Difficulty: Hard

Available banks: Crédit Agricole (CA), BNP Paribas, Société Générale, Caisse d‘Epargne (CE), Banque Populaire (BP), Crédit Mutuel, La Banque Postale, LCL

Types of bank accounts: Non-residential (compte non-résident), residential

Documents you will need:

For a residential bank account:

  • Proof of identity with a recent photo (ID, passport or titre de séjour)
  • Proof of residence (titre de séjour, visa, lease copy, insurance policy, bills less than three months old)
  • Work or student permit (letter from your employer/university)
  • Birth certificate (issued within the past 3 months and translated)

Non-residential (compte non-résident) bank account:

  • Proof of identity (passport, birth certificate)
  • Proof of residence (bills less than three months old)
  • Reference (recommendation from a bank)
  • Initial deposit (depending on each individual bank)

Waiting time:

  • Depends on the bank, your papers and your luck.

Spotahome’s Top Tips:

  • Expats all agree that opening a French bank account from overseas never works.
  • Translate all documents to French (better more than less).
  • Make sure you bring all necessary UK and French paperwork – the more you have the better.

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