Credit Reports and Blacklisting in South Africa: Your Rights

Many South Africans have been told they are "blacklisted" after a loan, store card or phone contract was declined. The word is everywhere, but it has no legal meaning. This guide explains what a credit bureau actually holds about you, how to get your free annual credit report, how long each kind of negative entry may stay, how to dispute wrong information, and what happens to paid-up debts and court judgments.

Information last verified on 25 October 2026. This page is general legal information about South African law, not legal advice.

There is no official blacklist

The National Credit Act 34 of 2005 (the NCA) does not create a blacklist, and no government body keeps one. What exists is a credit record held by each registered credit bureau. That record contains both good and bad information: your payment history on accounts, enquiries made by lenders, and any adverse entries.

The National Financial Ombud (NFO), which now handles the work of the former Credit Ombud, puts it plainly in its published FAQ: "Blacklist is a misleading term, which came about when credit bureaux only kept negative information." It adds that "One cannot be blacklisted but can be part of the 40% who have a negative notation." That 40% figure is the ombud scheme's own, undated estimate.

When people say they are "blacklisted" or "ITC listed", they usually mean one or more of these entries on their record:

• an adverse listing on the payment profile (missed or late instalments);
• an adverse classification of consumer behaviour, which the NCA describes as entries such as "delinquent", "default", "slow paying", "absconded" or "not contactable" (s71A(4)(a));
• an adverse classification of enforcement action, such as "handed over for collection or recovery", "legal action" or "writeoff" (s71A(4)(b));
• a civil court judgment, including a default judgment;
• a sequestration, rehabilitation or administration order; or
• a debt review record.

A lender looks at the whole record and applies its own credit policy. The NCA sets no pass or fail mark, so the same record can be declined by one lender and accepted by another.

A debt review flag deserves a separate note. The National Credit Regulator (NCR) says the flag a bureau places on your profile when you apply for debt counselling "is not a negative listing or 'Blacklisting'". For how that flag is placed and removed, see Debt Review in South Africa.

How to get your free credit report

Section 72(1)(b) of the NCA gives every person the right to inspect any credit bureau file about them. The inspection is free:

• as of right once within any period of 12 months;
• if a court or the National Consumer Tribunal orders it; and
• once within a reasonable period after you successfully challenge information, so you can check that it was corrected.

At any other time, the bureau may charge its inspection fee. The right applies to the file each bureau holds, so if you want a full picture you can ask more than one bureau. The NFO's guidance is simply to contact the bureau and ask for a copy of your report.

Which bureaus?

The NCR keeps a public register of credit bureaus. It is much longer than the handful of names most people know: when we checked it in October 2026 it listed around 55 registered bureaus, many of them specialist bureaus for tenant, employment or fraud checks. Bureaus a consumer commonly asks for a personal credit report include TransUnion Credit Bureau, Experian South Africa, Xpert Decision Systems (XDS), VeriCred Credit Bureau and Consumer Profile Bureau (CPB), all shown as registered on that register.

Before you hand your ID number to any business offering a credit report, check that it appears on the NCR register of credit bureaus.

A lender cannot make you buy a report

Section 72(2) says a credit provider "must not require or induce a prospective consumer to obtain or request a report from a credit bureau in connection with an application for credit". If a lender or agent tells you to pay for a report before it will consider your loan, treat that as a warning sign.

What bureaus may keep, and for how long (Regulation 17)

Regulation 17 of the National Credit Regulations, 2006 (replaced in its current form by Notice R.202, GG 38557) sets the maximum period each type of information may be displayed and used for credit scoring or credit assessment. The periods run from the date of the event.

Two points are often misunderstood. First, the popular idea that a debt "falls off after 7 years" does not appear in this table. Second, these are maximum display periods for bureau records, not periods after which the debt stops being owed. Whether an old debt can still be collected is a separate question governed by the Prescription Act: see Prescription of Debt.

The NCR's credit bureau compliance department says it "ensures that all credit bureaus adhere to maximum retention period of consumer credit information such as paid up judgments and adverse information."

Paid-up debts: the 7-day removal rule (s71A)

Section 71A of the NCA, inserted by the National Credit Amendment Act 19 of 2014, deals with what happens when you settle a debt that had been listed. If you settle any obligation under a credit agreement that was the subject of an adverse behaviour classification, an adverse enforcement classification, an adverse payment profile listing or a judgment debt:

1. the credit provider must submit information about the settlement to all registered credit bureaus within 7 days after settlement (s71A(1)); and
2. the credit bureau must remove the adverse listing within 7 days after receiving that information (s71A(2)).

