IVAs, bankruptcy and DROs in Northern Ireland

Most UK debt guides are written for England and Wales. Much of what they say about IVAs still applies in Northern Ireland, but the law, the organisations and several figures are different. Northern Ireland’s personal insolvency law is in the Insolvency (Northern Ireland) Order 1989, and its Insolvency Service is a division of the Department for the Economy. Scotland is different again: see debt solutions in Scotland.

Free, impartial debt advice is available across the UK from services including MoneyHelper and StepChange. Citizens Advice and National Debtline cover Great Britain rather than Northern Ireland; here, Advice NI gives free debt advice by phone, online and in every council area. See where to get free debt advice.

How is Northern Ireland different?

Numbers are smaller too. In July 2026 there were 169 individual insolvencies in Northern Ireland: 137 IVAs, 15 bankruptcies and 17 DROs.

Can you get an IVA in Northern Ireland?

Yes. IVAs are available in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and in Northern Ireland they are made under Part VIII of the Insolvency (Northern Ireland) Order 1989. The basics are the same as elsewhere: an insolvency practitioner prepares a proposal based on what you can afford, your creditors vote on it, and if it is approved it binds them. You pay the practitioner, who pays your creditors, and the unsecured debt left at the end of a completed IVA is written off. For how IVAs work in general, see what is an IVA? and the IVAs explained section.

A few points are specific to Northern Ireland:

• The practitioner must be qualified to act in Northern Ireland. Check this before you sign.
• The Department for the Economy keeps a public IVA register, which is shared with credit reference agencies. This is separate from the register for England and Wales described in our insolvency register guide.
• Our IVA guides describe the IVA Protocol 2025, published by the UK Insolvency Service. Before you sign, ask the practitioner whether your proposal follows the Protocol’s standard terms, and read the terms you are given.

An IVA is not free. The insolvency practitioner’s fees come out of your payments, and an IVA affects your credit file for years. It is one option among several, not the right one for everyone.

How do debt relief orders work in Northern Ireland?

Northern Ireland has its own DRO, run by the Insolvency Service. After 2024 changes the limits now largely match England and Wales. According to the Department for the Economy:

• your total debts must be no more than £50,000
• your disposable income must be no more than £75 a month
• your other assets must be worth no more than £2,000, and one car worth up to £4,000 is ignored
• you must be domiciled in Northern Ireland, or have lived or traded there in the last 3 years
• you must not have had a DRO in the last 6 years.

The debt, income and asset limits rose from £20,000, £50 and £1,000 on 8 July 2024. The car allowance rose from £2,000 to £4,000 for applications made from 10 January 2025.

You apply through an approved intermediary, such as an Advice NI debt adviser. A DRO lasts 12 months, and creditors named in it cannot take action to recover their money without the court’s permission. The Department’s guidance does not list an application fee, and it says the scheme is not suitable for homeowners because of the asset limit. Some official pages still show the old £20,000 debt limit, which is out of date. For how DROs work in detail, see our debt relief orders guide.

How does bankruptcy work in Northern Ireland?

You petition the High Court in Belfast yourself. You complete a bankruptcy petition and a statement of affairs listing everything you own and everything you owe, swear the statement in front of a court officer or solicitor, and take them to the court with the fees. The court either hears the petition straight away or sets a time to consider it.

The Department for the Economy says the deposit must be paid in all cases. Its guidance also says the court may waive the court fee in some circumstances, for example for people on certain benefits, although that page still shows an older court fee. Check the current position with the court office before you apply.

Once you are made bankrupt:

• the official receiver takes charge of your affairs and acts as your trustee unless an insolvency practitioner is appointed
• if you own your home you might have to sell it, depending on who owns it, what it is worth and how much is owed on the mortgage
• you may be asked to pay part of your income for three years under an income payments agreement or order
• you must not get credit over £500 without telling the lender you are bankrupt
• bankruptcy normally lasts one year, after which you are discharged.

A creditor can petition for your bankruptcy if you owe it an unsecured debt of over £5,000.

For how bankruptcy affects your home, job and credit file in more depth, see our bankruptcy guide, which covers England and Wales with a Northern Ireland section. The broad effects are similar, but check the details for Northern Ireland with an adviser.

What else works differently in Northern Ireland?

No Breathing Space yet

The Breathing Space scheme, which pauses creditor action for up to 60 days in England and Wales, does not apply in Northern Ireland. On 29 April 2026 the Northern Ireland Executive agreed in principle to extend it by a UK statutory instrument and withdrew its own Bill. As at September 2026 nothing had been made, so there is no statutory breathing space in Northern Ireland yet.

Court judgments are enforced by the EJO

If a creditor gets a court judgment and you do not pay, it can ask the Enforcement of Judgments Office to enforce it. The EJO is a central unit for enforcing civil judgments. Its powers include attachment of earnings orders, instalment orders, orders charging land, orders to seize goods and orders freezing money in bank accounts. An IVA, DRO or bankruptcy changes what creditors can do, so get advice as early as you can.

Time limits on old debts

Most simple contract debts, such as credit cards and loans, become too old to enforce in court after 6 years under the Limitation (Northern Ireland) Order 1989, the same period as in England and Wales.

What to do next

1. Contact Advice NI or another free debt adviser, and ask them to compare a DRO, an IVA and bankruptcy with your real figures.
2. If you are considering an IVA, check the insolvency practitioner can act in Northern Ireland and ask for the fees in pounds before you sign.
3. If you are considering bankruptcy, confirm the current court fee and whether any fee waiver applies to you before you apply.

For a comparison of the options in England and Wales, see debt solutions compared and IVA or bankruptcy?.