Sequestration: bankruptcy in Scotland, including MAP
Scotland’s bankruptcy has its own name, its own routes in, and a streamlined version for low-income, low-asset cases.
The two routes
Full administration sequestration handles the general case: application through a money adviser, a trustee who realises assets of value, income contributions where your budget shows surplus, discharge normally at 12 months. MAP serves the case the full process would waste money on — low income (broadly, on qualifying benefits or with no surplus), minimal assets, debts within its limits — with discharge in as little as six months and no contributions.
What it reaches
Most unsecured debt is written off, on the same broad pattern as bankruptcy in England and Wales: secured debts, student loans, fines and child maintenance survive. A home with equity is at genuine risk in full sequestration — the single biggest fact in the decision, and the reason the DAS and Trust Deed comparisons come first for homeowners.
The advice route
Scotland requires advice before entry — an approved money adviser or authorised insolvency practitioner assesses which of the three statutory routes fits, and the assessment is genuinely theirs to make. Free, impartial advice is available across Scotland, and sequestration’s numbers (fees, limits, contribution rules) should always be confirmed current at the point of decision.