Becoming bankrupt
If you're at risk of violence
When you’re made bankrupt, your name and address will be published in:
If having your address published will put you at risk of violence, you can apply to the court for a person at risk of violence (PARV) order.
Your name will still be published, but your address will not be.
If you start an application for a PARV order after you’ve been made bankrupt, your address may be published.
Apply for a PARV order
Download and fill in the form to apply for a PARV order.
If you’re applying to become bankrupt yourself
Apply for a PARV order after you’ve started a bankruptcy application but before you submit it. You’ll need to include your bankruptcy application reference number in your PARV application.
Take your completed form to your nearest court that deals with bankruptcy. They’ll tell you if you need to pay a fee to apply. Find a court that deals with bankruptcy.
Find out if you can get help with court fees.
You’ll have to go to a hearing to explain to a judge why you need to stop your address being published - the court will tell you when and where this will take place. You’ll usually get a decision on the same day.
If someone is applying to make you bankrupt
Apply for a PARV order after the person has applied to the court and you’ve received a ‘bankruptcy petition’ but before the bankruptcy hearing.
You’ll need to include the court’s bankruptcy reference number in your PARV application.
The court will consider the PARV order at your bankruptcy hearing. You’ll have to go to it and explain to a judge why you need to stop your address being published. The court will tell you when and where this will take place.
You’ll usually get a decision on the same day.
Find out if you can get help with court fees.
If you’ve already been made bankrupt
Before your address is published, apply for an urgent court hearing to ask the judge for an order called a ‘stay of advertisement’. This stops your details from being published temporarily to give you time to apply for a PARV order.
Apply for a ‘stay of advertisement’ to the court that made you bankrupt.
If you applied for bankruptcy yourself, find a court that deals with bankruptcy.
You’ll need to tell the person dealing with your your bankruptcy immediately that you’re doing this (called the ‘official receiver’).
If your address has already been published
Contact the official receiver and tell them you’ve applied for a PARV order (or are going to). Once you have a PARV order it may be possible to remove your address.