Request your debt review clearance certificate (template)

Send this to your debt counsellor and keep the sent copy. Replace each [PLACEHOLDER].

[YOUR FULL NAME]
[YOUR ID NUMBER]
[YOUR ADDRESS]
[YOUR EMAIL]  |  [YOUR PHONE]

[DATE]

[DEBT COUNSELLOR / FIRM NAME]
[THEIR EMAIL OR ADDRESS]

RE: Request for [clearance certificate](/debt-counselling/debt-review-clearance-certificate/) (Form 19) - reference [YOUR DEBT REVIEW REF]

Dear [DEBT COUNSELLOR NAME],

I believe I have now satisfied the requirements of my debt review, having
[settled all my restructured debts / settled all short-term debts with only my
home loan remaining under its rearranged terms].

I request that you:
  1. confirm in writing that I qualify for a clearance certificate;
  2. issue my clearance certificate (Form 19) without delay;
  3. notify the National Credit Regulator and all credit bureaus to remove the
     debt review listing from my credit profile; and
  4. send me a copy of the certificate and confirm the date the bureaus were
     notified, so I can track the [removal](/debt-counselling/debt-review-removal/).

Please also provide a final paid-up statement and confirm there are no further
amounts owing.

I understand the flag should be cleared in about 21 business days after the
certificate is issued. Please let me know if you anticipate any delay.

Thank you. I look forward to receiving my certificate.

Yours faithfully,

[YOUR FULL NAME]
ID number: [YOUR ID NUMBER]

You qualify once you have paid the debts under your debt review plan. In practice, that often means all your short-term and unsecured debts are fully settled. Where you have a long-term debt such as a home loan, many people qualify for a clearance certificate when the short-term debts are paid and the bond is up to date under its rearranged terms, with the bond simply continuing on those terms.

Your debt counsellor confirms when you qualify, based on the balances and your specific plan. If you are close but unsure, ask for a paid-up statement showing exactly what remains. The point of the letter above is to get that confirmation in writing and to trigger the issuing of the certificate.

Once your debt counsellor issues the Form 19 clearance certificate, they are required to notify the National Credit Regulator and all the credit bureaus. The bureaus then remove the debt review flag from your profile. The whole removal should take about 21 business days from when the certificate is issued.

Keep a copy of the certificate permanently. About three weeks after issue, pull your credit report and check that the debt review listing is gone. If it is still showing, send a credit bureau dispute letter with your clearance certificate attached, and follow up with your counsellor. The certificate is your evidence, so the dispute should be quick to resolve.

Sometimes a consumer has clearly paid up but the certificate does not arrive - the counsellor is slow, has gone quiet, or the firm has closed. First, request it in writing using the template above and give a reasonable deadline. Keep proof that you asked.

If the counsellor still does not act, you can complain to the National Credit Regulator, which registers and oversees debt counsellors, at dccomplaints@ncr.org.za. A debt counsellor complaint letter sets out the issue formally. You are entitled to your clearance certificate once you qualify, and the NCR can step in where a registered counsellor is not doing their job.