Ciclade: recover dormant accounts and life insurance for free
Ciclade, the free service of the Caisse des Dépôts, lets you search for unclaimed accounts and policies transferred by banks and insurers. Here's how it works.
When a bank account, savings passbook or life insurance policy remains inactive for several years, the sums involved are transferred to the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations. They are not lost: the public Ciclade service lets you search for them and request their return, free of charge.
This guide explains what Ciclade covers, who can use it and within what deadline. For policies still held by an insurer, however, AGIRA is the service to contact: the two are complementary.
What Ciclade is
Ciclade is an official, free service of the Caisse des Dépôts, created under the so-called "Eckert" law on dormant accounts and unclaimed life insurance policies. It lists the sums that banks and insurers have transferred to the Caisse des Dépôts because they could not locate the holders or beneficiaries.
What you can search for
The search covers a wide range of assets, once they have been transferred to the Caisse des Dépôts.
- Bank accounts (current accounts, term accounts).
- Passbooks and regulated savings (Livret A, LDD, PEL, CEL, etc.).
- Securities accounts and employee savings.
- Life insurance policies and capitalisation bonds.
Who can search, and with which documents
The search is carried out online, free of charge. It is open to the holder of the sums as well as to their heirs, entitled parties or beneficiaries, and to the notary handling an estate.
- Proof of identity of the applicant.
- If the holder has died, proof of the death and of heir status.
- Where applicable, proof of legal representation.
A deadline not to be missed
The sums remain recoverable through Ciclade as long as an overall inactivity period, set by law at thirty years, has not been reached. Beyond that, they are permanently acquired by the State and can no longer be returned. If in doubt, it is therefore worth searching without waiting too long.
Ciclade or AGIRA: which to contact
A life insurance policy recently affected by a death is still held by the insurer: in that case, AGIRA centralises the search across insurance companies. Ciclade takes over for sums already transferred to the Caisse des Dépôts. Both steps are free and public.
Some websites offer, for a fee, to carry out these searches on your behalf. This is not necessary: Ciclade and AGIRA are the official, free channels. Be wary of paid intermediaries in this area.
The surest way: for the policy to be known in advance
Searching after the fact works, but it assumes there was a doubt to begin with. The most effective approach is for loved ones to know from the outset that a policy exists. That is the role of Vitalegis: the holder lists their contracts and designates their loved ones, who are informed that the file exists without seeing its contents during the holder's lifetime.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ciclade really free?
Yes. Ciclade is a public service of the Caisse des Dépôts, entirely free, both for the search and for the return of the sums. No paid intermediary is needed.
What happens if I never claim the funds?
After an overall inactivity period of thirty years set by law, unclaimed sums are permanently acquired by the State. That is why it is best to check without waiting too long if in doubt.
Should I go through Ciclade or AGIRA?
AGIRA is used to search for a life insurance policy still held by an insurer after a death; Ciclade concerns sums already transferred to the Caisse des Dépôts. Both are free; if in doubt, you can contact one and then the other.