If the credit provider does not report the settlement, you may lodge a complaint against it with the NCR (s71A(3)). Ask the provider for a paid-up letter when you settle and keep it: it is your proof if the listing lingers.

Section 71A covers obligations under credit agreements. A judgment for some other kind of debt is not covered by this automatic rule, and its bureau entry follows the Regulation 17 periods or a court rescission.

Judgments: paying is not the same as rescinding

A judgment is a court order, so it stays on the court record until a court sets it aside. Paying the judgment debt triggers the s71A bureau removal for credit agreement debts, but it does not cancel the judgment itself. If you need the judgment set aside, the Magistrates' Courts Act 32 of 1944, s36, gives several routes in the Magistrate's Court:

• Judgment granted in your absence: a court may rescind or vary a judgment granted in the absence of the person against whom it was granted, on application by an affected person (s36(1)(a)).
• Void judgment, fraud or common mistake: a court may rescind a judgment that was void from the start or was obtained by fraud or by a mistake common to the parties (s36(1)(b)).
• Consent: where the creditor who obtained a default judgment has consented in writing, a court may rescind or vary it on application (s36(2), as substituted with effect from 1 August 2018).
• Paid in full: where the judgment debt, the interest at the rate in the judgment and the costs have all been paid in full, a court may rescind the judgment on application by the judgment debtor or another affected person, "whether the consent of the judgment creditor for the rescission of the judgment has been obtained or not" (s36(3)(a)).

Each route is an application to court, and the court "may" grant it: it is not automatic. Once you have a rescission order, send a copy to the bureaus. Section 71(6) of the NCA says that on receiving a copy of a court order rescinding a judgment, a credit bureau "must expunge from its records all information relating to that judgment."

High Court judgments follow the High Court's own rules, which this page does not cover. The court clerk can explain the Magistrate's Court filing steps, and an attorney can advise on whether an application is worth bringing in your situation.

If a creditor is already deducting from your salary or attaching your bank account under a judgment, see Garnishee and Emoluments Attachment Orders.

Disputing wrong information (s72)

Section 72(1)(c) gives you the right to challenge the accuracy of any information about you, and to require the bureau (or the NCR, for the national credit register) to investigate it without charge. You also have a right to be advised by a credit provider, within the prescribed time, before prescribed adverse information about you is reported to a bureau, and to a copy of that information on request (s72(1)(a)).

Once you challenge information, s72(3) says the credit provider or bureau must take reasonable steps to look for evidence supporting it, and within the prescribed time must either:

• give you a copy of any credible evidence it finds; or
• remove the information, and all record of it, if it cannot find credible evidence.

While your challenge is open, the bureau may not report the challenged information (s72(5)). If the challenge succeeds, the Act provides a further free inspection to check the correction (s72(1)(b)(i)(cc)), and s72(1)(d) gives you a right to be compensated, by whoever reported the incorrect information, for the cost of correcting it.

In practice:

1. Get your report and identify the exact entry that is wrong.
2. Lodge a dispute with the bureau, using its dispute form, and attach your evidence (paid-up letters, statements, a rescission order).
3. Keep the reference number the bureau gives you. The NFO's guidance is to allow the bureau 20 working days to resolve it.
4. If the bureau sends you evidence you disagree with, you have 20 business days after receiving it to apply to the NCR to investigate the disputed information as a complaint (s72(4)).

The 2014 credit amnesty (history only)

In 2014 the government ran a one-off "credit amnesty". According to SAnews, the government news agency, registered credit bureaus were to remove certain adverse information "from 1 April 2014 ... for a period of two months, until the end of May 2014". The exercise covered subjective behaviour classifications such as "delinquent, default, slow paying, absconded or not contactable", and the results of consumer disputes. Paid-up judgments were also to be removed.

The same report was clear that "consumers are, however, still liable to pay their debts." The amnesty did not cancel any debt, and it does not apply to anything that went wrong after May 2014. The ongoing removal rule for paid-up adverse listings and judgment debts now sits in s71A, described above. Anyone who tells you that you can still apply for "the amnesty" is mistaken.

Paid credit repair and removal services

Some businesses offer, for a fee, to "clean" or "fix" your credit record. Section 126A(3) of the NCA says a person who offers a service for the purpose of improving your credit record, history or rating, or of causing a bureau to remove information about you, may not charge you or receive any payment from you until the service has been fully performed, and must give you a disclosure statement. That rule does not apply to attorneys or registered credit bureaus (s126A(4)).

