What is a Guernsey Judgment?

A Guernsey judgment is issued by a Guernsey Court if you fail to repay money owed to a plaintiff, and the plaintiff has taken court action to retrieve the money.

Use TrustOnline when you need to check the Register

To confirm what is recorded on the statutory Register, you can search officially via TrustOnline.

Use TrustOnline to search the statutory Register

You should receive a court summons explaining the details of a judgment with the opportunity to dispute it. You may not receive the summons if you have moved address and not notified the plaintiff.

Once the judgment has been granted, details are submitted to Registry Trust for inclusion on the public register. We will contact you by letter, using the court information, to let you know that a judgment is due to go on the register.

If the judgment is paid within a calendar month of the judgment date and proof of payment is provided to us, we will remove the judgment.

The Register for Guernsey contains monetary judgments submitted in the Petty Debts and Royal Courts of Guernsey. The information appearing on the Register is as follows:

Court name
Name and address of defender
Date and amount of judgment (excluding costs)
Details of satisfaction once proof of payment is provided

The information sent to us by the Guernsey Courts does not contain dates of birth, so we do not hold this information for Guernsey judgments.

We do not hold or make publicly available plaintiff details, but these can be obtained from the relevant Guernsey court.

Judgments stay on the public register for six years unless dismissed, recalled or cancelled. Any judgment on our public register is also sent to the credit reference agencies for inclusion in their files.

Satisfy a Guernsey Judgment

If you have a Guernsey judgment registered against you, you will need to pay the principal sum (the judgment amount on our register) to have the judgment showing as satisfied.

If the principal sum is not paid, the judgment will remain outstanding for six years from the date of the judgment – we do not hold partial settlement information.

If the judgment is paid within a calendar month and proof is provided to Registry Trust, we will remove it from our public register and notify the credit reference agencies to remove it from their files.

If paid after a calendar month, you can apply to have the judgment marked as satisfied by sending proof of payment to Registry Trust.

We require a letter from the plaintiff stating:

Court Name
Amount
Date Paid in Full

Send original proof by post to Registry Trust Ltd, 3rd Floor, 12 Carthusian Street, London, EC1M 6EB (include a return address), or by email to info@registry-trust.org.uk.

For a confirmation search, submit a £6 cheque payable to Registry Trust Ltd for each named person or business, or pay electronically to Lloyds Bank Plc (Account Name: Registry Trust Ltd, Account Number: 00436189, Sort Code: 309368) noting your case number and the defendant name.

We may need to contact the plaintiff if proof is insufficient. Judgments marked as satisfied remain on the public register for six years from the judgment date; marking as satisfied may improve access to credit.

If you haven’t paid a Judgment

You will need to contact the plaintiff.

See our guide on Plaintiffs.

Removing a Guernsey Judgment

Judgments can only be removed from the Register if they are set aside by the court, entered in error, or paid within one calendar month from the date of the judgment.

Getting a Guernsey Judgment Set Aside

Royal Courts (over £10,000): apply to the court to have the judgment set aside; a fee is payable.

Petty Debt Court (under £10,000): contact the Magistrates’ Court Greffe. The court advises on procedure and cost. Applications apply only if the judgment was taken in absence and require a sworn affidavit covering the reason for absence, how the judgment became known and steps taken, and an outline of the defence.

You can check if a judgment has been set aside by using our search on TrustOnline.

Judgments paid within a calendar month

If the principal sum is paid in full within a calendar month from the judgment date, the judgment can be removed from our public register.

We require a letter from the plaintiff stating the court name, amount, and date paid in full. Send proof by post to Registry Trust Ltd, 3rd Floor, 12 Carthusian Street, London, EC1M 6EB (include a return address) or by email to info@registry-trust.org.uk.

For confirmation searches, submit a £6 cheque payable to Registry Trust Ltd per named person or business, or pay electronically to Lloyds Bank Plc (Account Name: Registry Trust Ltd, Account Number: 00436189, Sort Code: 309368) with your case number and defendant name referenced.

Judgments issued in error

We will remove judgments issued in error if we receive a letter from the plaintiff stating the judgment was issued in error, including court name, amount, and confirmation it was issued in error. Send proof by post to Registry Trust Ltd, 3rd Floor, 12 Carthusian Street, London, EC1M 6EB (include a return address) or by email to info@registry-trust.org.uk.

Confirmation searches follow the same £6/cheque or electronic payment process noted above. We may need to contact the plaintiff if proof is insufficient.

Who is the Plaintiff?

The plaintiff is the individual or organisation who has taken a money judgment out against you. They may act for themselves or instruct a solicitor to start court action on their behalf.

How do I find out who the Plaintiff is?

Contact the Guernsey Petty Debts or Royal Courts that issued your judgment and quote the case number. They can provide plaintiff contact information so you can find out more and pay them. If you are unaware of the case number, you can search on TrustOnline.

I’ve paid the Plaintiff…now what?

Ask the plaintiff for proof of payment so the register can be updated. We require a letter from the plaintiff stating the court name, amount, and date paid in full.

Send original proof by post to Registry Trust Ltd, 3rd Floor, 12 Carthusian Street, London, EC1M 6EB (include a return address) or by email to info@registry-trust.org.uk.

My Plaintiff has refused to provide proof of payment – what can I do?

Plaintiffs are under no legal obligation to provide proof once payment has been made. If you provide evidence the debt has been paid, we will attempt to contact the plaintiff on your behalf. If we do not receive a response after 28 days, the register may be updated at a manager’s discretion based on the evidence you provide.

Evidence can be sent by post to Registry Trust Ltd, 3rd Floor, 12 Carthusian Street, London, EC1M 6EB (include a return address) or by email to info@registry-trust.org.uk.