Become an Approved Intermediary and Personal Insolvency Practitioner

An Approved Intermediary is a person or class of persons authorised by the Insolvency Service of Ireland to support a debtor to make an application for a Debt Relief Notice.

Approved Intermediaries will be added to the Register as and when they complete the authorisation process.

Insolvent debtors can make contact with any Approved Intermediary on this Register.

Approved Intermediaries are not permitted to charge a debtor a fee for carrying out their functions under the Personal Insolvency Act 2012.

A Personal Insolvency Practitioner (PIP) is a person authorised by the Insolvency Service of Ireland, under Part 5 of the Personal Insolvency Act 2012, to act as a Personal Insolvency Practitioner.

A Personal Insolvency Practitioner liaises between the debtor and their creditors in relation to a Personal Insolvency Arrangement or Debt Settlement Arrangement.

Personal Insolvency Practitioners are obliged to comply, on an ongoing basis, with the Personal Insolvency Act and associated regulations and to demonstrate this to the satisfaction of the ISI.

The ISI can use any of the following regulatory tools to monitor a Practitioner's compliance: on site inspections, analysis and assessment of returns and information, desk-based reviews.

Contact 01 764 4200 if you are a Personal Insolvency Practitioner and would like to speak with someone in relation to a case you have submitted.

Before applying, you should first make yourself familiar with the requirements set out in The Personal Insolvency Act 2012 (Authorisation of Approved Intermediaries) Regulations 2013 (S.I. No. 216 of 2013)

You will need to log in to the ISI’s portal system here which is supported by Chrome and Firefox and create an account which will allow you to complete the application form online. The portal is designed to deliver a secure communication channel between the ISI and Approved Intermediaries.

If a question does not apply to you, you should state ‘not applicable’ or ‘N/A’. Do not leave any blank spaces.

You shall inform the ISI of any changes to the information provided in the application form during the application process.

An individual may make an application to carry on practice as a Personal Insolvency Practitioner if that individual:

• is a Solicitor in respect of whom a practising certificate (within the meaning of the Solicitors Acts 1954 to 2011) is in force; or
• is a Barrister at law called to the Bar of Ireland;
• is a qualified Accountant and a member of a prescribed accountancy body (within the meaning of section 4 of the Companies (Auditing and Accounting) Act 2003; or
• is a Qualified Financial Advisor who holds a current qualification from the Life Insurance Association of Ireland (LIA), the Insurance Institute or the Institute of Bankers School of Professional Finance; or
• holds a qualification in law, business, finance or other appropriate similar qualification to the satisfaction of the ISI recognised to at least level 7 of the National Qualifications Framework by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (or equivalent)

and

• can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the ISI that he or she has relevant knowledge and experience of and has completed a course of study and passed an examination on the law and practice generally as it applies in the State relating to the insolvency of individuals; and the Act.

Before an individual will be allowed to carry on the practice of a Personal Insolvency Practitioner, the individual must satisfy the ISI that he or she:

• has adequate organisational capability and resources to carry on the practise of a Personal Insolvency Practitioner under the Act;
• holds, or will hold before commencing to carry on practise as a Personal Insolvency Practitioner, a policy of professional indemnity insurance.
• has submitted a completed application, together with supporting information, documentation and mandates as the ISI has requested; and
• is tax compliant

Practitioners will be expected to meet a number of other standards, including fitness and probity and as part of the authorisation process applicants will be invited to meet with the Insolvency Service (ISI) Regulation Division.

You will need to access the ISI’s portal system here and create an account. The Portal is designed to deliver a secure communication channel between the ISI and Personal Insolvency Practitioners applicants.

The following documentation must also be submitted:

• Qualification Certificates
• Registration of Business Name Certificate
• Current Tax Clearance Certificate
• Signed Declaration (Part F)
• Professional Indemnity Insurance , which includes proof of the applicants name, that they will be covered to practise as a Personal Insolvency Practitioner in their own right and that the amount insured for each claim shall not be less than 1 million euro and the aggregate amount shall not be less than 1.5 million euro.
• Completed Accountant’s Report (both Applicant’s Declaration, and Accountant’s Declaration, Part G I and II)

These declarations must be struck through, where appropriate. The accountant is to examine the declaration and supporting evidence, and must express an opinion as to whether the applicant has or intends to have in place appropriate financial systems and controls as set out in the declaration. Therefore, the Accountant’s Declaration is to be signed after the Applicant’s Declaration.

The application fee for authorisation as a Practitioner is €1,500. The renewal fee is €1,000. Currently the ISI is authorising Practitioners for a period of three years. There is no ongoing fee for supervision.

The ISI will NOT commence the processing of any application if it is not complete in all respects. Applications will be treated as incomplete unless all questions raised in the application form are fully answered and all applicable supporting documentation has been received by the ISI. Incomplete applications may be returned to you as invalid.

A list of Approved Intermediaries and Personal Insolvency Practitioners is available here.