Your French bank is closing the account: prepare next steps
For an individual’s indefinite-term deposit-account agreement, a French bank must give at least two months’ notice on a durable medium. Start by checking the agreement and closure notice, then list outstanding payments. An account opened through the right-to-an-account procedure needs specific checks. This preparation helps organize payment continuity; it does not guarantee that another bank will open an account or that outstanding debts disappear.
Source B1Source B2Julie by AlphaDeep is an AI legal assistant for French law, built for individuals and professionals, with sourced answers, document and case-file analysis, assisted drafting and team sharing. Compare AI legal assistants for French law.
What can we prepare with Julie?
Your French bank has announced a closure. I can help you read the notice and organize the payments and questions to check.
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Which notice and complaint should I prepare?
Separate the notice, a replacement account and the transfer of transactions. Closure does not erase payments that are still due to be presented.
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Your preparation
Your notice, complaint and payment continuity
- Two-month notice reference: 2026-11-10, subject to the verified account regime and proof of notice. The stated date is earlier: request a written correction.
- Examine a replacement account without assuming it will be opened.
- Notify payers and check the first payment reaches the new account.
Madame, Monsieur, Objet : réclamation relative à mon compte [numéro du compte] Votre notification reçue le 2026-09-10 annonce la clôture de mon compte au 2026-10-31. Pour ma convention de dépôt personnelle à durée indéterminée, je vous demande de vérifier le préavis d’au moins deux mois prévu par l’article L312-1-1 V du Code monétaire et financier : le repère calculé à partir de cette réception est le 2026-11-10. Merci de confirmer le fondement et la date retenue et, si le préavis est insuffisant, de revoir la date annoncée. Merci de préciser le traitement du solde et des opérations encore en circulation afin que je puisse organiser la continuité de mes paiements. Merci d’accuser réception de cette réclamation et d’y répondre par écrit. Je conserve la copie de votre notification, des justificatifs et de mes échanges. Le cas échéant, j’examinerai la médiation selon ses conditions de recevabilité. [Nom, coordonnées, date et signature]
Can the bank close an account that works normally?
Yes, an active account can be closed subject to the applicable conditions. Normal operation alone does not prevent closure. Source B2
Which notice period should I check?
For an individual’s indefinite-term deposit agreement, check for at least two months’ notice on paper or another durable medium. Source B1
| Flow | Action | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Incoming funds | Give payers the new bank details | First payment received on the new account |
| Direct debits | List creditors and update bank details | First instalment correctly collected |
| Cheques and cards | List transactions not yet debited | Agree funding and handling with the bank |
| Information after closure | Check transaction-notification arrangements for 13 months | This does not keep the account open |
Was the account opened through the right-to-an-account route?
Check the opening documents and any Banque de France designation. Do not infer that status from the closure letter alone. Source B2Source B3
Which payments should I list first?
List expected income, direct debits, transfers and outstanding cheques. This organizes continuity without deciding whether each debt is valid. Source B2
What happens to payment methods and the balance?
Unused payment methods must be dealt with as part of closure. Credit balances, debit balances and outstanding cheques need different checks. Source B2
What happens in the other cases?
- Documents or unknown basis
- A document request does not establish the basis of a restriction. Ask which operations and further records are involved, without a general reopening deadline or confidential disclosure.
- Payment-service complaint
- Answer within 15 business days after receipt; exceptionally, a reasoned holding reply followed by a final answer within 35 business days (L133-45).
- Seizure or asset freeze
- Identify the instrument and its authority. A closure letter does not cancel these measures; their own remedies apply.
- Ordinary personal account
- The bank normally gives at least two months’ notice. Check the scope and the letter you received.
- Droit au compte
- Specific reasons and conditions govern closure. Do not treat it as an ordinary account.
- No replacement account
- Prepare a new application. If refused, check eligibility for the Banque de France droit au compte procedure.
Which reasons and records can I request for a restriction?
Ask for the basis, affected operations and precisely required records within lawful disclosure limits. The bank examines the origin and destination of unusual funds; if its due-diligence obligations cannot be met, it does not execute operations. It cannot disclose a Tracfin report or its follow-up. These provisions set no general reopening deadline. Source B8Source B9Source B10Source B2
For thirteen months after closure, the bank provides free information about covered transactions presented; this does not keep the account open.
How can I prepare a replacement account and complaint?
Gather the notice and supporting documents, then check the relevant official Banque de France procedure. A tool cannot promise an account opening. For a complaint, keep its sending date and evidenced receipt: Banque de France gives a 10-day acknowledgement reference and a two-month answer reference. Payment-service complaints follow the special 15-business-day period, exceptionally 35 with a reasoned holding reply. Mediation requires a prior written complaint and a request within one year, with the other admissibility conditions. Source B3Source B4Source B5Source B7
Are closure, seizure and asset freeze the same?
No. Closure ends the agreement; seizure follows an enforcement instrument and is examined in the bank-seizure guide. An asset freeze follows a national, EU or UN measure: identify its text and authority through the French Treasury. A bank complaint does not lift these measures. Source B11Source B12