we hear, and the diagnosis is nearly always the same: being paid up does not clear the flag. The filing clears the flag.
Three things usually explain it:
- The certificate was never issued. The file went quiet after your last payment and nobody actioned it.
- It was issued but never filed. You have a PDF; the bureaux and the national register never received a certified copy, so nothing was ever expunged.
- It was filed but one bureau never processed it. This is why we tell every client to draw reports from more than one bureau. The data between them is frequently not identical.
The fix starts with one written request to your debt counsellor: “Please provide a copy of my Form 19 clearance certificate and written proof of the date it was filed with the national register and each credit bureau.” A practice that has done the work can answer that in a day. A practice that cannot answer it has told you what you needed to know.
What changed in 2026 — and why some certificates stalled
If your certificate was in progress during the first half of 2026 and nothing moved, there is a systemic explanation worth knowing about.
The National Credit Regulator's Debt Help System — the national database debt counsellors use to load applications and update consumer statuses — was taken offline in early February 2026. While it was down, debt counsellors could not load new applications, update the progress of existing matters, or process transfers between practices. A large number of consumers were stuck mid-process, in both directions.
Two things resolved it. First, the filing of clearance certificates was routed through the Credit Bureau Association portal, under an NCR guideline issued in February 2026, so that certificates could be processed and reflected on credit reports while the national system was unavailable. Second, the Debt Help System returned from 30 March 2026 on a deliberately staggered basis, with different status codes reopened week by week across roughly five weeks to avoid overloading it.
What this means for you. If your matter was paid up in the first quarter of 2026 and the notation never cleared, the likely cause is a filing that was never re-submitted once the systems came back — not a refusal, and not a problem with your file. Ask specifically for the filing date and the channel it was filed through. It is usually correctable in days once someone actually looks at it.
If the certificate is refused, or nothing happens
You have a direct statutory remedy, and it does not involve a court.
Section 71(3) of the National Credit Act allows a consumer whose clearance certificate has been refused to apply to the National Consumer Tribunal, on the prescribed form, for a review of that decision. If the Tribunal is satisfied that you meet the section 71 requirements, it may order that the certificate be issued.
This route is badly under-used. Consumers who believe they are trapped by an unresponsive debt counsellor frequently pay for an expensive court application when a Tribunal referral would have resolved the matter at a fraction of the cost. If your re-arranged debts are settled, this is the first thing to try.
Alongside it, two further options:
- Transfer to another registered debt counsellor. If your original practice has closed, been deregistered, or simply stopped responding, another registered practice can take over the file and complete the process. Transfers are a normal part of the system.
- Complain to the National Credit Regulator. Debt counsellors are registered with and accountable to the NCR, and failure to meet the section 71 duties is a proper subject for a complaint.
None of these require you to pay a removal fee to anyone. See our guide to debt review removal costs for what is and is not chargeable.
What the certificate clears — and what it doesn't
Effect of a Form 19 clearance certificate on your credit record Record entryCleared by the certificate?
Debt review notation / status codeYes Default information related to the re-arranged agreementsYes — expressly expunged under section 71 Records showing the accounts were under re-arrangementYes Historic payment profile on those accountsNo — the history remains Judgments granted before or during debt reviewNo — judgments follow their own rescission rules Adverse listings outside the re-arrangementNo Accounts that were never part of the debt reviewNo
Set expectations accordingly. The certificate removes the gate that was blocking every application. It does not reset your score to zero-history. Most consumers see meaningful score recovery over the three to six months after the flag clears, provided nothing new goes wrong — which is exactly the window most credit providers want to see before approving vehicle finance. We cover that timing in declined vehicle finance: what's next.
What we need from you
- Certified copy of your South African ID (not older than three months)
- Paid-up or settlement letters from every credit provider that was part of the re-arrangement
- Your latest home loan statement, if you have a bond (Route B)
- Latest three payslips or six months' bank statements (Route B)
- A copy of the Magistrate's Court order, if one was granted in your matter
- Your current contact details, including the mobile number you use on WhatsApp
If a paid-up letter is missing, do not let that stall the file — send us the account number and we will request it from the credit provider directly.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Form 19 clearance certificate?
Form 19 is the prescribed clearance certificate issued under section 71 of the National Credit Act 34 of 2005. It formally confirms that a consumer has completed debt review. Once issued and filed, the credit bureaux must expunge the debt review notation and the related default information.
Do I have to settle my home loan to get a clearance certificate?
No. Section 71 allows a certificate where all short-term agreements in the re-arrangement have been settled, your mortgage bond is not in arrears, and you can show you are financially able to meet those future obligations. You do not have to pay off a 20-year bond to leave debt review.
How long does a clearance certificate take?
Section 71 gives the debt counsellor seven days from the date you qualify to issue it, and a further seven days from issue to file certified copies with the national register and the credit bureaux. Bureau records typically reflect the change within about 21 days of filing, so three to five weeks end to end is realistic.
I am paid up but still showing under debt review — why?
Almost always because the certificate was never issued, or was issued but never filed with the bureaux and the national register. Being paid up does not clear the flag; the filing does. Ask for the Form 19 and written proof of the filing date, and if that is not forthcoming, the section 71(3) route is open to you.
What if my debt counsellor refuses to issue it?
Section 71(3) lets you apply to the National Consumer Tribunal to review that decision, using the prescribed form. If the Tribunal is satisfied you meet the section 71 requirements, it may order the certificate to be issued. This route requires no court application and no attorneys.
What if my debt counsellor has closed down?
You are not stuck. You can transfer to another registered debt counsellor, who can complete the process on your file, and you can lodge a complaint with the National Credit Regulator. If the transfer does not resolve it, the section 71(3) Tribunal route remains available.
Does it remove everything from my credit record?
It removes the debt review notation and the default information related to the re-arranged agreements. It does not remove your historic payment profile, judgments, or adverse listings outside the re-arrangement — those follow their own rules.
How much does a clearance certificate cost?
The certificate is a statutory entitlement, not a product, and there is no prescribed fee for it. Practices commonly charge a modest administrative amount for issuing and filing. A quote running into thousands of rand should prompt you to ask exactly what additional work is being performed.
Can I apply for credit as soon as I have it?
Wait until you have verified that the flag has actually cleared on your credit report, usually about 21 days after filing. Even then, most credit providers want to see three to six months of clean conduct on a clear record before approving meaningful credit such as vehicle finance.
Does it apply to both spouses married in community of property?
Yes. Spouses married in community of property share a single joint estate, so the debt review and its conclusion apply to both. Both credit records must be updated, and both spouses should verify their own reports after filing.
Start step 1 today — send us your paid-up letters
Debt 365 is a registered debt counselling practice (NCR registration NCRDC2403) working nationally on a WhatsApp-first basis from our head office at 9 Spoorlyn Road, Rhodesfield, Kempton Park. Send us your paid-up letters and a certified ID copy and we will confirm in writing, the same week, which section 71 route applies to you and when your Form 19 will be issued and filed.
WhatsApp 076 982 2112 Call 087 012 6412 help@debt365.co.za
Related guides
Sources and disclaimer
Primary sources: National Credit Act 34 of 2005, sections 71 and 71(3); NCR guideline on the filing of clearance certificates (Form 19) via the Credit Bureau Association portal, February 2026; NCR guideline on updating status codes on the Debt Help System go-live, March 2026.
This guide is general information about South African credit law and is not legal advice for your specific circumstances. Timelines given are statutory deadlines and typical observed durations; individual matters vary with credit provider and bureau response times.
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