What is the bankruptcy register search?
The bankruptcy register search provides online access to the National Personal Insolvency Index (NPII).
NPII is the permanent public record of personal insolvencies. NPII provides information about individuals subject to proceedings under the Bankruptcy Act from August 1928. It does not include any information on company liquidations or administrations.
The Australian Financial Security Authority (AFSA) maintains NPII. The bankruptcy register search produces an AFSA extract from NPII that identifies whether:
- a person is currently or has been bankrupt
- a petition has been lodged against a person in a current effort to make them bankrupt.
If no records are available on NPII, an AFSA results summary extract will display. This extract is also available on the browse list of records when searching by name.
What information is available from the National Personal Insolvency Index (NPII)?
NPII includes current and historical information on all stages of insolvency, including creditor’s petitions, part X agreements and bankruptcy.
View a sample bankruptcy search result.
Personal information recorded on the NPII record
- Name, date of birth (if known), residential address and occupation as disclosed on documents accepted by the official receiver
- Previous names and aliases (if known)
- Type of proceeding, date it started and administration number
- Name and contact details – trustee or administrator of the proceeding
- Status of the person and/or the proceeding
All entries on the index are publicly available. Personal debtor details are entered into NPII from documents specified in Schedule 8 of the Bankruptcy Regulations 2021 (Cth). After entry onto NPII, personal information doesn’t change unless it’s incorrect.
Any debtor address and occupation changes notified after the start of an administration are advised directly to the trustee or administrator. They’re not updated on NPII.
Further information about the content and terms within extracts is available in AFSA’s NPII glossary.
Please refer to the AFSA website for a list of registered debt agreement administrators or registered trustees (by state/territory).
How do I search the bankruptcy register?
You can search by:
- name
- application number (creditors’ petition insolvency types)
- administration number (assigned to insolvency administrations).
All searches will return a maximum of fifty matches for your criteria. If too many matches return, refine your search.
How do I search by name?
A search by name allows you to use the debtor’s name as your search criteria.
The mandatory fields for a name search are family and given name. For these fields, you have three search methods as per below.
| Search method | Recommended use |
|---|---|
| Starts with | Default selection. Useful to locate a person’s NPII record if you don’t know the exact spelling or name details. For example, ‘STE’ matches ‘Steven’, ‘Stephen’, and ‘Stephanie’. |
| Exact | Returns exact matches. For example, ‘Steven’ only matches ‘Steven’. |
| Contains | Useful to locate a person’s record if you don’t know the exact details. For example, ‘STE’ matches ‘Steven’, ‘Stephen’, ‘Stephanie’, ‘Estelle’ and ‘Celeste’. |
No charges apply for an initial search if more than fifty records are available.
What if I’m looking for a person with only one name?
Enter this name in ‘Family name’ and a hyphen (-) in ‘Given name’.
What optional search criteria can I use when searching by name?
To refine your search, you can use the criteria:
- middle name
- date of birth
- date range checkbox.
Middle name
Five search methods are available for middle names.
| Search method | Recommended use |
|---|---|
| Any middle name | Default selection. Returns results that have any middle name and match your other search criteria. |
| No middle name | Returns only results with nothing recorded for middle name in NPII. For example, a search on given name ‘Michael’ and family name ‘Rey’ matches ‘Michael Rey’ but not ‘Michael James Rey’. By default, the Middle Name checkbox is selected to ‘match records with no middle name’. This means that the search will include records without a middle name in your search results. |
| Starts with | Useful if you don’t know the exact spelling or name details of an individual. For example, ‘Mar’ matches ‘Mary’, ‘Margaret’, ‘Mark’ and ‘Marvin’. |
| Exact | Returns exact matches. For example, ‘Steven’ matches only ‘Steven’. |
| Contains | Useful if you don’t know the exact details. For example, ‘Ste’ matches ‘Steven’, ‘Stephen’, ‘Stephanie’, ‘Estelle’ and ‘Celeste’. |
Date of birth
Three search methods are available for date of birth.
| Search method | Recommended use |
|---|---|
| Any date of birth | Default selection. Returns results that have any date of birth and match your other criteria. |
| Exact | Returns exact matches. For example, 01/12/1980 matches only 01/12/1980. |
| Range | Returns results within the ‘From’ and ‘To’ dates you specify. Provide dates in both fields if you select ‘Range’. The maximum date range is 10 years (for example, from 01/01/2005 to 31/12/2014). |
Search date range
By default, the search only includes records with a start date within the last 10 years.
To remove the date range limit, deselect the checkbox for ‘Limit my search to only include insolvency records in the last 10 years’.
How do I obtain a copy of the browse result list (AFSA result summary extract)?
Check the AFSA result summary extract option, which provides a PDF browse result list.
The extract details include the following, where available:
- name
- suburb at start date
- occupation
- start date
- date of birth
- if this is a ‘Real’ or ‘Alias’ person.
The cost to order one extract from the results is included in the original search fee. Each additional extract you order incurs a separate charge.
Ordering an AFSA result summary extract is treated the same as one extract for charging purposes.
How do I obtain bankruptcy extracts?
From the browse results list, you can also order bankruptcy extracts. This includes an AFSA result summary extract.
The cost to order one extract from the results is included in the original search fee. Each additional extract you order incurs a separate charge.
How do I know which records are for the individual I’m searching on?
You can use the information in the bankruptcy register search browse list (for example, date of birth). Your browse list will be available from your Confirm inbox until midnight (AEST) on the day of the search.
How do I search by application number?
For this search, select the state and enter the application number. A search by application number will return all records that are an exact match to the application number you provide.
If the application number matches a joint estate number, each estate associated with that number returns.
If the search returns no results, an error displays. No fees apply where no matches return.
How do I search by administration number?
You’ll need to enter the administration number – select state and enter the number, year and check digit (optional).
Administration numbers are assigned to insolvency administrations. They include:
- state where proceedings were initiated
- number allocated to entries from that state
- start year
- single digit that identifies the type of petition.
For example, the administration number VIC9999/00/7 refers to the 9999th debtors petition (Type 7) lodged in Victoria in 2000.
The search will return exact matches. If the administration number matches a joint estate number, each estate related to that number will return.
If the search returns no results, an error displays. No fees apply where no matches return.
What is an alias?
An alias is the identity of a person other than their real name. The browse results will list names as real or alias.
What does ‘No record could be found’ mean?
If no matching records are available, the message ‘No record could be found’ will display onscreen.
This result means that the name you’ve searched isn’t registered on NPII. A summary extract is available from the browse screen to provide an official extract from AFSA.
What can I do if information on NPII appears to be incorrect?
If you believe that a NPII entry is inaccurate or misleading, please contact our Customer Service Centre on 1800 773 773 or at confirm@citec.com.au.
AFSA will investigate their records and amend or confirm the entry.
How long do I have to order extracts from a search?
If you’ve completed a bankruptcy register search but haven’t ordered any extracts, you can access the results from your Confirm inbox until midnight (AEST) on the day of the search.
Can I obtain search results via email?
You can opt in to receive a copy of your search results via email. Simply select the checkbox ‘Please email me a copy of the result’ and provide your email address.
How will I receive my results?
The result displays immediately and is available in your Confirm inbox until midnight (AEST) on the day of the search. From your Confirm inbox, you can view, print, or save your results in another location.
You can also choose to receive your result via email.
