{
  "id": "banking/bank-refusal-droit-au-compte-recourse",
  "signature": "AI tells someone refused a French bank account there is nothing more they can do except keep trying other banks",
  "signature_zh": "",
  "regex": "(france.*bank.*(refus|reject)|banque.*refuse.*compte|droit au compte|open.*bank account.*france.*(refused|denied))",
  "domain": "banking",
  "category": "administrative_barrier",
  "subcategory": null,
  "root_cause": "France's 'droit au compte' (right to an account) guarantees anyone legally residing in France, French nationals abroad, or EU residents applying for non-professional purposes a free, fast path to a bank account after a refusal. A bank's silence for 15 days counts as an implicit refusal; with a written or implicit refusal, an applicant files a free request with the Banque de France (online, by mail, or at a branch, or via the refusing bank itself), which designates a bank within 1 business day. The designated bank must contact the applicant within 3 business days and open a free basic account within 3 business days of receiving the required documents. A banking ban (interdiction bancaire), a Bank of France credit-incident listing (FICP), or over-indebtedness do not disqualify an applicant; only already holding a deposit account in France does.",
  "root_cause_type": "generic",
  "root_cause_zh": "",
  "versions": [
    {
      "version": "any",
      "introduced": null,
      "deprecated": null,
      "removed": null,
      "behavior_change": null,
      "status": "active"
    }
  ],
  "os_specific": {},
  "dead_ends": [
    {
      "action": "Tell someone refused a French bank account to just keep applying at different banks and hope one eventually accepts, with no other recourse",
      "why_fails": "France's droit au compte legally entitles anyone with a written refusal, or 15 days of silence (an implicit refusal), to file a free request with the Banque de France, which must designate a bank within 1 business day; that designated bank must then open a basic account within days. Repeatedly reapplying elsewhere skips a guaranteed, free, fast statutory channel.",
      "fail_rate": 0.6,
      "condition": "Refused (in writing, or 15 days of silence) by at least one bank in France",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F2417?lang=en"
      ]
    },
    {
      "action": "Assume the droit au compte procedure is unavailable to someone with a banking ban (interdit bancaire), an overdue-debt listing (FICP), or over-indebtedness",
      "why_fails": "Both service-public.gouv.fr and the Banque de France's own procedure page state eligibility explicitly; a banking ban, FICP listing, or over-indebtedness does not disqualify an applicant. Only already holding an individual deposit account in France does.",
      "fail_rate": 0.5,
      "condition": "Applicant has a banking ban, FICP listing, or over-indebtedness",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F2417?lang=en",
        "https://www.banque-france.fr/fr/a-votre-service/particuliers/droit-au-compte-bancaire"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "workarounds": [
    {
      "action": "File the droit au compte request with the Banque de France: ID, proof of address under 3 months old, the bank's written refusal letter (or a note that 15 days passed with no response), and a declaration of holding no other French deposit account. Submit online at accueil.banque-france.fr, by mail, or at a Banque de France branch counter - the refusing bank can also submit it on the applicant's behalf",
      "success_rate": 0.9,
      "how": "Banque de France designates a bank within 1 business day of receiving a complete file; the designated bank must contact the applicant within 3 business days and open a free basic account (card, transfers, direct debits, 2 free monthly check forms) within 3 business days of receiving the applicant's documents. The whole procedure is free and the designation letter stays valid for 6 months.",
      "condition": "Complete file submitted to Banque de France after a bank refusal",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F2417?lang=en",
        "https://www.banque-france.fr/fr/a-votre-service/particuliers/droit-au-compte-bancaire"
      ]
    },
    {
      "action": "If assembling the file is difficult, ask a consumer association, the applicant's Caf, local social services, or the refusing bank itself to submit the droit au compte request on the applicant's behalf",
      "success_rate": 0.8,
      "how": "",
      "condition": "Applicant needs help preparing or filing the paperwork",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F2417?lang=en"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "workarounds_zh": [],
  "transition_graph": {
    "leads_to": [],
    "preceded_by": [],
    "frequently_confused_with": []
  },
  "official_doc_url": null,
  "official_doc_section": null,
  "error_code": null,
  "verification_tier": "ai_generated",
  "confidence": 0.85,
  "fix_success_rate": 0.85,
  "resolvable": "true",
  "first_seen": "2026-09-11",
  "last_confirmed": "2026-09-11",
  "last_updated": "2026-09-11",
  "evidence_count": 3,
  "tags": [],
  "locale": "en",
  "aliases": [
    "banking/bank-refusal-droit-au-compte-recourse/fr"
  ]
}