4 Banking Questions

[Wibs]

Hi,

I am about to take up a position in Paris for 12 months, I don't speak French, but the working language is English, so no problem there.

I need a French bank account to have my salary paid into, and to pay for rent, utilities etc.

Q1. The company wants me to give them my bank account details to enter onto the contract, but will French banks accept my UK address (until I get a French apartment sorted out)?

Q2. I am worrying about all my French bank correspondence being in French. Do any banks permit you to ask for your correspondence to be in English?

Q3. What documentation do you typically need to open a French bank account? I was thinking of bringing my Passport, Driving License and a couple of recent British utility bills.

Q4. If I go into a French bank, with the necessary documentation, will they create my account then and there, or is there a waiting period?

Cheers

Wibs

[nectarine]

From experience, yes they will send correspondence to your UK address. Not sure whether all correspondence will be in English but I found this

https://www.ca-paris.fr/english-version.html

which is dedicated for English/foreigners in Paris. Contact details there, English speaking, so worth a call.

Hope this helps.

[EuroTrash]

Alternatively

https://www.britline.com/

is a section of Credit Agricole set up especially for Brit expats. You'll probably find they tick all your boxes. Except perhaps number 4, I can't see a French bank opening an account for anybody without running checks first (no pun intended). However if you haven't left it to late, get in touch with Britline before you move and they should be able to get it set up for when you arrive.

[minnie]

Try contacting www.britline.com This is an English speaking arm of Credit Agricole. They're based in Normandy. I suggest you put your questions to them. In this day and age there's not usually any reason why you need to have your bank around the corner when everything can be done online and with credit/debit cards. I'm sure that there'll be loads of people who say that they're no good but we've banked with them for 10 years and have found them so helpful.

[PaulT]

ET our experience was somewhat different. We made an offer on a house and the agent asked if we had a French bank account. No was the answer. She phoned a local bank and made us an appointment. In we went and the account was opened there and then - no checks but cheques.

We subsequently changed banks (the house purchase fell through and we bought in a different area) to a different bank company and once again no checks, just a view of the passport......must be our honest faces :)

I find that using Google auto translate means that when I go in to the French banks website (or indeed any French website) it is translated sufficiently for me to be able to navigate it.

[EuroTrash]

PaulT, I wonder if it was the fact of owning property here that made a different, or as you say, your honest face. I opened an account with a local branch of the CA (not Britline) when I started spending time here prior to buying a property, and they asked for previous bank statements from my UK bank and sent me away with a provisional contract while they checked my banking record. Didn't take long, they confirmed it by email within the week, I think it was just formality, but I couldn't have done any transactions within that week.

Or it may just be that things have slickened up, this being 10+ years ago IIRC.

[YCCMB]

There's nothing fundamentally wrong with Britline, but they tend to send all written correspondence (with the odd exception) in French, and if you bank with CA outside the area where you live, you may find withdrawing your own cash would be easier if you wear a mask and carry a sawn-off shotgun. And their charges are a bit high.

They're the bank we use, and I can't say I'd recommend them. But as OH wants to feel he knows what's going on with our account and he doesn't speak French, it works for him.

[andyh4]

Based on our experience:

quote user="Wibs"

Hi,I am about to take up a position in Paris for 12 months, I don't speak French, but the working language is English, so no problem there.

I need a French bank account to have my salary paid into, and to pay for rent, utilities etc.

Q1. The company wants me to give them my bank account details to enter onto the contract, but will French banks accept my UK address (until I get a French apartment sorted out)?

Yes a UK address should be no problem.

Q2. I am worrying about all my French bank correspondence being in French. Do any banks permit you to ask for your correspondence to be in English?

You can ask, but most of the information will be automatically generated, so you may not be lucky. FWIW BNP who supply our mortgage do provide most correspondence in English, but whether their banking info can be likewise supplied in English, I do not know. But actually there is not that much that will ne major translation. A bank statement is pretty easy to follow in any language - except for the use of acronyms, and I have known them stump French people.

