Refusal to open a business bank account: rights and remedies

Verified 07 October 2025 - Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister), Ministry of Finance

A bank has the right to refuse to open a business bank account. In this case, it is possible to apply for free basic banking services, provided by an automatically designated bank, through what is called the right to a professional bank account.

The obligation to open a business bank account depends on the legal form selected:

  • The creation of a commercial business (SAS, LLC, etc.) requires the deposit of share capital on a dedicated professional bank account. Thus, the opening of a professional bank account is mandatory to create a business.

Please note

The ICS are not affected by the obligation to open a business bank account.

  • L'' (option for the scheme micro-entrepreneur or not) does not have this obligation since the creation of a share capital does not require a deposit of the share capital. However, opening a business bank account becomes mandatory if the turnover exceeds €10,000 for 2 consecutive years.

FYI  

The obligation to open a bank account must be distinguished from the obligation to open a business bank account. For example, an individual entrepreneur who is engaged in a commercial activity is required to open a bank account. However, the account doesn't have to be professional. In practice, it is interesting to open a bank account dedicated to professional activity to separate personal and professional transactions.

A bank is free to choose its customers. It therefore has the right to refuse the opening of a professional bank account.

In case of refusal, the bank must provide a certificate of refusal within a period of 15 days from one of the following dates:

  • Date of receipt notice of the application for a deposit account
  • Date of filing by hand or at the application desk for a deposit account

The certificate of refusal must:

  • Indicate the reason for refusal (banking ban, financial situation, incomplete file, for example)
  • Specify the possibility of contacting the Banque de France to assert the right to the account

FYI  

If the bank does not respond within 15 days following a request to open a bank account, this silence is considered a account opening refusal.

To be banking ban does not prevent access to a bank account. In case of refusal to open an account, it is possible to application for the right to the professional bank account.

To check whether it is subject to a banking ban, a company may consult the bank incident files at the Banque de France :

Banque de France: request to consult a bank incident file (FCC, FICP, FNCI)

The following may benefit from the procedure for entitlement to a professional bank account:

  • Legal persons (businesses or associations) domiciled in France, or natural persons practicing as individual entrepreneurs (craftsmen or traders for example), residing in France, regardless of their nationality
  • Provided not to have a deposit account in France and power proof of a refusal to open an account by a bank

In case of refusal to open a bank account, it is possible to obtain the opening of a business account by requesting to benefit from the account entitlement procedure at a branch of the Banque de France.

1Gather supporting documents

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Legal person (business)

In order to file an application for the account with the Banque de France, it is necessary to create a file composed of the following elements:

  • Proof of identity including a photograph, valid for legal representative of the business. This is one of the following documents:
    • French or foreign national identity card
    • French or foreigners passport
    • French or foreigners driver's license
    • Combatant card issued by the French authorities
    • Identity card or movement card issued by the French military authorities
    • Receipt for request for residence permit or temporary residence card
    • Resident card, citizen card of a State of the European Economic Area (EEA) (or receipt for application for a residence permit from 7 November 2015)
  • Proof of registration (extract K bis au RCS: titleContent or extracted at RNE: titleContent) original less than 3 months of business
  • Account Refusal Letter by the credit institution that has refused to open a deposit account at the business, or acknowledgement of receipt of the registered letter or proof of personal deposit of the application to open an account dated more than 15 days
  • Declaration on the honor of the legal representative of the business certifying that the business has no deposit account in its name, if any, the decision to terminate the account agreement (included in the application for entitlement to the account)
  • Account Entitlement Application Form completed

The following form must be completed and submitted to the Banque de France:

Application form for entitlement to the account for a business

Natural person (individual contractor)

In order to file an application for the account with the Banque de France, it is necessary to create a file composed of the following elements:

