Letter closing a bank account (France)
Published byDocMuse
This document is in French
The PDF you download is in French — that is the language it has to be filed in, so it is not translated. Everything on this page is here to tell you what it says.
For closing a current account or a savings account at a French bank. If you are moving to another bank, its free account-switching service (aide à la mobilité bancaire) can do it for you. Otherwise this letter, in French under French law, asks for the account to be closed and the card, chequebook and overdraft ended, the balance transferred to the account you choose and a closing statement sent. Closing is free (article L. 312-1-7 of the French Monetary and Financial Code). Send it by registered post or hand it in at the branch.
- Made for use in France
- Last updated October 13, 2026
When to use this document
- You want to close your current account or savings account at a bank in France.
- You are leaving France and want the account closed and the balance sent to another bank.
- You no longer use an account but the bank keeps charging card and account fees.
- You want to ask in writing for the account to be closed along with the card, chequebook and overdraft.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Customer
- Customer's address
- Bank
- Address of the bank that holds the account
- City
- Date
- IBAN of the current account
- Account to transfer the balance to
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- Is closing a bank account in France free, and how much notice is needed?
- Yes, closing a deposit account or a savings account is free (article L. 312-1-7 of the French Monetary and Financial Code). The account agreement may set a notice period; under the EU payment-services rule it does not exceed one month. Before sending the letter, leave enough on the account to cover cheques written and debits already announced, and give your new IBAN to everyone who pays you or debits you.
- Do you have to write to your old bank when you switch banks in France?
- Not necessarily. The account-switching service (aide à la mobilité bancaire) is free: on your mandate, the new bank gives your new IBAN to those who debit or pay you and can ask for the old account to be closed (article L. 312-1-7 of the French Monetary and Financial Code). This letter is for closing an account without switching, closing a savings account, or doing it yourself.
- How is the request to close a French bank account sent, and for a joint account?
- Send it by registered letter with proof of receipt, hand it in at the branch against a dated receipt, or post it in your online banking messages; as the bank is a business, a qualified electronic registered letter also counts. The letter is for an account in your sole name: closing a joint account takes the signature of every co-holder. Keep a copy and the closing statement: they prove the date account fees stopped.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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