Closing a French bank account: closure letter, bank mobility and timelines

Quick answer

Closing a bank account in France is free (article L312-1-7 of the Monetary and Financial Code) and possible at any time, with no reason required. Two routes: the bank mobility service — your new bank switches your direct debits and recurring credits and can request the closure for you — or a closure letter sent directly to your old bank, by registered mail with proof of receipt (LRAR) to date the request and keep evidence. Before sending, redirect your recurring operations and keep the account sufficiently funded for cheques and debits still in flight.

1. Closure is free and unconditional

Article L312-1-7 of the Monetary and Financial Code gives two guarantees:

• Closing any current account or savings passbook is free of charge.
• For 13 months after closure, the old bank must alert you within 3 business days of any transfer or direct debit presented on the closed account — you won't discover an incident months later.

You owe no explanation. Conversely, if the bank closes your account, it must warn you in writing in advance (30 to 45 days in practice).

2. Two routes: bank mobility or a direct letter

The bank mobility service (from the loi Macron) is the simplest route when switching banks: you sign a mobility mandate with the new bank, which retrieves the list of your direct debits and recurring credits from the last 13 months, informs every issuer (employer, CAF, energy, insurance…) and can request closure of the old account on the date you choose. Everything is free and the full process is regulated (about 22 business days).

A direct closure letter remains useful when mobility doesn't apply: an online bank you're leaving without a transfer, a second account you no longer need, savings passbooks, or when you prefer to manage the transition yourself.

3. Prepare the account before sending the letter

• Open the new account first and move your salary and direct debits there.
• Wait until issued cheques have cleared — a cheque presented on a closed account becomes a payment incident.
• Leave a buffer for the last pending operations.
• List linked savings products (Livret A, LDDS, home-savings plans): mobility doesn't cover them; they close separately.
• Be ready to return payment instruments (chequebook, card) as the bank requests.

4. Closure letter template

Subject: Closure of account no. [X]

Dear Sir or Madam,

I hereby request the closure of account no. [X] held at your institution, together with the cancellation of the services and payment instruments attached to it.

Please transfer the credit balance to the account whose bank details (RIB) are enclosed.

[If joint account] This request is signed by all co-holders of the account.

Please confirm the effective closure of the account in writing.

Yours faithfully,

[Date — Signatures of all holders]

Enclose a RIB for the account receiving the balance.

5. Why registered mail with proof of receipt matters

• The date of receipt is authoritative: it starts the clock on the bank's obligation to process.
• If fees are charged after the request or the account is left open, the proof of receipt is your evidence.
• A branch-counter request or a message in the banking app can get lost; the LRAR cannot.

Living abroad or far from a branch? MaisonMail can print and dispatch your closure letter through an available registered service. Origin market, delivery times, tracking and the proof-of-receipt slip are confirmed before payment. See also: sending a registered letter online.

6. After sending the letter

• The bank settles pending operations then transfers the balance to the designated account (allow 10–30 days).
• Keep the proof of receipt and the written closure confirmation with your statements (keep for 5 years).
• For 13 months, the bank must flag any operation presented on the closed account — update the issuer concerned immediately.
• A forgotten, dormant account becomes inactive: after 10 years its balance goes to the Caisse des Dépôts (loi Eckert). Better to close cleanly.

7. Common mistakes

• Closing before redirecting salary, CAF, energy, subscriptions: rejected debits and cascading fees.
• Cheques still in circulation at the time of closure.
• Forgetting linked savings, which bank mobility does not cover.
• Keeping no proof: without an LRAR and written confirmation, post-closure fees are hard to dispute.
• Leaving a dormant account open — maintenance fees quietly eat the balance.

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In short: closing a French bank account is free and requires no notice. If you're switching banks, let the mobility mandate do the migration; otherwise send a closure letter by registered mail (LRAR) with the destination RIB, after redirecting your recurring operations. The proof-of-receipt slip dates your request and protects you in any dispute.