Reminder letter for an unpaid business invoice (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.
A first courteous reminder to a business client in France whose invoice was not paid when due: invoice number, date, amount and due date, new payment date requested, bank details, and a reminder that late-payment penalties and the €40 indemnity are due without any reminder (article L. 441-10 of the French Commercial Code). It goes by e-mail or ordinary letter; if it has no effect, the formal demand for payment, sent by registered post, is the next step. In French.
- Made for use in France
- Last updated October 13, 2026
When to use this document
- A business client in France has not paid your invoice by its due date.
- You want to remind a client politely before sending a formal demand for payment.
- Your client keeps putting off payment and you want a written reminder with your bank details.
- You want to send an unpaid invoice reminder by e-mail that mentions late-payment penalties.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Creditor
- Creditor's address
- Creditor's SIREN
- Debtor
- Debtor's postal address (street and number, postcode and town)
- City
- Date
- Invoice number
- Date of the invoice
- Invoice amount
- Due date
- Payment deadline
- IBAN
- Late-payment penalty rate (failing an agreed rate, the ECB rate plus 10 points)
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- Must a business client be reminded before penalties are claimed?
- No: between businesses, late-payment penalties and the flat €40 indemnity are due from the day after the due date, without any reminder (article L. 441-10 of the French Commercial Code). A reminder is still useful to keep the relationship and check that no mistake explains the delay; you can mention the penalties in it or leave them out, by leaving the rate box empty.
- How is an invoice reminder sent, and when should a formal demand follow?
- A reminder has no imposed form: an e-mail with the invoice attached or an ordinary letter is enough, and keep a record that you sent it. If the client does not pay by the new date, send a formal demand for payment by registered post with proof of receipt, or by qualified electronic registered letter as the client is a business; it sets a last time limit before recovery proceedings.
- How long does a business have to claim an unpaid invoice in France?
- Between traders, or between traders and non-traders, the limitation period is five years (article L. 110-4 of the French Commercial Code). A simple reminder does not interrupt it; an acknowledgement of the debt by the client, a court claim or an enforcement measure does. So do not let an invoice drag on: after one or two reminders, move on to the formal demand.
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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