Finding lost money in France.
France splits pensions across many funds. If you live abroad and have no online account, you can ask by post for a career record from the fund of the scheme you were last covered by.
Last read: 1 November 2026
Pensions
State pension: Mon compte retraite (Info Retraite). Contact details for your base and complementary pension schemes, a pension estimate and your career data, including periods abroad. From abroad: Creating the account asks for a French social security number or a FranceConnect login. Cleiss explains a postal request for a career record.
Key facts and sources
- If you live abroad and have no personal account with your French pension scheme, you can ask for your career record (relevé de carrière) by post from the pension fund of the scheme you were last covered by in France. Source: Cleiss, read 1 November 2026.
- Mon compte retraite lets you find contact details for your base and complementary pension schemes, estimate your pension and ask for corrections to your career, including periods abroad. Source: economie.gouv.fr, read 1 November 2026.
- You create a mon compte retraite account with your social security number, name, date of birth and email address, or with your FranceConnect login. Source: economie.gouv.fr, read 1 November 2026.
- Pensioners living abroad must send a certificate of life each year. If it is not returned within 2 months, payment of the pension is suspended. Source: L'Assurance retraite, read 1 November 2026.
Other lost money
- Official money registers: Ciclade. Ciclade is a free online search for dormant bank accounts, employee savings, life insurance policies and capitalisation bonds transferred to Caisse des Dépôts, open to account holders, beneficiaries and heirs. Run by: Caisse des Dépôts.
- Forgotten insurance: AGIRA life insurance search. Anyone can ask AGIRA whether a life insurance contract was taken out in their favour, free of charge, by post or online, with proof that the policyholder has died. Run by: AGIRA (via CNIL guidance).
Questions
How do I find a lost pension in France?
If you live abroad and have no online account, ask by post for your career record from the fund of the scheme you were last covered by. Mon compte retraite also lists the contact details of your pension schemes.
Can I check my French state pension from abroad?
Yes, by post. Cleiss explains how to request your career record from the last scheme. Creating a mon compte retraite account asks for a French social security number or a FranceConnect login.
Do I have to prove I am alive to keep a French pension abroad?
Yes. Pensioners abroad must send a certificate of life each year. If it is not returned within 2 months, payment is suspended.
Worked in more than one country?
No national tool looks across borders. PensionHunter traces pensions left behind across borders. It is run by Battersea Park Capital. Capital Find Money's founder has an interest in it, and we feature it because no national tool looks across countries. Try the free lost pension checker. Our own count of pensions left behind and the guides are free.
We always point people to the free government tracing route first, and we take nothing from financial advisers.