The Central Bank keeps a record of almost every loan of €500 or more in Ireland. Here is what it holds, who looks at it, how long it lasts and how to get your own report for free.
Lenders asked for 2.83 million credit reports in 2025. Borrowers asked for just 39,279 of their own. That is about one for every 72 a lender pulled, even though your report is free and shows you exactly what a bank sees.
A State register of almost every loan
The Central Credit Register (CCR) is a database of loans. The Central Bank of Ireland runs it under the Credit Reporting Act 2013. It began recording loans on 30 June 2017.
Lenders send it updates every month. It holds loans of €500 or more: mortgages, credit cards, overdrafts, personal loans, business loans, hire purchase and PCPs (personal contract plans, often used for cars). Moneylender and local authority loans are included too.
These include banks, credit unions, licensed moneylenders, asset finance firms, local authorities, NAMA and firms that bought loan books from Irish lenders.
What is on your report
| Part | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Personal information | Name, date of birth, address, gender, phone number, PPSN |
| Summary | All your credit agreements at a glance |
| Loan details | Type of loan, amount borrowed, amount owed, repayment history |
| Footprints | Who looked at your report, when and why |
| Your statement | Optional note from you, under 200 words |
Each loan also has a status. It shows events such as legal action, a write-off, a settlement or a repossession. Bankruptcy and personal insolvency are not held on the register.
When a lender can look
- You apply for a new loan
- You ask to restructure a loan you already have
- You are in arrears on a loan
- You go over a credit card or overdraft limit
- You offer to guarantee someone else's loan of €500 or more (since 1 February 2025)
For a loan application of €2,000 or more, the lender must check your report. Below that, it may check. Nobody else can see your report without your consent.
Borrowers check less often, but more people are doing it. Some 39,279 people got their own report in 2025, up 6% on 2024 and up from 22,315 in 2021.
There is no State credit score
The Central Credit Register gives you a credit score.
It does not score, grade or rate you. Each lender decides using its own credit policy. Your report is a key input, but lenders also look at your income, outgoings and assets.
The Irish Credit Bureau, a private body owned mainly by lenders, stopped its credit rating service on 30 September 2021. It then deleted its records.
If a lender turns you down for personal credit of €200 to €75,000 because of your report, it must tell you. This rule does not apply to mortgages.
How long information stays
| Information | How long it is kept |
|---|---|
| Loan applications | 6 months |
| Loans you still have | Up to 5 years of history at any time |
| Repaid, written-off or settled loans | 5 years after the loan ends |
| Loans where payments have stopped | The 5-year clock does not start |
| Footprints | 5 years (lenders see the last 2 years) |
| ID sent with your own requests | 5 years |
So a missed payment does not follow you forever. But a loan in default can stay on your report for longer than 5 years, because the clock only starts once it is repaid, written off or settled.
How to get your free report
- Go to centralcreditregister.ie and make an application in the Borrower Area. You can also apply by post, or by email with a signed, scanned form.
- Send proof of your name, address and PPSN.
- Watch for an email that confirms your request and gives you a reference number.
- When your report is ready, open the link using your reference number and PPSN. The link works for 30 days.
Individuals can ask for a report at any time, free, subject to fair usage. Companies get one free report a year, then pay €6.35 each. The register's phone number is (01) 224 5500.
credit reports sent to borrowers in 2025, up 6% on 2024
Source: centralbank.ieFixing a mistake on your report
If something is wrong, incomplete or out of date, ask your lender or the register to change it. The register aims to reply within 20 days. This can stretch to 40 days if it needs the lender or more information.
You can also add an explanatory statement of under 200 words, for example about illness, bereavement or a relationship breakdown. It must be factual and must not identify other people. Lenders can see it, but they do not have to take it into account.
What this means for you
- Check your report a few months before you apply for a mortgage or car loan.
- Look at the footprints. Any lender you do not recognise is worth asking about.
- Small loans count. Anything of €500 or more is reported, including overdrafts and PCPs.
- If you think someone used your identity, you can place a notice of suspected impersonation on your report.
- If you are unhappy with how your data is handled, you can complain to the Data Protection Commission.
Even the register can get it wrong
In 2023 an archiving error meant some repayment data was kept for up to three months too long. The records of 20,872 affected borrowers were accessed by lenders or the borrowers themselves. Lenders said the extra data was a factor in 9 decisions, and the Data Protection Commission opened an inquiry.
“The Central Bank of Ireland sincerely regrets, and apologises for, this error.”— Vasileios Madouros, Deputy Governor, Central Bank public statement, 13 October 2023
The Central Bank says the error was fixed by 7 August 2023. It is a reminder that checking your own report is worth the few minutes it takes.
Central Bank Annual Report for 2026, with new figures on records, lender checks and borrower requests
Lenders can check your report when you offer to guarantee someone else's loan, a rule in place since 1 February 2025
- Central Credit Register: How the Central Credit Register works
- Central Credit Register: Background
- Central Credit Register: Borrower FAQs
- Central Credit Register: Retention of information
- Central Bank of Ireland: What is the Central Credit Register
- Central Bank of Ireland: Annual Report 2025 and Annual Performance Statement 2025-2026
- Central Bank of Ireland: Annual Report 2024 and Annual Performance Statement 2024-2025
- Central Bank of Ireland: Annual Report 2022 and Annual Performance Statement 2022-2023
- Central Bank of Ireland: Public statement, update on Central Credit Register error
- Citizens Information: Your credit history