  • Proof of identity including a photograph, valid for the natural person . This is one of the following documents:
    • French or foreign national identity card
    • French or foreigners passport
    • French or foreigners driver's license
    • Combatant card issued by the French authorities
    • Identity card or movement card issued by the French military authorities
    • Receipt for application for a residence permit or temporary residence permit
    • Resident card, citizen card of a countries of the European Economic Area (EEA) (or receipt for application for a residence permit from 7 November 2015)
  • Proof of registration proof of professional activity: certificate of registration in RNE: titleContent or extract K from the original RCS: titleContent less than 3 months
  • Copy of one of the following proof of address on behalf of the applicant:
    • Lease receipt less than 3 months
    • Invoice for water, gas, electricity, internet or telephone under 3 months, in paper or dematerialized printed form
    • Certificate of housing insurance less than 3 months
    • Certificate of residence establishing the link with a valid recognized organization
    • Certificate on the honor of the host stating that the declarant resides at his home, identity document and proof of residence of the host less than 3 months
    • Circulation booklet valid
    • Last tax or non-tax notice
    • Title to the principal residence
  • Account Refusal Letter by the credit institution that has refused to open a deposit account, or acknowledgement of receipt of the registered letter or proof of personal deposit of the application for account opening dated more than 15 days
  • Declaration on the applicant's honorcertifying that the applicant does not have a deposit account opened in his name, where applicable, the decision to terminate the account agreement (included in the application form for entitlement to the account)
  • Account Entitlement Application Form completed

The following form must be completed and submitted to the Banque de France:

Application form for entitlement to the account for a natural person

2Submit a file to the Banque de France

The file with all the documents to be provided can be sent to the Banque de France in 3 different ways:

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Online

The folder can be submitted online via the Banque de France's personal area :

Banque de France: personal space

FYI  

An identification with FranceConnect is now mandatory to create or access your personal space if the request concerns in particular the filing of an application for entitlement to the account.

By mail

The folder can be addressed to the Banque de France by post :

Who shall I contact

  • Right to the account: postal address of the Banque de France

    Banque de France

    ASD 50120

    75035 PARIS CEDEX 01

On site

The folder can be directly deposited at a branch of the Banque de France. It may be necessary to make an appointment in advance depending on the counter concerned.

Who shall I contact

3Contact the bank designated to open your account

Once the complete file has been received by the Banque de France, the latter must designate in a 24-hour delay a bank for opening a business bank account. The designation is valid for 6 months.

The Banque de France can inform the name of the designated institution in two ways:

  • By mail
  • Via the Banque de France personal area

The designated bank will be informed by post by the Banque de France.

Once the designation has been made by the Banque de France, the designated banking agency has a period of 3 days from the designation to transmit the list of supporting documents to be provided necessary to open the account and the bank details.

When the designation of a bank is communicated via the personal area of the Banque de France, an additional period may be observed before receipt of the official notification of the bank, in particular in the case of postal dispatch.

Upon receipt of such information, it is appropriate to contact the designated bank to arrange an appointment. The presence of legal representative of the business is required to complete account opening. At this appointment, all documents requested must be presented. If the file is complete, the bank agency must open the account within 3 working days. It may, however request additional documents according to the specificities of the file or its internal requirements.

Please note

After being designated by the Banque de France, the banking institution consults the central file of the checks of the Banque de France (FCC) and the Personal Credit Incident File (PCIF). This check identifies any banking difficulties encountered by the legal representative or partners in recent years.

The banking institution designated by the Banque de France has the obligation to open a deposit account with the 12 free basic banking services following:

  • Opening, maintaining and closing the account
  • 1 change of address per year
  • Issuance on demand of bank identity statements (RIB)
  • Domiciliation and collection of bank transfers
  • Sending a monthly statement of transactions made on the account
  • Carrying out cash transactions
  • Cashing checks
  • Payments by direct debit, interbank payment document or bank transfer
  • Means of remote consultation of the account balance
  • Cash deposits and withdrawals at the counter
  • 2 bank check formulas per month
  • Payment Card

On the other hand, no overdraft authorization may be granted under the right to the account.

If additional services are desired outside of basic banking services, their implementation depends on the bank's agreement. Where applicable, these services shall be invoiced in accordance with the conditions laid down in account agreement, which defines the operating procedures of the bank account.

If the bank that opened an account under the right to the account wishes to close it, it must notify the company 45 days in advance, and then inform the Banque de France of the reason for the closure.

In this case, the Banque de France shall designate, if necessary, another banking institution. Another business account can then be opened according to the same account entitlement procedure.