Will My IVA Be Public Knowledge?

The Individual Insolvency Register

Yes — your IVA will be recorded on the Individual Insolvency Register, which is a public database maintained by the Insolvency Service (a government agency). Anyone can search this register for free at gov.uk by entering your name and approximate location.

The register records: your full name, address (at time of IVA), date of birth, the date your IVA was approved, your IP's name and firm, and the current status of the IVA (approved, completed, failed).

Who Checks the Register?

In practice, the register is primarily checked by:

• Lenders and credit providers when assessing credit applications
• Employers conducting financial background checks (e.g., financial services, security clearance roles)
• Landlords conducting tenant reference checks
• Professional regulatory bodies

Your friends, neighbours, and most colleagues are very unlikely to ever search this register. It is not published in newspapers (this changed in 2009).

Credit File vs Public Register

The IVA also appears on your credit file, which is a separate record held by credit reference agencies (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion). Both the public register and your credit file will show the IVA, but the credit file is more detailed and more commonly checked by lenders.

When Is It Removed?

Your entry on the Individual Insolvency Register is normally removed within three months of your IVA completing. This is significantly sooner than the credit file, where the entry remains for six years from the start date.