Opening bank account
Opening a bank account is one of the more important tasks to do when you arrive in France as you will need an account in order to rent a place to live and to buy a car. It isn’t always a simple matter, however, as you need a permanent French residential address in order to open a bank account and many people don’t have one prior to their arrival in France.
There are some banks which will allow you to open bank accounts from overseas however you will often pay significant fees to do this.
An easy way to obtain a residential address prior to renting a place is to stay in a Residence when you first arrive and ask them to provide you with a letter attesting to the fact that you are living there.
Documents needed to open a bank account in France
Opening a bank account is one of the more important tasks to do when you arrive in France as you will need an account in order to rent a place to live and to buy a car. It isn’t always a simple matter, however, as you need a permanent French residential address in order to open a bank account and many people don’t have one prior to their arrival in France.
There are some banks which will allow you to open bank accounts from overseas however you will often pay significant fees to do this.
An easy way to obtain a residential address prior to renting a place is to stay in a Residence when you first arrive and ask them to provide you with a letter attesting to the fact that you are living there.
Documents needed to open a bank account in France
- Proof of residence (eg electricity bill, rental contract, letter from the home owner if you are renting a room, letter from residence if renting at a residence)
- ID (identity card, passport etc)
- Proof of income (payslips etc but can be from overseas)