Q3. What documentation do you typically need to open a French bank account?

I was thinking of bringing my Passport, Driving License and a couple of recent British utility bills.

All of the above. I would also suggest having a birth certificate available and recent pay slips.

Q4. If I go into a French bank, with the necessary documentation, will they create my account then and there, or is there a waiting period?

In a big city (Paris) I would be surprised if you can get an account opened immediately - especially since you will need to find someone who speaks English to do the necessary paperwork and to explain how the account works, what the restrictions are and what it will cost you - Continental banking is not free like the UK.

Cheers

Wibs

Unquote

Despite the recommendations for Britline given above, I would countenance caution. They are a good choice for holiday home owners who just need to pay a few bills, but if you are living in France full time you will find French banking practices quite restrictive. Something as simple as paying in some cash, presenting a cheque or similar over the counter activities can only be done at your bank. National chains very often turn out to be local franchises and if you are outside of your franchise area the bank from the same chain will not be able to help in any way whatsoever.

I would therefore suggest you find a bank close to your workplace or close to where you will be living.

[idun]

Maybe a copy of your work contract would be a good thing to take along too.

I don't know which british bank you are with, but do they have french offices?

[EuroTrash]

"Something as simple as paying in some cash, presenting a cheque or similar over the counter activities can only be done at your bank."

Paying in cash over the counter is far from simple at my own branch! There are a few two-hour slots throughout the week when the cashiers have access to the safe. Apart from that they don't do cash.

Normally you're expected to use the machine for cheque or cash deposits, the counter is for customer service queries not everyday transactions.

[Judith]

I'd be pretty surprised if you couldn't find an english speaker in a bank in Paris, even though the admin  may be in French (and you will likely have to at least try to learn the language a bit if only because not speaking it whilst living here makes daily life much more difficult.)

Most of the UK big banks have offices in Paris, check with them .. even down here in the sticks my UK bank has a branch which has people who speak English in it I believe though I do not use my UK bank for day to day stuff in France but also have an account with a French bank ... who also did have an English speaker ... when she retired she was sadly replaced by someone who thought she could speak English, but really can't Fortunately my French has improved since those first days ....

As for opening an account, the Britline bank will give you an idea of the  paper work you MAY need to supply, and as you will learn, almost every transaction in France will need some paperwork, especially a form of ID, so bring all the official documents you can think of with you.

[Wibs]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

I just got from an exploratory trip and found that the two banks I tried, BNP Parisbas, and CIC both wanted proof of address (three recent utility bills), and my UK address would not do.

When checking out apartments via real estate agents they wanted 3 recent pay slips, and a certificate from my bank saying that I was a 'good' customer.

A real chicken/egg situation here, you need a bank account to get an apartment, and you need a local address to get a bank account.

However, not is all lost. I am with HSBC in the UK, and a Premium customer. When I phoned them today they said they could set up a bank account in Paris for me, and transfer my 'good' credit history to them. They are sending me some forms, which I then take into my local branch, with supporting docs, and they will validate them for me.

Thanks again,

Wibs

[idun]

[quote user="idun"]

I don't know which british bank you are with, but do they have french offices?

[/quote]

Which is what I suggested you do anyway.

Remember, that is exactly what the HSBC say that they do for folk on their adverts and apparently that works!

[Daft Doctor]

Regarding the estate agents and letting an apartment, French landlords often take out insurance to cover for non-payment of rent by tenants. For that reason you have to produce solid evidence of income. In our case we were refused an option to view a property to let because as we had recently arrived in France we didn't have proof of income in France. Its good that at least in Paris they'll accept your UK pay slips for that proof, but I think the bank account requirement is probably for the same landlord insurance reason.

[Judith]

HSBC Premium - eh!  No probs, they'll welcome you with open arms - problem solved .. now if you'd said that before I'd have advised you to do what you have done.  Exactly what HSBC is set up like it is for...