Ex-Barclays customer in France struggles to transfer funds

A British man who lives in France has told The Connexion of difficulties he faced trying to transfer money here following closure of his Barclays account.

Barclays sent letters to clients in France requiring them to close their accounts, as the bank can no longer serve customers living in the European Economic Area due to Brexit.

Read more: Barclays clients face delays transferring money to France

Account closed early, says reader

The reader, who asked not to be named, said complications arose because the bank closed his account a week before the date indicated in the letter.

As his bank card was deactivated, he could not use his card details to access his online or telephone banking and transfer the remaining funds from his account.

Instead, he was sent a claims form to return, along with identity documents “certified by a member of our staff or by a Notary Public (qualified solicitor, any type of certified accountant), Embassy Consular or High Commission official”.

Read more: Barclays closes accounts of Britons in France: what about other banks?

Mairie certified claims form not accepted

He says that documents certified by his local mairie – a common procedure in France – have not been accepted.

A Barclays spokesperson confirmed the bank does accept ID certified by a town hall or notary in France, but said documents not in English require a translation which is certified in the same way.

Customers were given six months’ notice before their accounts were closed.

The spokesperson said: “If a customer feels we have provided inaccurate or misleading information, we would encourage them to get in touch, so we can investigate, apologise and put things right.”

Related articles

Updated: Britline, BNP, Banque Postale: Your feedback on French banks

Why will French bank not allow me to make a transfer?

Five French alternatives to leaving savings sat in UK current accounts