From 6th April 2016, instead of going to court, individuals wanting to apply for bankruptcy will apply online via the central UK Government website, GOV.UK. The decision to take bankruptcy out of the courts is one of the reforms being made to ensure that people in financial crisis get swift access to the right insolvency remedy.
The application form has been simplified and the fee reduced to £130, previously the court fee was £180. Applications for bankruptcy submitted online will be determined by an Adjudicator within the Insolvency Service. Once an order has been made, the case will transfer to the Official Receiver in the same way as it does in the current process.
The courts will accept any petitions made before or on 5th April 2016, regardless of the date of the hearing. No petitions will be accepted after 5th April 2016 but if a case is adjourned on or before 5th April 2016 it will continue to be dealt with by the court.
A link to the online service can be found here.
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