Individual Insolvency Register

To search The Register, enter the name or trading name of the individual.

The searches use the surname or the trading name of the individual. If the search produces multiple results, then it may help you identify the individual you are searching for if you also know any of the following:

·                 date of birth

·                 age

·                 address

·                 date of the order or event

·                 court and number.

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IVAs and FTVAs are binding agreements between the individual and their creditors to pay part or all of the money they owe. You can enter into an IVA both before and after the making of a bankruptcy order, whereas you can enter into an FTVA only after the making of a bankruptcy order.

Click here for further information about FTVAs.

Click here for further information about IVAs:

If the Official Receiver (OR) considers that the conduct of a bankrupt has been dishonest, or blameworthy in some other way, he (or she) will report the facts to the court and ask for a BRO to be made. The court will consider this report and decide whether it should make a BRO. If it does, the individual will be subject to certain restrictions for the period stated in the order. This can be from 2 to 15 years.

Before the court hearing, the OR will send the individual a copy of the report containing details of the alleged misconduct. If the individual accepts the allegations, then they can offer to enter into a BRU. This has exactly the same effect as a BRO but does not involve going to court, and because the individual is admitting to the misconduct the period of the BRU is likely to be shorter.

A BRO or BRU will not affect the discharge of the individual’s debts (explained in question 14).

This is the start date for the type of proceedings that appear on the Register, as follows:

·                     Bankruptcy: the date the bankruptcy order was made

·                     IVA: the date the arrangement is approved by the individual’s creditors

·                     BRO: the date the court ordered the BRO to begin

·                     BRU: the date stated in that document.

You can visit your local Official Receiver’s office on any business day between 9am and 5pm. Please check your phone book for details of your nearest Official Receiver’s office, or call The Insolvency Service Central Enquiry Line on 020 7291 6895.

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If you search online, you will be given the option to print the results.

If you ask for a search at the local Official Receiver’s office you will be given a print of the results.

If there is no match for your request, you will receive a print with a statement to this effect.

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You may have entered the surname or trading name incorrectly. Try variations in the spelling, or reduce the scope for error by only entering the first part of the surname.

The individual’s details may have been removed from the Register.

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For individuals who are listed on The Register, please report any inaccuracies using the “report error” button at the bottom of the report page for that individual.

If you think an individual has been omitted from The Register, please click here or write to:

The Insolvency Service

HQ Secretariat

Area 5.1

PO Box 203

21 Bloomsbury Street

London WC1B 3QW

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Depending on the type of entry, details  stay on The Register as follows:

·                     Bankruptcy: for 3 months after the date of the individual’s discharge from bankruptcy. The entry is removed earlier if the bankruptcy is annulled.

·                     IVA: until completion, revocation or the failure of the arrangement.

·                     BROs/BRUs: until the date stipulated in the court order or undertaking. The entry is also removed earlier if the bankruptcy order is annulled on the grounds that the order ought not to have been made.

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Discharge is a process that frees the individual from the restrictions of bankruptcy and releases them from most of the debts they owed at the date of the bankruptcy order.

Discharge would usually occur automatically 12 months after the bankruptcy order, but if the Official Receiver (OR) files a notice in court before that time to say that he (or she) has concluded their enquiries into the individual’s affairs, then discharge will occur earlier than 12 months when that notice is filed.

If an individual does not cooperate with the OR (or trustee, if an insolvency practitioner has been appointed in place of the OR), then the court may be asked to stop that individual’s discharge from taking place.

If the individual has been subject to more than one bankruptcy, the most recent being earlier than 1 April 2004, then their bankruptcy may last more than 12 months.

The OR can apply to court for a Bankruptcy Restrictions Order, which will mean that the individual would continue to be subject to restrictions after discharge for the period stated in that order. This would not affect their discharge from debt.

Click here for more information about discharge from bankruptcy

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Until the individual is discharged from bankruptcy the following restrictions apply:

• The individual must disclose their status to a credit provider if they wish to obtain credit of more than £500. 
• The individual must disclose to those with whom they wish to do business the name (or trading name) under which they were made bankrupt. 
• The individual may not act as the director of a company or take part in its promotion, formation or management unless they get the court’s permission to do so.  
• The individual may not act as an insolvency practitioner, or as a receiver or manager of the property of a company on behalf of debenture holders. 
• The individual may not hold certain public offices; for example, be an MP in England or an AM in Wales.

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No (see question 1).

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You can get details of bankruptcies in Scotland and Northern Ireland from:

SCOTLAND

The Accountant in Bankruptcy*
George House
126 George Street
EDINBURGH
EH2 4HH

Tel: 0131 473 4600
Fax: 0131 473 4737

NORTHERN IRELAND

The Insolvency Service*
Fermanagh House
Ormeau Avenue
BELFAST
BT2 8HY

Tel: 02890 251441
Fax: 02890 548555

* There may be a charge for the search.

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By law the Insolvency Service has to maintain public register of bankruptcy and related information. That register is used for a variety of purposes including:-

• Debt recovery
• Screening for employment
• To commence legal action
• General investigation
• Screening for credit reference purposes

Details of BROs are shown, as they are a record of the minority of bankrupts whose conduct has been found to be culpable. Breach of a BRO is a criminal offence and anyone with concerns about an individual should be able to satisfy himself or herself whether or not the person is subject to a BRO. If you do find a person has breached the terms of a BRO please report it to The Criminal Allegations Team. 

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The Case Description is used for identification purposes, so that Creditors can easily recognise the individual against whom the Order has been made. The description of a Bankrupt forms part of the Bankruptcy Order and is the title of the proceedings. It is first used at the Bankruptcy Petition stage, and should be included on all statutory forms, notices and advertisements. It must be as full and accurate as reasonably possible and can only be changed by the Court.

Once your Bankruptcy has been annulled, our system will be updated and your details will no longer appear on the Register after 5 days.

An annulment can be granted under three grounds :-

• The Order ought not to have been made (revoked)
• Payment of debts in full
• A Voluntary Arrangement has been approved

Note: For further information on annulment procedures, please contact your trustee. Alternatively, please refer to the leaflet..