Central Check File (CCF)

Verified 01 June 2022 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Are you prohibited from writing checks or using a credit card due to improper use? You are then registered in the Central Check File (CFC). The registration to the file is deleted in case of regularization of your situation, or automatically after a period of 2 to 5 years. The FCC can be consulted by authorized organizations. You can also access it and request the rectification of the information that concerns you.

You can be registered with the FCC if you are in one of the following situations:

  • Your bank has you forbidden to issue checks. That's the case when you've done a NSF check and it was rejected by your bank.
  • A court decision forbade you from writing checks
  • Your bank has prohibited you from using a credit card due to misuse

The Banque de France then registers you with the FCC.

Your bank must inform you in writing of your registration with the FCC.

The information in the file depends on why you are registered in the file.

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You're prohibited from writing checks

The FCC includes the following information:

  • Your identity (first name, last name, last name, gender, date and place of birth)
  • NSF checks that cause a ban (incident number, amount of check, date and cause of refusal of payment, branch bank, etc.)

You are prohibited from using a credit card

The FCC includes the following information:

  • Your identity (first name, last name, date and place of birth),
  • Date of debit card withdrawal

The duration depends on why you are registered with the file.

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You're prohibited from writing checks

If your bank has prohibited you from writing checks and you do not regularize the situation, you will be registered with the FCC for 5 years.

You are prohibited from using a credit card

If your bank has prohibited you from using a credit card for abusive use and you do not regularize the situation, you will be registered with the FCC for 2 years.

FYI  

You can continue to issue checks during FCC enrollment.

The following organizations can view the full FCC information:

  • Credit institutions, financing businesses, payment institutions and electronic money
  • Over-indebtedness commission
  • Judicial authorities

You can also access the FCC, but only to see the information that concerns you.

To access the file and verify the information about you, you can make an online request. You can also send a letter to the Banque de France or go there.

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Online

Do you have to log in to your personal area of the Banque de France website. Then select the online request labeled right of access payment incident files (bank ban, withdrawals, credit card, unpaid loans, overdrafts, over-indebtedness).

Banque de France: access to your personal space

On the spot

You must go to a local branch of the Banque de France. You must present your ID.

Who shall I contact

The Banque de France must then communicate any information and entered in the file concerning you.

By mail

You must send a signed letter to the local branch of the Banque de France. The mail must be accompanied by a double-sided photocopy of your ID.

Who shall I contact

You can use the following mail template:

Mail Template: Central Check File Access Request

The Banque de France must then communicate to you by post any information entered in the file concerning you.

If your case is complex and you are unable to obtain the information from the Banque de France, you must write to the Service des files d'incidents de payement des individuals (SFIPRP). You must attach a double-sided photocopy of your identity card.

Who shall I contact

  • Personal Payment Incident File Service (PPIF)

    By mail

    Banque de France SFIPRP

    Relations with the public

    31 rue Croix des Petits-Champs

    75049 Paris Cedex 01

Reasons

You can dispute and possibly have the information in the file corrected in one of the following cases:

  • Your subscription to the FCC is the result of an error by your bank
  • You demonstrate that you are not responsible for the incident that led to your registration with the FCC
  • You have not been removed from the file while you have regularized your situation
Procedure

You must send a written request to your bank.

If your bank accepts your request, the procedure differs depending on whether you are prohibited from writing checks or using a credit card.

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Application for a ban on issuing checks

Your bank must ask the Banque de France to unsubscribe from the FCC within 10 working days.

Your bank will inform you immediately and in writing of the cancelation of your registration. You can then issue checks again.

Application for a ban on the use of a credit card

Your bank must ask the Banque de France to unsubscribe from the FCC within 2 working days.

Your bank will inform you immediately and in writing of the cancelation of your registration.

In case of disagreement with your bank on your FCC registration, you can enter the mediator of your bank.

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