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After leaving France

Your pension after leaving France

The mandatory Agirc-Arrco complementary pension is a SEPARATE entitlement from the CNAV base pension (two bodies, two streams), and French pensions are never paid automatically; they must be filed ~5 months ahead.

Start a $99 Country Pension Identification Report

Full refund if we find nothing material.

Verified country facts

Every line below is drawn from the verified country dossier. We never fabricate facts; candidate items are gated out of customer-facing copy.

Time-critical dates

  • Active-claim window: File ~5 months before the desired start (9 for early long-career; ≥6 for cross-border)
  • CFE voluntary window: 6 months from the end of mandatory insurance
  • Ciclade dormancy: Dormant SUPPLEMENTARY products → State after 30 years (base/Agirc-Arrco excluded)
  • Ciclade free official search: The free official Ciclade service searches unclaimed money transferred to the Caisse des Depots. It is open to any nationality and covers employee retirement plans (PEE, PER, PERCO).Official source, checked 21 August 2026
  • Thirty-year transfer to the State: Unclaimed money follows a legal clock ending 30 years after last activity, after which it is definitively transferred to the French State.Official source, checked 21 August 2026
  • No automatic payment, no retroactivity: French pensions, base and Agirc-Arrco, are not paid automatically, and a late application is not retroactive.Official source, checked 21 August 2026
  • Annual life certificate from abroad: Pensioners living abroad confirm their situation each year with a life certificate. A single certificate covers all French schemes, and a biometric application is one of the accepted routes.Official source, checked 21 August 2026

How records are reached

Personal-record access wall: info-retraite.fr / Mon compte retraite, FranceConnect + a NIR (RNIPP); no-NIR expats locked out

The relevé de carrière is on info-retraite.fr; cross-border claims file via the residence-country institution

Cross-border

EU aggregation + single-claim cascade (file in residence country → cascades to France); the expat must still list France.

Primary sources: lassuranceretraite.fr · agirc-arrco.fr · cleiss.fr · info-retraite.fr · ciclade.caissedesdepots.fr

Everything above is drawn from the verified France dossier. The France country page sets out what we identify, what it costs and who it is for.

Frequently asked questions

Can I still claim my France pension if I live abroad?

La Poste Identité Numérique can be created remotely (62 countries) and unlocks FranceConnect → info-retraite.fr, BUT it is NIR-gated, so the holder must already know their NIR (RNIPP). The no-NIR case is the harder path and remains UNKNOWN.

What happens to a France pension if I do nothing?

Nothing is paid without an application; filing late loses un-backdated months. No refund for leavers, rights are preserved and exportable, paid pro-rata at retirement.

Do you give financial advice on what to do with a France pension?

No. We identify the scheme and access route. We do not advise on transfer, consolidation, drawdown, or taxation, those decisions belong with a regulated adviser in your country of residence.

What if you find nothing?

Full refund. Our report is a fixed $99 fee; if it delivers nothing material, you pay nothing.

See also