How can I open a EU bank account without residency?

[Tyrex]

Hi! Please advise me how can I open a EU bank account being not a EU resident and without depositing a great sum? I'm not a EU resident but want to open a EU account. Is it possible?

[Alan Zoff]

Walk into a French bank with your ID and ask them to open an account for you. Well that's what I did 15 years ago.

[suein56]

It can depend what nationality you are .. as French Banks for the most part are not keen on US citizens as the hoops to be jumped through are horrifically onerous.

[EuroTr@sh]

I am not sure that offering to deposit a great sum would help your case.

Banks have to be rigorous about money laundering legislation. Every deposit a customer makes has to be traceable back to its source. The larger the deposit, the more suspect it is and the more reluctant they will be to accept it.

[Gardian]

I have some current knowledge on this.

Our Belgian neighbour has the family 2nd home down here. Up until now, his Mother had a French bank a/c which was used for any ‘local’ bill paying, but she sadly died a few months ago and until probate is finalised he can’t transfer the a/c in to his name.

Therefore the need to open an a/c. TBH, most were a bit sniffy about it, to the extent that one wanted a deposit of €10k ! Credit Agricole were absolutely fine though - he would have had to make a deposit, but it can’t have been much. A couple of hundred euros top whack I reckon.

The only reason I know so much about it is that he asked me last weekend before returning to Belgium to check out his post and scan & forward by email any documentation re the opening of the a/c. Did that yesterday.

Just one caveat - CA are notoriously capricious about what you can do in one part of the country as opposed to another.

Of course you always open an a/c with CA Britline. We’re with them and they’re fine + Fluent English speakers for help & advice.

[Gardian]

Hmmm - just re-read your original post and hadn’t taken account of the ‘non EU citizen’ bit.

Still worth trying CA and / or Britline though.

[suein56]

As Tyrex has not got back to us I can only assume :

1. He has posted the same question on a multifarious number of sites so has lost track of who has replied or not.

2. He is a) a US citizen so has taken fright

and b) He is from somewhere else non-EU

3) ET seems to assume that the OP has a large amount to deposit .. I read the opposite .. in that he has only a small amount of funds at his disposal.