To remove the NCR debt review flag in South Africa, certain requirements and steps must be met according to the National Credit Regulator and relevant law[7]:
- Settle all debts included under debt review (excluding a home loan): The most common requirement is to pay off all your debts as listed in the debt review process. Once these debts are settled, you become eligible for a debt review clearance certificate (Form 19)[6][11][12].
- Obtain a clearance certificate (Form 19): A registered debt counsellor must issue you a clearance certificate confirming all restructured debts under debt review have been paid. This is mandated by the National Credit Act, Section 71. Only a registered debt counsellor has access to the NCR Debt Help System for this purpose[7][11].
- Notification to credit bureaus: The debt counsellor will submit this certificate to the credit bureaus, instructing them to remove the debt review flag from your credit records. The debt review status should then be cleared from all records[6][12].
- Early exit via court order (very rare): If you wish to exit debt review before paying all listed debts, you must apply to court and prove you are no longer over-indebted due to substantially increased income or changed circumstances. This route is seldom granted and should be approached with caution[6][7][12].
- Withdrawal before being declared over-indebted: If the debt review process has not yet reached the stage where you are formally declared over-indebted (before issuing Form 17.2), it is possible to withdraw from debt review without court involvement[7].
- If there is a court order in place: Once a court order for debt review exists, cancellation can only be done by applying to court, except in the case where all debts have been fully settled, in which case the clearance certificate route applies[7].
Beware of services or individuals who claim you can simply “cancel” debt review at any time; only the outlined legal routes are valid, and attempts to exit without fulfilling requirements can lead to further complications[6][7][11].
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