Payment reminder email in French: 3 free templates
Chasing an invoice with a client in France, Belgium, Switzerland or Canada? These French reminders use the polite "vous" form and the softening phrases French businesses expect, with English translations.
The 3 reminder emails
1. Friendly reminder (Rappel de paiement)
Send on the due date or 1–3 days after.
Objet : Rappel de paiement – Facture n° [1042]Bonjour Madame [Martin],
J'espère que vous allez bien. Je me permets de vous rappeler que la facture n° [1042], d'un montant de [450,00 €], est arrivée à échéance le [15 mars]. Si le règlement a déjà été effectué, merci de ne pas tenir compte de ce message.
Vous pouvez régler facilement via ce lien : [lien de paiement]
Je vous remercie par avance et vous souhaite une excellente journée.
Bien cordialement,
[Votre nom]
English translation
Subject: Payment reminder – Invoice no. [1042]
Hello Ms [Martin],
I hope you are well. Allow me to remind you that invoice no. [1042], for the amount of [€450.00], fell due on [15 March]. If payment has already been made, please disregard this message.
You can pay easily via this link: [payment link]
Thank you in advance, and have an excellent day.
Kind regards,
[Your name]
2. Firm follow-up (Deuxième relance)
Send about 7 days after the due date.
Objet : Deuxième rappel – Facture n° [1042]Bonjour Madame [Martin],
Sauf erreur de ma part, je n'ai pas encore reçu le règlement de la facture n° [1042] ([450,00 €]), échue le [15 mars]. Je vous remercie de bien vouloir procéder au paiement avant le [29 mars].
Je reste à votre disposition pour toute question concernant cette facture.
Lien de paiement : [lien de paiement]
Bien cordialement,
[Votre nom]
English translation
Subject: Second reminder – Invoice no. [1042]
Hello Ms [Martin],
Unless I am mistaken, I have not yet received payment for invoice no. [1042] ([€450.00]), due on [15 March]. Please kindly make the payment before [29 March].
I remain available for any questions about this invoice.
Payment link: [payment link]
Kind regards,
[Your name]
3. Final notice (Dernier rappel)
Send about 14–21 days after the due date.
Objet : Dernier rappel – Facture n° [1042]Madame,
Malgré mes précédents rappels, la facture n° [1042] d'un montant de [450,00 €] reste impayée à ce jour. Je vous prie de bien vouloir en effectuer le règlement au plus tard le [5 avril].
À défaut, je me verrai dans l'obligation d'envisager d'autres démarches, ce que je souhaiterais éviter. Je vous remercie par avance de votre retour.
Veuillez agréer, Madame, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées.
[Votre nom]
English translation
Subject: Final reminder – Invoice no. [1042]
Madam,
Despite my previous reminders, invoice no. [1042] for [€450.00] remains unpaid to date. Please kindly settle it by [5 April] at the latest.
Otherwise, I will be obliged to consider further steps, which I would like to avoid. Thank you in advance for your reply.
Yours faithfully,
[Your name]
When to send each reminder
Friendly reminder: on the due date, or 1–3 days after.
Firm follow-up: about 7 days after the due date.
Final notice: about 14–21 days after the due date.
If the client replies or pays at any point, stop the sequence and thank them.
Tips for French-speaking clients
Use "vous" (formal you). Opening with "Bonjour Madame/Monsieur" is polite and normal in French business email.
"Sauf erreur de ma part" ("unless I am mistaken") is the classic way to soften a reminder. It lets the client save face.
In France, "relance" means a follow-up reminder. A "mise en demeure" is a formal legal demand, so don't use that word casually.
Write amounts as 450,00 € and put a space before colons in French ("Objet :").
For clients in Quebec, the same templates work. Use their local currency (CAD) and Eastern Time.
Let PingDue send these for you
PingDue sends polite reminders in your client's language, at their local working hours, and stops automatically when you're paid. Coming soon.