European Account Preservation Order — freeze a French debtor's bank account

Our attorney fee depends on the complexity of the case and the urgency, typically between €1,500 and €3,500 ex VAT for the EAPO petition and immediate enforcement. Court fees and judicial-officer fees apply in addition. A flat fee or pre-engagement letter is always provided before any work starts.

Only if you already hold a judgment, court settlement or authentic instrument against the debtor (one that is not yet enforceable qualifies only under strict conditions). The EAPO regulation (art. 14) then lets you ask the court hearing your EAPO application to have the debtor's accounts identified by a French judicial officer (commissaire de justice), who searches FICOBA, the national bank-account register kept by the tax administration. Without such a decision, the French saisie conservatoire is the better route: once a judge authorises a freeze on bank accounts, the judicial officer can search FICOBA to find them. We handle this as part of the procedure.

Unfortunately no — the UK never took part in the EAPO regulation, before or after Brexit. UK creditors against French debtors must use the French national saisie conservatoire procedure, which we routinely handle. The substantive protection is similar; the procedural formalities differ.

This is fact-specific. Strong indicators include: the debtor has reorganised or transferred assets recently, several other creditors of the debtor are known to be unpaid, the debtor has missed several formal notices, there are signs of imminent insolvency, or the debtor is facing publicised litigation. We assess and document this rigorously: a poorly motivated petition is the single biggest risk to a successful EAPO.

Yes. Once notified, the debtor can challenge before the same court. Our role is to draft the petition robustly enough that it survives challenge, and to defend it if challenged. A well-drafted EAPO survives most challenges; a hastily drafted one can be lifted, exposing you to damages and giving the debtor advance warning.

Not automatically. It covers the debtor's accounts at the banks named in the order — those identified in your application or found through the art. 14 search — up to the total amount specified in the order. If the funds are insufficient on one account, the freeze applies to the next. Beyond bank accounts, we can also use complementary French procedures (saisie conservatoire on movable assets, on receivables held by third parties) to maximise coverage.

For a debtor who is a natural person, French law leaves a "non-attachable bank balance" (SBI) on the account, equal to the monthly RSA welfare amount for a single person (€651.69 since 1 April 2026). For corporate debtors, no minimum balance is protected: the entire account balance can be frozen, up to the amount stated in the order.

Timing depends mainly on the court. Without a prior judgment, the regulation requires it to decide by the end of the tenth working day after the application (fifth with a judgment); if it requires security, the order is issued once security is provided. Service on the banks by the judicial officer usually follows within a few days.

The freeze itself does not transfer money to you — it only secures it. To actually be paid, you need an enforceable judgment (e.g. a payment order, a summary judgment, or a merits judgment), which we obtain in parallel. Once the enforceable judgment is in hand, the freeze is converted into garnishment (saisie-attribution) and the funds are transferred. End-to-end timeline: 3-6 months.

The debtor can request a release of part of the freeze if they prove that the frozen amount exceeds the secured claim. They can also obtain a release by paying the secured amount, providing a bank guarantee, or providing alternative security. Our job is to monitor and respond to such requests on your behalf.