opening Bank account in france

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cosy

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Folks

Does anybody have any experience/knowledge of setting up a Bank account in France. I'm in the process of buying a property there and need to set up an account, I will be visiting at the end of this month and hope to set one up then. Any information on what I need to do/bring with me.

Thanks
 
Prepare to be pissed off!!!

As far as I can remember:

Proof of adress x2 (Bail de loyer, EDF bill)
Proof of job/income (Attestation de travail)
ID (Piece d'identié, photocopy of passport)

Pick a good branch aswell because any problems have to go through the branch that you set the account up in. If its the same company but in a different region you can expect problems. Check there is english spoken in your branch, for the technical stuff...

A few companies:

Banc Populaire
Credit Lyonais
Societé Generale
Banc Courtois(?)
BNP
Credit Agricole

La Poste are there aswell although that is prob not what you are looking for.
 
I opened an account 10 yrs ago, when working there (since departed). Agree with Itchy, unless things have changed, they're fond of their bureaucracy & paper work and not the best with English.

Effectively you need a "contact" in the bank. Where I was working was a technology park, all the major banks were there, each had an English speaking relationship manager. HR of my employer gave me a list of the people for each of the banks. I would suggest your agent immobilier or notaire should be able to do the same for you.
 
Not sure if you are going to be residing in France or not so maybe this doesnt apply

I had no problem setting one up in Antibes. The solicitor gave me a contact in BNP Paribas that spoke english. As far as I remember, I only had to produce my passport and proof of address (Irish one), as I wasnt a resident. The account has a set fee of 11 euro per month and this gives you internet accesss, credit card and cheque book. I did have to lodge 3K
into a savings account that they hold a s security. Theres probably cheaper and easier ways of doing it but at the time I needed an account for my French mortgage.

I tried CA britline, but you need to have a cheque book account as you must send a blank cheque with "Canceled"
across it. My brother didnt have an Irish cheque book account so they wouldnt let us setup an account even though they had a cheque from me. You also need a certified copy of your passport which the Garda wont do, they tell you its illegal but the bank will certify your passport (Photcopy stating thats it you in the passport). So I never got a chance to try out CA britline
 
Oh yeah just FYI, you will have a ''personnel banker'' to deal with... the clerks cant really help you except with transactions so you will have to make an appointment to set up an account.

Familiarise yourself throughly with the fees aswell. They will charge you for everything they think they can get away with. And see the fees on paper, do not rely on what they say... get everything on paper and read before you sign.
 
I'd have to echo everything Itchy has said. 20 years ago, and while gainfully employed and temporarily resident there, I had extraordinary difficulty just opening a basic deposit a/c. Bureaucracy is a French word, remember...:rolleyes:

I presume things have moved on somewhat since then, and that any number of intermediaries can easily set you up with a non-resident a/c. But you'll pay for the privilege, and on an ongoing basis — €11/month = €131 fees p.a., before you even make a single transaction? And presumably the charges for those are proportionally higher on a non-res a/c...

I have a non-resident a/c in Spain, with chequebook and ATM card, and as long as I stay nominally in credit the maintenance fees are €6 per quarter (i.e.€2/month). So shop around... ;)
 
Studied there 13 years ago for a year and still remember the beauocracy of opening up an account! Just be prepared to be patient and don't expect it to happen overnight!
 
Just to add that La Poste have now become La Banque Postale - not sure of the implications...
 
What changes with La Banque Postale is that the Post office is now allowed to give mortgages to its customer... but the French Post Bank still has to be approved by the EU and a few other bodies...

Just to all let you know, try to open a bank acct here if you are a foreigner, it is not much easier... (BOI does not let you open a bk acct if you don't work or if you don't have utility bills...great when you share a flat).

I found those info about La Societe Generale in English, they even have a branch in Paris for their international customers.
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You will have to give proof of residency in France (so, if you're buying a house, maybe a letter from the estate agent or from the notaire).
The estate agent should be able to advise you more.

If you have any other questions, dont hesitate,
Liz
 
Ok, I found some more addresses with information in English ( HSBC and Barclays might be better, more international but I think you would only find them in big enough cities)...it all depends where you're going to buy?

BNP Paribas
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Credit foncier
http://www.creditfoncier.fr/editorial/international_anglais/uk___welcome.htm


Banque Patrimoine et Immobilier
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HSBC
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Barclays
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And that's what Barclays requires if you want to open an account in a French Barclays Branch

1. Proof of your identity: you must provide the original document (or, in the case of an account opened by post, a certified copy). We will accept:
 a valid passport, OR
 a valid French identity card, OR
 a valid French Carte de Séjour.
If you are sending these items by post, we will require a second piece of identification, e.g. driving licence, birth certificate. Please send us copies of the documents certified true by either a branch of Barclays, another reputable bank, or a French or British consulate.
2. Proof of your home address: please provide an original document, which will be returned to you on request.
If you live in France (resident), we will accept:
 An EDF/GDF or France Télécom bill not more than three months old
If you live elsewhere (non-resident), we will accept:
 A recent credit card statement not more than three months old (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diners Club)
showing your address, OR
 A bank statement from a reputable bank showing your
address, OR
 If you are a student, a letter from your French university
confirming your place, OR
 A recent gas, electricity or telephone bill showing your home
address not more than three months old.
 
I opened my account with Barclays and it was relaitvely hassle free. I requested the forms on line, they arrived in the post (note it took best part of an hour to complete).

Your signatures need to be witnessed and certified before returning the forms- I found my local branch of AIB to be best placed here, along with certified copies of bills/passport.

Once all that was sent off I got my account details in the post 2 weeks later...
 
Hi buddies

Yeah, opening a bank account is definitely a hassle especially with the variety of offers. Also they ask for many warranties and its definitely much more difficult than here in the uk.

I recently read info about this in a newsletter I receive, I could not retrieve the exact info on the website but there is much useful stuff there about this: http://www.french-property.com/guides/france/

good luck!

Stevetr1
 
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