Debt Relief 
What is Debt Review Removal?
Debt review removal is the formal legal process of updating your status on the National Loans Register (NLR) to declare you are no longer over-indebted. This is accomplished either administratively by issuing a Form 19 clearance certificate once all unsecured debts are settled, or judicially via a High Court application to rescind the original debt review court order.
Are You Eligible?
Under the National Credit Act (NCA) guidelines, you are eligible to be cleared and exit debt counselling if you meet one of the following legal conditions:
- All restructured debt obligations listed under your debt counselling plan have been paid in full, and you have settled all balances (excluding an active home loan).
- You have settled all accounts and your debt counsellor has issued a Form 19 clearance certificate.
- Your financial circumstances have improved, you can afford to pay the original monthly instalments directly to your creditors, and we can prove your solvability to a court (even if some accounts are still active).
What's Actually Involved: The Clearance Process
Exiting debt review requires a systematic progression through specific legal and bureau update timeframes:
Step 1: Settlement Verification & Bureau Audit (Days 1–3)
We perform a comprehensive credit bureau audit and verify outstanding balances directly with all listed creditors to ensure all paid-up records are accurate.
Step 2: Section 71 Clearance or Court Application Drafted (Days 4–7)
If all debts are paid, we compile the proof and draft a Section 71 clearance request. If you are exiting early based on affordability, our partner attorneys draft a High Court application to declare you no longer over-indebted.
Step 3: Court Hearing & Rescission Order (Days 8–30)
For court-based removals, our attorneys represent you in court to obtain the rescission order. You do not need to attend the hearing.
Step 4: NLR Update & Bureau Purge (Days 31–45)
The court order or clearance certificate is served to the National Credit Regulator (NCR) and all major bureaus (TransUnion, Experian, XDS, Compuscan) to delete the debt review flag from your profile.
Transparent Legal Pricing
We operate with flat-rate legal fees. The initial credit record audit and eligibility assessment are 100% free. If a High Court application is required for early exit, fees start from R8,500 (inclusive of attorney and court filing fees), with customized payment plans available.
What Happens to Your Credit Score After Removal?
Removing the debt review flag immediately clears your status on the NLR, allowing you to apply for new credit lines. However, it does not instantly erase your past payment history. Any paid-up defaults remain visible for 2 years, but the "under debt counselling" block is permanently removed, and bureaus will immediately start recalculating your credit score based on your active repayment history.
Social Proof & Client Outcomes
- "I was skeptical at first, but the team got my name completely removed from the National Loans Register as promised." — R.M. (Johannesburg) cleared and off the NLR in 9 weeks.
- "After my debt counsellor stopped responding, they stepped in, cleared my judgements, and exited me from the system." — S.N. (Pretoria) cleared default judgements and exited debt review in 6 weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I remove myself from debt review without a lawyer?
If all your debts are paid in full, your debt counsellor can issue a clearance certificate directly without court involvement. If you are trying to exit early before paying off all debts, you must obtain a High Court order, which requires legal representation by an attorney.
What if my debt counsellor won't issue clearance?
If you have settled your debts and your counsellor fails to issue a Form 19 clearance certificate within 5 business days, we submit a statutory dispute to the NCR to force compliance.
Does debt review removal affect blacklisting?
Exiting debt review clears the restrictive counselling flag, but any unpaid defaults or active judgments must be addressed separately. We run a combined service to expunge defaults and rescind judgements alongside the removal process.