Undivided bank account

Verified 06 November 2025 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

What is a undivided bank account (or undivided account)? This is a collective bank account in which the transactions carried out must be authorized by you and all other co-holders. We tell you the rules to know to open, manage and close this type of account.

An undivided account (or undivided account) is a bank account collective. All joint owners have the same rights to the sums deposited in the account within the limit of their share in theundivided.

The joint account allows you to settle current affairs during indivision, before the division of an estate.

In order to operate an undivided account, all its co-holders must agree. Therefore, in principle, any deposit or withdrawal must be made with the signature of all the co-holders of the account.

There are exceptions to this principle of unanimity. This is particularly the case when a protective act or a act of administration concerning an undivided property must be taken.

You and your co-holders may also designate a agent the account to carry out current banking operations (withdrawal and deposit in particular).

FYI  

In the absence of a mandate, the banker may be held liable if he executes a banking operation without obtaining the agreement of all the joint holders.

In principle, you are not in solidarity with debts. However, you can be if the account agreement contains a solidarity clause.

FYI  

The creditor the staff of a joint holder, i.e. the creditor of a single joint holder, may not have the undivided account seized.

The current accounts or the securities accounts may be opened in undivided form. However, you cannot open a savings booklet in undivided.

You must be at least 2 to open the account.

All future co-holders must be present. You sign a deposit account agreement. You must also choose a common address for receiving bank mail.

Please note

The bank may set a maximum number of joint holders.

Verification of identity

To apply for an account, you must present an official ID with a photograph:

  • National Identity Card
  • Passport
  • EU residence card
  • Other residence permit.

The driver's license can be accepted if the photo leaves no doubt about your identity.

Justification of domicile

You must also prove your residence by providing 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

The bank may accept or refuse to open the account.

Opening the account

If the bank agrees to open an account for you, it informs you of the terms of use.

If it is from a current account, then you sign the bank account agreement. It contains the rules for opening, operating and closing your account.

If it's another account, you sign a specific contract.

Refusal to open

The bank can refuse to open the account, without needing to justify its decision.

It must inform you of the possibility of applying to the Banque de France to exercise your entitlement to account.

Account statements, letters and checkbooks shall bear the names of the joint holders bound together by a "and".

Example :

"M and Mrs.", "Mrs and Mrs.", "X and Y and Z".

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.

FYI  

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.

The account is opened 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 included in pricing information, available to you.

The liability is different depending on the payment incident:

General case

The law does not provide for no solidarity between joint holders of an undivided account.

However, the majority of banks provide for a solidarity clause between the joint holders in the agreement to open the undivided account. The bank can then apply to any of the joint holders (or their heirs) to regularize debts or payment incidents.

In the absence of a solidarity clause, the bank must contact all joint holders to regularize the account situation.

Check without provision

If a NSF check is rejected, the banking ban may be pronounced against each co-holder, on all their accounts (attached or individual).

However, it is possible to designate, at the time of opening the account, a single person responsible for the banking ban.

In this case, the prohibition on issuing checks will apply only to the accounts of the designated person responsible.

To designate a single manager, you can use a template:

Designate a single person responsible for a check without provision on a joint or undivided account

The undivided account can be the consequence of the transformation of a joint account.

The joint account can be converted into undivided account by all co-holders or by a single co-holder:

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By all co-holders

You must send the bank a disconnect letter signed by everyone.

A mail template is available:

Decoupling a joint account

By a single co-holder

You must send a letter of denunciation, by registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt, to the bank and to each of the co-holders.

You can do this using the following document templates:

Report a joint account with the bank

Denounce a joint account with a joint holder

All management actions must subsequently be carried out with the signature of all co-holders.

The transfer orders or direct debit authorizations previous standing orders are canceled.

Other means of payment must be returned to the bank.

The undivided account may be closed at the initiative of the bank or at your initiative.

By the bank

The account can be closed at the initiative of the bank by respecting a notice of 2 months and without motive.

At your initiative

This situation occurs in particular when, in a succession, the indivision between the heirs ends.

All co-holders must apply for closure.

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 sample 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.

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

Bank closes account within 30 days maximum from your closing request and the return of the 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 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.

If your account is open for less than 6 months, you may be charged a cancelation fee.

In case of death of a co-holder, the bank is blocking the account.

The consequences differ depending on whether there is money left in the account (positive balance) or whether the account is short (negative balance):

Positive balance

If there's any money left in the account, the bank will refunds the sum at the time of closure. The balance is divided between you and the other co-holders to the extent of each other's shares. The bank sends you a document called balance of any account, specifying the amount that was sent to you at the time the account was closed.

Negative balance

If the account has a overdraft, that is to say a negative balance, the bank sends you a letter asking you to pay the amount due.

The bank must contact all co-holders to regularize the account situation. However, if there is a solidarity clause in the account agreement, the bank can then apply to any of the joint holders (or their heirs) to regularize debts or payment incidents.

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