Bank · France
Saisie-attribution — the month, and what it takes
The account was frozen at the bank before this paper reached you. What it opens is one month to bring the matter before the juge de l'exécution — and the contestation only counts if two further steps are taken on time as well.
How serious: enforcement closeAlso called: saisie-attribution, saisie sur compte bancaire, PV de saisie-attribution
A commissaire de justice served the seizure on your bank for a creditor holding an enforceable title. The seizure took effect there; you are told afterwards, by the dénonciation you are holding.
Article R211-11 of the Code des procédures civiles d'exécution gives one month from that dénonciation to bring a contestation, on pain of inadmissibility.
Two more steps carry the same sanction: the contestation must be denounced to the commissaire de justice by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt the same day or at the latest the first working day after, and a copy of the assignation must be filed at the registry of the juge de l'exécution by the day of the hearing at the latest. The bank is informed by ordinary letter.
Who sends it
A commissaire de justice — formerly an huissier — acting for a creditor holding an enforceable title. The bank is the tiers saisi and was notified first.
An acte served by a commissaire de justice headed 'dénonciation de saisie-attribution', naming the creditor, the enforceable title relied on, the bank as tiers saisi and the sums seized, and stating the period and the court for a contestation.
The deadline
one month from the dénonciation of the seizure to the debtor
One month from the dénonciation of the seizure to the debtor (Code des procédures civiles d'exécution, art. R211-11), on pain of inadmissibility. A period ending on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday runs to the next working day (Code de procédure civile, art. 642).
If you do nothing
Without a contestation in the month, the seizure runs its course and the sums seized are paid over to the creditor. The account was already blocked from the day the seizure was served on the bank.
Compute your date
The rule above is what the law sets. Put in the dates on your own letter and it becomes a date.
How it escalates
- 01The sums seized are paid over to the creditor and the account operates again for the balance.
- 02A contestation brought after the month is inadmissible (art. R211-11).
- 03A contestation not denounced to the commissaire de justice by registered letter within the day, or the first working day after, is inadmissible on the same footing.
- 04The enforceable title behind the seizure stays in force, and a further seizure is possible for what remains.
How to respond
The procedure has three limbs and three dates. All of them are below; the grounds for the contestation are a matter for a lawyer.
Response types
- Contest before the juge de l'exécutionContestation before the juge de l'exécution · Code des procédures civiles d'exécution, articles R211-10 and R211-11 · Assignation before the juge de l'exécution, drawn by a commissaire de justice
- Ask for the detail of the seizureRequest to the commissaire de justice for the detail of the seizure
- Pay or settlePayment or settlement with the creditor
Where and how
- A lettre recommandée avec avis de réception to the commissaire de justice — required by article R211-11, on pain of inadmissibility.
- The registry of the juge de l'exécution, for the copy of the assignation.
- Ordinary post to the bank as tiers saisi, which the article expressly allows.
- The commissaire de justice's office by telephone, which brings no contestation.
What to attach
- A copy of the acte de dénonciation.
- A copy of the enforceable title, where you hold it.
- Bank statements showing sums said to be insaisissables, where that is the point.
- A stamped copy of the assignation, kept for your file.
What makes it count
The contestation counts when it is brought within the month, denounced to the commissaire de justice by registered letter the same day or the first working day after, and supported by a copy of the assignation filed at the registry by the day of the hearing. Each of the three is on pain of inadmissibility.
Common questions
Why was my account frozen before I was told?
The seizure is served on the bank first; the dénonciation to the debtor follows. The month for a contestation is counted from that dénonciation, which is the paper you are holding.
Is bringing the contestation enough?
No. Article R211-11 attaches the same sanction of inadmissibility to denouncing it to the commissaire de justice by registered letter the same day or the first working day after. And the copy of the assignation must reach the registry of the juge de l'exécution by the day of the hearing, on pain of the assignation lapsing.
Some of the money is a benefit that cannot be seized.
Sums that are insaisissable have to be left available, and the bank applies that when it blocks the account. Ask the bank what it left and on what basis; whether more should have been left is a question for the juge de l'exécution.
Can I just pay and end it?
Payment or an agreement the creditor accepts can end the seizure through the commissaire de justice who carried it out. It is not a contestation and does not preserve the month.
Sources
Facts verified against the sources below on 10 September 2026.