Referral to the bank mediator (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 a customer of a French bank whose written complaint was rejected, or went unanswered for two months. The mediator the bank has appointed is free to use, often through an online form on its website. This letter, in French under French law, refers the matter by post: it recalls your complaint, the dispute and what you ask for, and shows the referral is admissible — a prior written complaint, referral within a year, no other mediator or court involved (article L. 612-2 of the French Consumer Code).
- Made for use in France
- Last updated October 13, 2026
When to use this document
- Your bank in France rejected your written complaint and you do not accept its answer.
- Your bank has left your written complaint unanswered.
- Your dispute over fees or a transaction is still unresolved after the complaint.
- You want to refer the dispute to the bank mediator by post.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Customer
- Customer's address
- Dispute resolution body for the bank (ombudsman)
- Address of the dispute resolution body
- City
- Date
- Bank
- IBAN or contract number
- Date of the complaint
- What happened to your complaint to the bank
- What the complaint is about
- Requested outcome
- Attachments
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- When can the mediator of a French bank be approached?
- After a written complaint to the bank, once the bank has rejected it or has not answered within two months. The referral must come within a year of the complaint, and the dispute must not have gone to another mediator or a court (article L. 612-2 of the French Consumer Code). The mediator's name and address are in the account agreement, on statements or on the bank's website; referral is free, and most mediators accept it through an online form.
- How long does French bank mediation take, and is the outcome binding?
- The mediator gives a proposal within ninety days of notifying the referral, a period it may extend in complex cases (article R. 612-5 of the French Consumer Code). Each party remains free to accept or refuse the proposal, and you may then go to court. During mediation the limitation period for your claim is suspended (article 2238 of the French Civil Code).
- Which mediator handles a French banking or investment dispute?
- The one your bank has appointed: its own mediator or a shared one, such as the mediator at the Fédération bancaire française. It is named in the account agreement and on the bank's website. For a financial investment — shares, fund units, investment advice — the mediator of the Autorité des marchés financiers can also be approached, free of charge. Refer the same dispute to one mediator only.
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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