Apply for discharge from bankruptcy

What discharge from bankruptcy means

Discharge means being released from bankruptcy.

There are generally 2 ways for a bankrupt to be discharged (released) from bankruptcy:

• Discharge by the court: The General Division of the High Court may issue an order of discharge.
• Discharge by Certificate of the Official Assignee: The Official Assignee may issue a certificate to discharge you from bankruptcy according to Section 395 of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act (IRDA).

Alternatively, if a bankrupt makes a proposal for a composition in satisfaction of the debts due under bankruptcy or for a scheme of arrangement of the bankrupt’s affairs, and if the composition or scheme is accepted by a majority (in number) of the creditors representing at least 75% of the total debts owed, the Official Assignee may discharge the bankrupt by issuing a certificate of discharge under section 358(1)(a) of the IRDA.  If the composition or scheme is accepted by all creditors, the Official Assignee may annul the bankruptcy order by issuing a certificate of annulment under section 358(1)(b) of the IRDA. 

Please visit the Ministry of Law Insolvency Office for more information on discharge from bankruptcy.

Apply for discharge by the court

The court may issue an order of discharge according to Section 394 of the IRDA.

What you will need

You will need to prepare the following documents:

• A Summons (Form 60 of the Rules of Court).
• A supporting affidavit.
  • Refer to Rule 137(2) of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution (Personal Insolvency) Rules for more information.

Note: You must swear or affirm the affidavit before a Commissioner for Oaths (CFO). You should only sign the affidavit when you are in the presence of a CFO. Find out how to arrange for CFO services if you are not represented by a lawyer.

Estimated fees

Refer to the Third Schedule of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution (Personal Insolvency) Rules for the full list of fees. Examples of some of the fees include:

Note: This table does not include additional fees payable to the LawNet & CrimsonLogic Service Bureau, such as transmission and processing fees for applications filed through the LawNet & CrimsonLogic Service Bureau and its handling fees.

How to apply

If you are not represented by a lawyer, follow these steps to file your application in the General Division of the High Court:

1. File the documents via eLitigation

Visit the LawNet & CrimsonLogic Service Bureau to file your prepared documents.

2. Collect the endorsed documents

The Service Bureau will notify you via email or SMS of whether your application documents have been accepted by the courts.

If the court accepts your application documents, you will be asked to return to the Service Bureau to collect an endorsed copy of the documents. This will include the date and time of a hearing that you must attend.

3. Serve the documents

You must serve a sealed copy of the application and a copy of the supporting affidavit personally on the trustee.

After you apply

You must attend the hearing on the appointed date and time. The court will usually schedule this within 4weeks from the date of filing of the application.

Tip: If you are unable to attend, you must make a request to change the court date, which is subject to the court's approval.

At the hearing, the court will determine the merits of your application and decide whether to allow or dismiss it.

Note: If you have committed an offence mentioned in Section 394 (4) of the IRDA, the court may refuse to discharge you from bankruptcy, or make a discharge order subject to certain conditions. Refer to Section 394 (4) of the IRDA for more information.

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