The Debt Review Clearance Certificate (Form 19), Explained
If you have paid off the accounts on your debt review plan, the clearance certificate is what actually takes you off debt review. Without it, the flag stays on your credit record — however long ago you made your last payment.
Reviewed by Chris Shumba, NCR-registered debt counsellor (NCRDC2403) · Last reviewed 12 October 2026
Check If I Qualify — FreeWhat a Clearance Certificate Is
When you went under debt review, your debt counsellor told the credit bureaus, and every lender who checks your record since has seen it. The National Credit Act stops you taking new credit while you are under review. Section 71 of the Act sets out how that ends when you have paid: once all your obligations under the re-arranged agreements are met, a registered debt counsellor must issue a clearance certificate.
That certificate — Form 19 — goes to the credit bureaus and the National Credit Regulator. The bureaus must then remove the debt review information from your record. It is the only way to clear the flag without going to court, and it is the cheaper and quicker of the two routes in our guide to debt review removal.
When You Qualify
You qualify for a clearance certificate when all of these are true:
- Every short-term credit agreement on your debt review plan — store cards, personal loans, vehicle finance, credit cards — is paid in full
- Your home loan, if you have one, is up to date (it does not need to be paid off)
- The accounts were paid off, not replaced with a new consolidation loan
- A registered debt counsellor holds your file — your original one, or one it has been transferred to
Still owe money on one or more accounts? Then the route is a court application, not a certificate — from R6,500, typically 2 to 3 months. Our qualification check tells you which applies.
Why Paying Your Last Instalment Is Not Enough
The bureaus do not watch your accounts reach zero and lift the flag. They wait for the certificate. If your original counsellor closed, stopped answering or simply never issued it, you can be fully paid up and still be declined for credit years later. We see this constantly — and it is fixable, usually without anything more from you than the paid-up letters we help you collect.
How We Get Your Certificate Issued
Confirm every account is settled
We check your plan against your credit report so no account is missed — a forgotten store card is the most common reason a certificate is delayed.
Collect a paid-up letter for each account
Each credit provider confirms in writing that the account is settled. Where a retailer has closed or sold its book, we trace the collector that now holds it.
Issue Form 19
With the paid-up letters in place, the clearance certificate is issued on the prescribed form.
Notify the bureaus and the NCR
The certificate goes to TransUnion, Experian, XDS and VCCB and to the National Credit Regulator, which must remove the debt review information from your record.
Confirm the flag has gone
We check each bureau has updated and follow up any that has not. You keep the certificate as permanent proof.
When Your Debt Counsellor Has Disappeared
Debt counselling practices close, retire or stop responding, and their clients' files are left open. Your file is not lost: the National Credit Regulator can transfer it to another registered debt counsellor. We apply to take it over, rebuild the account history from your credit report and the credit providers, and issue the certificate once every account is confirmed settled.
Time, Cost and What You Need
Cost
From R2,900
Typical time
14 to 21 working days
Court
Not needed
- A copy of your ID
- Paid-up letters you already have (we collect the rest)
- Any debt review documents from your original counsellor
- Your marriage certificate if you are married in community of property
See what moves the fee on our debt review removal cost page.
After the Certificate
Give the bureaus a few weeks, then request your free report from each of them — you are entitled to one free report a year from every bureau. The debt review notice should be gone. Your account histories stay, and settled accounts count in your favour; most people see their score improve steadily over the following year of on-time payments.
Clearance Certificate Questions
What is a debt review clearance certificate?+
It is Form 19, the certificate a registered debt counsellor issues under section 71 of the National Credit Act once you have met all your obligations under your re-arranged credit agreements. It is the instruction to the credit bureaus to remove the debt review information from your record.
I have paid off all my debts. Why am I still under debt review?+
Because the flag only comes off when a clearance certificate is issued and sent to the bureaus. Paying the last instalment does not trigger that by itself, and many people find out only when they are declined for credit years later.
Do I need to pay off my bond to get a clearance certificate?+
No. A home loan can still be running, as long as it is up to date. Every other account on your debt review plan must be settled.
My debt counsellor has closed down. Who issues my certificate?+
The National Credit Regulator can transfer your file to another registered debt counsellor, who can then collect the paid-up letters and issue the certificate.
How long does a clearance certificate take?+
With us, typically 14 to 21 working days from a complete set of documents. The usual delay is a credit provider that is slow to send a paid-up letter.
What does a clearance certificate cost?+
From R2,900. The fee covers collecting paid-up letters, issuing Form 19, notifying all four bureaus and the NCR, and confirming the flag has been removed.