Travel and Your IVA, Question by Question
What is allowed, how to afford it, and moving abroad.
Can I travel abroad while in an IVA?
Yes. An IVA does not restrict your freedom to travel, at home or abroad, for business or leisure. The myth that a debt solution traps you in the country is just that, a myth. The only real conditions are financial: any holiday must be affordable within your budget, and you must keep up your IVA payments. Within those limits, you are free to go where you like.
How can I afford a holiday in an IVA?
From your budget, savings or a gift, not from borrowing. You can fund a holiday by saving up from your normal living-costs allowance over time, or a family member or friend can contribute. What you cannot do is borrow to pay for a trip, that breaches your IVA. A modest, planned holiday paid for the right way is perfectly acceptable while you are in an arrangement.
Will my holiday spending be questioned?
Only if it looks out of step with your budget. A reasonable, affordable trip funded from your allowance or savings will not raise concerns. What does raise questions is an expensive holiday that your budget plainly could not cover, which suggests undeclared money. The sensible rule is to keep holidays proportionate to what your IVA budget realistically allows.
Can I use a bonus or windfall for a trip?
Not without checking first. A bonus is partly due to your IVA under the additional-income rules, and a windfall normally has to be paid in, so you cannot simply spend either on a holiday. If you want to use extra earnings for a trip, speak to your supervisor first about what you are entitled to keep. Spending money that should go to the IVA can breach it.
What about business travel?
That is completely unrestricted. If you travel for work, conferences, client visits, postings, an IVA does not limit it in any way, and employer-paid travel does not come from your personal budget. It is courteous to let your supervisor know if you will be abroad for an extended period so they can reach you, but routine business travel needs no special permission.
I booked a holiday before my IVA, can I still go?
Yes. If you booked and paid for a holiday before entering your IVA, you can still take it, even if you paid using a credit card whose debt is included in the IVA. The credit card company cannot cancel your trip. The only practical point is that the included debt forms part of your proposal like any other. The holiday itself goes ahead as planned.
Can I move or live abroad during an IVA?
Yes, as long as you keep paying. You can move abroad while in an IVA, but you must continue your monthly payments for the full term wherever you live. Your supervisor may reassess your income and will need a way to receive payments from abroad. What you must not do is emigrate and stop paying, debts can be pursued internationally, and your IVA would fail.
Should I get advice?
If your plans are significant, yes. For a normal holiday, simply budgeting sensibly and keeping up payments is enough. But if you are planning to move abroad, or want to use extra income for a big trip, a quick word with your supervisor or a free, impartial adviser keeps you on the right side of the rules. It costs nothing and avoids putting your IVA at risk.
