Individual bank account

Verified 22 May 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

What is an individual bank account? This is a bank account opened by one person (called account holder). Account type, opening, use and closing terms: here is the information to know about the individual bank account.

All types of bank accounts can be individual: current account, savings account or booklet or title account.

You must be major or emancipated minor to open an individual account alone.

The protected major cannot act alone, he must be assisted or represented to open a bank account.

The minor child cannot open a bank account himself, but his legal representatives can act for him.

To open a bank account, you must abide by certain rules.

Please note

Special conditions (age, income, payment, etc.) may be required when you open a savings account, plan or booklet. Ask your bank for more information.

Verification of identity

To request the opening of a bank account, you must present a valid official identity document, including a photograph:

  • National identity card
  • Passport
  • EU residence card
  • Other residence permit.

You can therefore open a bank account in France if you are a foreign national and legally reside in the country.

When opening an online account, the bank can use a certified service provider platform to check your documents and verify your identity. It may also require a first payment from or to another account opened in your name.

Justification of domicile

You must also prove your residence by providing for example one of the following documents:

If you are hosted, the bank may also ask you to provide a certificate of accommodation. A model attestation is available:

Accommodation certificate

Deposit of signature

You must deposit your signature. It will be registered by the bank.

If you give a proxy on the account, the person concerned will have to deposit his signature.

Decision of the bank

If the bank agrees to open an account for you, it will inform you of the terms of use and pricing conditions.

If it is from a current account, you sign it bank account agreement on paper or digital media. It contains the rules for opening, operating and closing your account.

If it is another account (savings account, securities account, etc.), you sign a specific contract.

The bank has the obligation to declare any opening of an account in France with the Ficoba file. This declaration shall include the name, surname and address of the holder, the account references and the date of opening.

The bank is free to refuse to open a bank account.

In the event of refusal, the bank must inform you of the possibility of contacting the Banque de France to exercise your right to account entitlement.

Who shall I contact

The account title your first name and your last name, preceded by either Mr. or Mrs.

If you are married, you can choose to open the account at your last name or your usual name (name of your wife, husband or double name). The bank verifies that the username is on your ID.

If you are a single customer, the bank cannot require you to use Miss.

In cases of guardianship or curatorship, the under guardianship (or curatorship) of, followed by the name of the guardian or trustee, is added.

Only you can perform the following transactions on your individual bank account:

You are solely responsible for the debts and payment incidents linked to your bank account. This means that the bank must contact you to regularize the situation.

FYI  

The account title indicates the name of the person who has the authority to act on the account. The title of the account is not sufficient to determine the ownership of the funds deposited in the account.

Example :

Mr. X is the only one who can operate his current account opened in his name. But if Mr. X is married under the community of property reduced to gains, the wages he deposits in his current account are common goods.

Opening the account is free of charge.

The bank may charge you a fee for managing your account. These are the account maintenance fees.

Details of these charges should be provided in pricing information, made available to you.

In case of death of the account holder, the bank shall block the account as soon as it becomes aware of it. It no longer records any deposit or withdrawal transactions.

The account may be released for the payment of certain expenses incurred after the death.

An individual bank account may be closed at the initiative of the bank or at your initiative.

Closure at the initiative of the bank

The account can be closed at the initiative of the bank. For this, it must respect a 2 months notice. The bank does not have to justify its decision.

Closure at your initiative

You can close your account for free, at any time and without cause.

The account agreement indicates the conditions for closing the account at your request.

In practice, you must send a cancelation request by registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt.

A template letter is available:

Request the closure of a bank account

Remember to keep a sufficient reserve in your account. This will allow the bank to settle ongoing transactions (checks issued in particular) and thus avoid payment incidents.

You must return or destroy all means of payment made available to you.

The transfer or direct debit orders are canceled on the date of receipt of the termination letter.

The bank closes the account within 30 days maximum from your closing request and the return of means of payment. In practice, this period is generally 10 days.

Please note

In the event of a change of bank, you can request to benefit from the free mobility assistance service.

Within a period of 5 days from the request to close the account, the bank offers you a summary of the automatic transactions that have been carried out in the last 13 months. For direct debit payments, the creditors have a time limit of 10 days to take into account your new bank details.

Warning  

Withdrawal of deposited funds does not close the account. The account is closed but not closed, which may result in fees for inactive account.

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