You can get a copy of your bankruptcy discharge papers in three practical ways: download the discharge order from the federal PACER system, request a copy (certified, if you need one) from the bankruptcy court that handled your case, or ask your former attorney to pull it from their file. PACER is the fastest and usually the cheapest. The court is the route when you need an official certified copy. Which one is right for you comes down to what the document is for.
What You Need Before You Start
Every method asks for at least some of the same basic information:
- Your full legal name as it appeared on the original bankruptcy petition.
- Your case number, usually formatted like “24-12345.”
- The bankruptcy court that handled the case (a specific federal district, tied to where you lived when you filed).
- The approximate filing date, at least the year.
Old mail from the court or your attorney usually has the case number on it. Creditor letters sometimes reference it too. If you have none of that, the free phone lookup described further down will get you the case number and court with just your name and Social Security number.
Download the Discharge Order Through PACER
PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) is the federal judiciary’s online portal for case documents from every bankruptcy court in the country. It runs 24 hours a day.1United States Courts. Find a Case (PACER)
Register for a Free Account
Go to the PACER registration page and set up an account. Registration is free. If you provide a credit card during signup, you get access immediately. If you skip the card, PACER mails an activation code to your address, which takes seven to ten business days.2PACER: Federal Court Records. Registration Wizard – PACER – United States Courts
Find Your Case and Download the Order
Log in and search by name, case number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you’re not sure which court handled your case, use the PACER Case Locator, which searches every federal court at once.3PACER: Federal Court Records. PACER Case Locator (PCL) User Manual Open the docket, find the entry labeled as the discharge order, and download the PDF.
What It Costs
PACER charges ten cents per page, capped at $3.00 per document. A discharge order runs only a few pages. And if your total PACER charges stay at $30 or less in a quarterly billing cycle, the fees are waived; about 75 percent of users pay nothing in a given quarter.4PACER: Federal Court Records. PACER Pricing: How Fees Work
If even that is a burden, you can ask the specific court whose records you need for a fee exemption. Courts decide these individually, based on whether waiving fees is necessary to avoid an unreasonable burden and to promote public access. Contact the clerk’s office; procedures vary.5PACER: Federal Court Records. Options to Access Records if you Cannot Afford PACER Fees
One catch: PACER gives you an electronic copy only. If someone needs a certified or exemplified copy, you’ll have to request it from the court itself.
Request a Copy Directly from the Court
When you need paper, certification, or want to deal with the court directly, you can go in person or send a mail request to the bankruptcy court where your case was filed.6United States Bankruptcy Court Central District of Illinois. Obtaining Copies of Documents from a Bankruptcy Case File
In Person
Go to the clerk’s office with your name and case number. Many courthouses have public terminals where you can pull up your case on PACER and print documents on the spot. If you want a certified copy, tell the clerk and pay the fee.
By Mail
Send a letter with your full legal name as it appeared on the filing, your case number, and a clear description of what you need (the discharge order). Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope large enough for the documents, plus a check or money order for the fees.7United States Bankruptcy Court Middle District of North Carolina. How Do I Get a Copy of My Discharge Papers Some courts also accept requests by email or through an online form, so check the court’s website first.
Court Fees
The fee schedule is uniform across all federal bankruptcy courts:8United States Courts. Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule
- Paper copies: $0.50 per page.
- Certification: $12 per document.
- Exemplification: $24 per document.
- Records search: $34 per name or item searched (charged when the court has to look up your case because you don’t have the number).
A certified copy of a three-page discharge order, if you have the case number, runs about $13.50. Add $34 if the court has to search for the case.
Certified Copy or Exemplified Copy
A certified copy is a photocopy stamped and signed by the clerk confirming it’s a true copy of the original. That’s what lenders, landlords, and most employers accept. Cost: $12.
An exemplified copy adds a judge’s confirmation that the clerk had the authority to certify the document. It’s sometimes required when a court order needs to be presented in another jurisdiction, such as enforcing a bankruptcy discharge in a different state’s court. Cost: $24.8United States Courts. Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule
If you’re not sure which you need, ask whoever is asking for the document. Most of the time, a certified copy is enough.
Ask Your Former Attorney
If you had a lawyer handle your bankruptcy, one phone call can save you the trip. Many attorneys keep client files for years after a case closes. Professional guidelines in many states call for retaining files at least seven years from the date services concluded, though practices vary.
Give the office your full name and approximate filing date so they can locate the file. Some attorneys will send you a copy for free as a courtesy. Others charge a small administrative fee. If your attorney has retired or the firm has closed, the state bar association can sometimes point you to where client files ended up.
Find Your Case Number by Phone
If you don’t have internet access, or you just need to track down basic case details before doing anything else, call the Multi-court Voice Case Information System (McVCIS) at 1-866-222-8029. It’s free, available around the clock, and works in English and Spanish.9PACER: Federal Court Records. Phone Access to Court Records
You can search by name, Social Security number, or case number. The system gives you limited case information, including your case number and the court where the case was filed. It won’t deliver actual documents, but with those details you can then request copies through PACER, the court, or your attorney.
Very Old Cases and the National Archives
Bankruptcy courts don’t keep paper files forever. After a case has been closed for roughly 15 years, physical records are either transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) or, if classified as temporary, destroyed. Cases from before the mid-2000s are the most likely to have been sent to NARA, since courts moved to electronic filing around that time. Electronic records on PACER generally stay available regardless of age.
If your paper file was transferred to NARA, you can order copies using NATF Form 90.10National Archives and Records Administration. Bankruptcy Cases Court Order Form NATF Form 90 (10-15) Before you fill it out, call the clerk’s office at the original bankruptcy court to get the transfer number, location number, and box number the form asks for. NARA’s fees are higher than the court’s: $35 for pre-selected documents, $90 for an entire case file up to 150 pages, and $15 to add certification. Orders can also be placed through NARA’s eServices portal.
If a case was classified as temporary and its retention period has passed, the file may no longer exist at either the court or NARA. Cases from the 1980s and earlier are the ones most likely to run into this.
A Note on Privacy in Your File
Bankruptcy filings are public records, but federal rules limit what personal information they can contain. Under the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, filings may include only the last four digits of a Social Security number, the last four digits of financial account numbers, and the birth year rather than the full date of birth.11LII / Legal Information Institute. Rule 9037 Protecting Privacy for Filings Redaction is the filer’s responsibility, not the clerk’s. When you pull your case up on PACER, anything visible to you is visible to the public; if you find unredacted personal information in older filings, you can ask the court to restrict access to those specific documents.