What is the bankruptcy register?

When you’re declared bankrupt, these details will usually be published on the individual insolvency register: 

• your name
• your last known address
• your date of birth
• your gender
• the date of the bankruptcy order
• the official receiver’s details 
• your job title (sometimes)
• your insolvency practitioner’s details

This information is also published in the Gazette.

What is the Gazette?

The Gazette is a public newspaper that lists official notices. Notices are published both in print and online (where they can be viewed for free). 

It’s printed weekly in London, Edinburgh and Belfast.

The individual insolvency register is public so anyone can view it. 

You can search the register online for free or in person at a local branch of the official receiver’s office.  

It’s most commonly used by lenders, landlords and employers to check whether you’ve had trouble repaying debts.   

It can also be searched by credit reference agencies so they can update your credit report. 

The main reason is transparency. It helps prevent mistaken identity, especially for those who share names or birthdays.

The details held on the register aren’t indexed by internet search engines – you need to search the register directly for someone’s file. This means someone won’t stumble across details of your bankruptcy from the individual insolvency register during a Google search.

But search engines might list Gazette notices – they’re indexed for one year and three months after publication. After this, you’d probably only find them by looking directly on the Gazette website.

If publishing your address would put you at risk of violence, you can ask for it to be withheld from the register.

You do this by applying to the court for a person at risk of violence (PARV) order.

A PARV order costs £308, although you might get the fee waived if your income is low.

You can also ask for the Gazette to withhold your address if publishing it puts you in danger (your other details will still be published though). 

Talk to your insolvency practitioner if you’re worried about your safety. They’ll advise you on what to do.

Your details stay on the register during your bankruptcy and for three months after it ends. 

Most bankruptcies usually last for a year, so your details could be publicly available for at least 15 months. If a bankruptcy restriction undertaking or order has been made, your details could stay public for up to 16 years. This is rare though. 

In Northern Ireland, all bankruptcies are also published in the Belfast Telegraph.

In England and Wales, the official receiver can choose to publish a notice in your local newspaper. This is rare and only usually happens when it’s in the public interest. 

You might be able to stop any public notices appearing in your local paper by applying to the court for a ‘stay of advertisement’.