Form 19 Clearance Certificate Explained (2026 Guide) | Debt365
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Home › Blog › Leaving Debt Review
Form 19 Clearance Certificate: What It Is, Who Issues It and What It Should Cost
By Chris Shumba, Registered Debt Counsellor (NCRDC2403) · Updated 3 October 2026 · 7 min read
Quick answer: A Form 19 clearance certificate is the official document a registered debt counsellor issues under section 71 of the National Credit Act once you have settled every debt in your debt review (or every debt except your home loan). The counsellor must issue it within seven days of you qualifying and file it with the NCR and all credit bureaus.
Who this is for: South Africans under debt review who are close to finishing, or who have finished paying and want the debt review flag removed.
Key takeaways
Form 19 is the only document that lawfully ends a debt review that has a court order.
- Your debt counsellor must issue it within 7 days of you qualifying, and file it with the NCR and every credit bureau within 7 days after that.
- The NCR fee guideline does not provide for a separate fee to issue the certificate. Your aftercare fees must be up to date.
- If your counsellor refuses or fails to issue it, you can go to the National Consumer Tribunal.
What is a Form 19 clearance certificate?
A Form 19 clearance certificate is the legal “finish line” of debt review. It is issued by your registered debt counsellor under section 71 of the National Credit Act (NCA) and confirms that you have met the conditions to exit the process.
Once it is issued and filed, the credit bureaus must remove:
- the record that you were under debt review (the debt re-arrangement),
- the default information that led to your debt review, and
- the records that identify the credit agreements that were restructured.
That is why the clearance certificate matters far more than simply “paying off the last account”. Without it, you can be debt-free in practice but still show as under debt review on your credit report. If that is your situation, read what to do when you have paid up but are still flagged.
Who qualifies for a clearance certificate?
Section 71 sets out two routes. You qualify if either of these applies:
Route What you must have done Status code after clearance
Full settlement Paid every credit agreement included in your debt review order or agreement F2 – all restructured debts settled
Home loan exception Settled every other included agreement, have no arrears on your home loan (or other long-term agreement), and can show you can afford its future instalments F1 – all settled except a qualifying long-term agreement
The second route surprises many people. You do not have to pay off a 20-year bond before you can leave debt review. We explain it fully in clearance when only your home loan is left.
Who issues Form 19 and how quickly?
Only an NCR-registered debt counsellor can issue a clearance certificate. In practice that is the counsellor who currently holds your file. The law sets two deadlines:
- Within 7 days of you qualifying, the debt counsellor must issue the certificate.
- Within 7 days of issuing it, the counsellor must file a certified copy with the NCR’s national register (the Debt Help System) and with all registered credit bureaus.
If the counsellor fails to file it, the NCA allows you to file it with the NCR yourself and lodge a complaint.
What a clearance certificate should cost
There is no separate “clearance fee” in the NCR’s debt counselling fee guideline. What you do need is:
- All debts settled as described above (settlement amounts are owed to your creditors, not a fee).
- Aftercare fees up to date. Aftercare is the monthly fee your counsellor earns while managing your plan; it stops once the certificate is issued.
- Paid-up letters from each creditor, or confirmation the counsellor can verify.
If someone asks for thousands of rand upfront to “get your clearance” or “remove debt review”, treat it as a red flag. The NCR warned about this exact practice in Circular 2 of 2025. See debt review removal scams and how to spot them and whether debt review removal is free.
How the clearance process works, step by step
- Make your final payment to the payment distribution agency (PDA) as normal. Do not stop payments early because you think an account is “almost done”.
- Ask your debt counsellor for a clearance check. They reconcile every account in your court order, one by one. A single small balance (interest, legal fees, an insurance premium) can hold up the whole certificate.
- Get paid-up letters. Your counsellor requests a paid-up or settlement letter from each credit provider. If you settled an account directly, send them your proof.
- Bring aftercare fees up to date if you are behind.
- The counsellor issues Form 19 within seven days of you qualifying.
- The counsellor uploads it to the Debt Help System and sends it to all credit bureaus within seven days.
- Check your credit report after two to three weeks. See how long the flag takes to drop at each bureau.
A worked example
Thandi from Tembisa has been under debt review for four years. Her plan included a personal loan, two store cards and a credit card. Her PDA statement shows the personal loan and store cards at R0, and R1,240 left on the credit card.
- If she keeps paying, the credit card is settled in two months. Her counsellor then requests paid-up letters, issues Form 19 and files it. Her status becomes F2.
- If she has a R1,240 windfall (a bonus, say), she can ask her counsellor to get a settlement figure and pay it now. That can bring clearance forward by a couple of months. Read paying off debt review early with a lump sum.
What if your counsellor refuses or goes silent?
- Refusal or failure to issue: you may apply to the National Consumer Tribunal to review the decision. If the Tribunal is satisfied you qualify, it can order the certificate to be issued.
- Counsellor unresponsive, deregistered or closed: you have the right to transfer to another registered debt counsellor at any stage. See getting your clearance when your debt counsellor has deregistered or gone silent.
- Counsellor issued it but did not file it: you may file it with the NCR yourself and lodge a complaint.
What happens after Form 19?
Your status changes to F1 or F2, the debt review and related default records are removed, and you can apply for credit again. Lenders will still run a normal affordability check, so the first year matters. Our 12-month credit rebuild plan after clearance shows you how to use it well.
The bottom line
A Form 19 clearance certificate is the lawful, low-cost way out of debt review, and it is the only exit that also cleans the related default history from your credit record. If you are close to finishing, get your counsellor to reconcile every account now so that nothing delays you at the end.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Form 19 in debt review?
Form 19 is the prescribed clearance certificate under section 71 of the National Credit Act. A registered debt counsellor issues it when you have paid every debt in your debt review, or every debt except a qualifying home loan. It is the document that tells the NCR and credit bureaus your debt review is complete.
How long does a debt counsellor have to issue a clearance certificate?
Section 71 requires the debt counsellor to issue the certificate within seven days after you qualify, and then to file a certified copy with the NCR’s register and all registered credit bureaus within seven days of issuing it.
Do I have to pay for a clearance certificate?
The NCR’s debt counselling fee guideline does not include a separate fee for issuing a clearance certificate. You do need to have settled your debts and be up to date with your aftercare fees. Be wary of anyone charging a large upfront ‘clearance’ or ‘removal’ fee.
What if my debt counsellor will not issue my clearance certificate?
If a debt counsellor refuses or fails to issue the certificate, section 71 allows you to apply to the National Consumer Tribunal for a review. You can also lodge a complaint with the NCR and transfer to another registered debt counsellor.
What is the difference between F1 and F2 status?
F2 means all restructured debts have been settled. F1 means everything has been settled except a home loan (or other long-term agreement) that meets the section 71 requirements. Both mean you are no longer under debt review.
Speak to a registered debt counsellor
Nearly done with debt review? Send us your PDA statement on WhatsApp and we will tell you exactly what stands between you and your Form 19.
- WhatsApp: WhatsApp 076 982 2112
- Call: 087 012 6412
- Email: help@debt365.co.za
Debt 365 Solutions is an NCR-registered debt counsellor (NCRDC2403) helping South Africans nationwide through a WhatsApp-first process. Learn more about our lawful debt review removal service.
Sources
Last reviewed: 3 October 2026. Reviewed by Chris Shumba, Registered Debt Counsellor, Debt 365 Solutions (NCRDC2403).
This article is general information based on the National Credit Act and NCR guidance. It is not legal advice for your specific situation. Speak to a registered debt counsellor or attorney about your circumstances.
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