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Checking a lender, and your rights

The checks on this page cost nothing and take minutes. Verifying that a provider is registered, and that the registration belongs to the legal entity in its own terms, prevents the majority of what goes wrong in this market.

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How to check a lender’s NCR registrationVerifying a credit provider’s registrationWhat the pre-agreement quote must showYour right to a pre-agreement quoteLoan scams in South AfricaRecognising and avoiding loan scamsDebt review in South AfricaUnderstanding debt reviewPOPIA and your personal informationYour data protection rights in a credit applicationWhy “no credit check” claims are a warning signEvaluating “no credit check” advertisingGetting your free credit reportObtaining and reading your credit reportHow to complain about a lenderEscalating a complaint about a credit providerReckless lending and what it means for youReckless lending and consumer remediesThe National Credit Act, in plain termsUnderstanding the National Credit ActAdvance-fee loan fraudRecognising and responding to advance-fee fraudUnregistered lenders and loan sharksRisks of borrowing from an unregistered lenderYour rights as a borrower in South AfricaA borrower’s rights under South African lawDebt counselling: when to get helpKnowing when to seek debt counsellingA checklist before you borrowA pre-borrowing checklist

The one check worth making every time

Take the NCRCP number from a provider’s own website, confirm it appears in the National Credit Regulator’s register, and confirm the register shows it held by the same legal entity named in that provider’s terms and conditions. A brand name proves nothing on its own — brands are borrowed, and registration numbers are not.

The second check is nearly as quick: a registered credit provider never asks for a payment before releasing a loan. A request for a fee up front is the clearest single sign that what you are dealing with is not a lender.

Free help exists, and it is genuinely free

The credit ombud and the National Credit Regulator handle complaints at no charge, and you are entitled to a free credit report from each bureau every year. Anyone charging you for access to these is charging for something you already have.

Related

How to check a lender’s NCR registrationLoan scams in South AfricaComplaintsLenders

Sources and last checked

Page last checked 10 August 2026. Statutory caps and lender terms change — confirm anything you intend to rely on with the provider or the National Credit Regulator. Found something wrong? Tell us and we will correct it.