Can a complaint be withdrawn and what is the consequence?

Verified 13 March 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Yes, withdrawal of complaint is possible at any time of the procedure. He does not automatically cause shutdown of the investigation or procedure. Only the public prosecutor may decide whether or not to continue the person suspected of having committed the acts. We present you the information to know.

Withdrawal may take place at any time of the procedure: before any start of the investigation, or of hearing, during the police investigation or phase of instruction.

There's no no delay to withdraw a complaint.

You can withdraw your complaint:

  • By mail addressed or filed at police station or to the gendarmerie brigade where you filed a complaint
  • Or in you moving at the police station or gendarmerie brigade where you filed a complaint.
Who shall I contact

You must bring an identity document (identity card, passport, driver's license...) and the registration number of your complaint.

The withdrawal of a complaint is recorded in a minutes.

Withdrawal of complaint can also be done directly by sending or depositing a letter at public prosecutor competent.

Your mail must include maximum information (date of the complaint, number of the minutes, date of the facts, names of the parties, etc.), and the grounds of your withdrawal request.

The public prosecutor may decide to continue the person suspected of having committed the acts, despite the withdrawal of the complaint, if it considers that the facts constitute a infringement.

Its decision shall take into account, inter alia, severity facts, facts evidence existing and harm undergone.

FYI  

For certain offenses such as the insult, the defamation or some invasions of privacy (e.g., correspondence broadcasting, image damage), the withdrawal of the complaint leads to the termination of the proceedings. For these offenses, the complaint is indeed a necessary prerequisite for the initiation of proceedings.

Who can help me?

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