The NCR has also warned, in Circular 2 of 2025 (March 2025), about companies offering "debt review removal" services for upfront fees, reported as up to R10,000, where in most instances the debt review status was not removed as claimed.

Remember what is free: your annual credit report, a dispute about inaccurate information, and a complaint to the NCR or the NFO. Paying a company does not change how long accurate information may lawfully stay on your record under Regulation 17.

Where to complain

• The credit bureau first. Both the NCR route and the NFO expect you to have disputed the entry with the bureau. The NFO says a complaint made before you have approached the bureau is "premature".
• The National Credit Regulator (NCR). The regulator receives complaints about contraventions of the NCA and promotes informal resolution between consumers and credit providers or bureaus. Use it for an unresolved dispute under s72(4), or when a credit provider fails to report a settlement under s71A(3). Call centre 0860 627 627, email complaints@ncr.org.za, or see the NCR complaints page.
• The National Financial Ombud (NFO). The former Credit Ombud is now part of the NFO, a single dispute service that also took over the banking and insurance ombuds. Its services are free of charge, and the complaints it handles include being "unfairly or incorrectly listed at the credit bureau". Call 0860 800 900 or use the complaint form at nfosa.co.za. Older guides that give creditombud.org.za addresses are out of date; the old website now redirects to the NFO.

If the real problem is a collector's behaviour rather than the bureau entry, see Your Rights When Debt Collectors Call.

Related reading

• Debt and Consumer Law in South Africa
• Debt Review in South Africa
• Prescription of Debt
• Garnishee and Emoluments Attachment Orders
• Your Rights When Debt Collectors Call

For the wider picture of South African law, see the South Africa Laws hub.

This guide is general legal information, not legal advice. For advice on your own situation, consult an attorney, or contact Legal Aid South Africa (0800 110 110) if you cannot afford one.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check if I am blacklisted in South Africa?

There is no blacklist to check. What exists is your credit bureau file. Request your free report from a credit bureau registered with the National Credit Regulator (for example TransUnion, Experian, XDS, VeriCred or Consumer Profile Bureau) and read the payment profile, any adverse classifications and any judgments listed on it.

Is my credit report really free?

Yes, once in any 12-month period. Section 72(1)(b)(i)(aa) of the National Credit Act gives every person the right to inspect a credit bureau file about them without charge once within any twelve months. There is also a further free inspection within a reasonable period after you successfully challenge information, so you can check the correction.

How long does bad credit stay on my record?

It depends on the type of entry. Under Regulation 17 of the National Credit Regulations, enquiries show for 1 year, adverse classifications for 1 year, payment profiles for 5 years and civil judgments for the earlier of 5 years or rescission. Settling a listed credit agreement debt also triggers the 7-day removal duties in section 71A.

I paid my debt in full. Why is the listing still there?

Section 71A requires the credit provider to tell all registered bureaus about the settlement within 7 days, and the bureau must then remove the adverse listing within 7 days. If the provider has not reported it, you may lodge a complaint against the provider with the National Credit Regulator. Keep your paid-up letter as proof.

Does paying a judgment debt cancel the judgment?

Not by itself. Paying a credit agreement judgment debt triggers the bureau removal duty in section 71A, but the judgment stays on the court record until a court rescinds it. Under section 36(3)(a) of the Magistrates' Courts Act, once the debt, interest and costs are paid in full, a court may rescind the judgment on your application, with or without the creditor's consent.

Can I still use the 2014 credit amnesty?

No. The 2014 amnesty was a one-off removal exercise that ran from 1 April 2014 to the end of May 2014. It removed certain adverse information from bureau records but did not cancel any debt, and it does not apply to defaults that happened later.

Should I pay a company that promises to clear my credit record?

Be very careful. Section 126A(3) of the National Credit Act says a person offering a service to improve your credit record or have information removed may not charge you or receive any payment until the service has been fully performed (attorneys and registered credit bureaus are excluded from this rule). Disputing wrong information with a bureau yourself is free.

Where do I complain if a bureau will not fix my record?

First dispute the entry with the bureau itself and keep the reference number. If that fails, you can apply to the National Credit Regulator within 20 business days after receiving the bureau's evidence (s72(4)), or complain to the National Financial Ombud on 0860 800 900, which took over the work of the former Credit Ombud.