Bankruptcy in Northern Ireland: process, costs and risks
Northern Ireland kept the court-based route England abandoned — which changes the process, the paperwork and where you stand in it.
The court route
The petition and supporting statement of affairs go to the High Court in Belfast; the court makes the bankruptcy order and the Official Receiver (NI) takes conduct of the estate. It is more formal than the English online process — advice before petitioning is not just recommended but practically essential, and free advice services across Northern Ireland handle exactly this.
Costs
Expect a court fee plus a deposit toward the Official Receiver’s costs; the combined figure has historically differed from the England and Wales £680 and changes by fee order, so take the current amounts from the Insolvency Service (NI) or the Courts and Tribunals Service at the point of application rather than any website’s remembered number — including ours.
What it reaches
Most unsecured debt is discharged, normally after 12 months: cards, loans, catalogues, most tax arrears. Secured debts, student loans, fines and child maintenance survive. Assets of value vest in the estate, income contributions can be required where affordable, and a home with equity is at genuine risk — the fact that most often points people toward an IVA instead.
The alternatives in Northern Ireland
A Northern Ireland DRO — debts of less than £50,000 under the 2024 limits — is the low-cost route where the criteria fit. An IVA runs in NI on substantially the England and Wales basis. Scottish routes do not apply. Which fits is an authorised adviser’s assessment, made with NI’s own rules in front of them.