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Opening a bank account in France – RIB, the right to an account and FranceConnect

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

Opening a bank account in France is one of the first jobs on your list, because direct debits, phone contracts and student health insurance all ask for your RIB. Here is what banks can ask for, what to do if one says no, and how FranceConnect works for newcomers.

Woman in a café paying with her phone at a card terminal
Photo: ViDi Studio/Adobe Stock

Opening a bank account in France is one of the first jobs on your list: direct debits, phone contracts and student health insurance all ask for your RIB (relevé d'identité bancaire, bank details slip), which shows your IBAN and BIC. Three things changed in 2026. Since 19 June, financial services sold online must offer a free withdrawal button. On 1 July, YRIS, one of the logins for FranceConnect, stopped. And since 11 August, sales calls are banned in principle.

How do you open a bank account in France?

Any foreign national living legally in France can open an account, according to Service-Public, the government's official information site. Opening it is free, although banks may charge account-keeping fees.

DocumentWhat counts
Photo IDA valid passport, national ID card, EU residence card or other titre de séjour (residence permit)
Proof of addressTax notice, rent receipt, water or electricity bill; without a stable address, an attestation d'élection de domicile (address certificate)
If someone hosts youThe bank may also ask for an attestation d'hébergement (letter from your host)
Online bankDocuments may be checked by a certified provider, and a first payment from or to another account in your name may be required

Source: Service-Public, read 23 September 2026.

A bank can refuse to open an account, and can close one on 2 months' notice without giving a reason. You can close yours free of charge at any time; the bank must do so within 30 days at most, usually about 10. Every new account is reported to FICOBA, the national register of accounts.

Take Anna, who moves to Lyon and stays with a friend at first. She brings her passport, her residence document and an attestation d'hébergement from her friend. If an online bank wants a first transfer from an account in her name, she sends it from her account at home.

What if a bank says no? The droit au compte (right to an account)

France gives almost everyone who lives here a right to a basic account, whatever their nationality – but not if you already hold a deposit account in France. People living legally in another EU country qualify too. Being banned from writing cheques, listed in the FICP credit-incident register or over-indebted does not exclude you.

If a bank does not answer within 15 days, that counts as a refusal, and the bank must give you a written refusal letter with the reason. You then apply to the Banque de France online, at one of its counters, or by post to Banque de France, TSA 50120, 75035 Paris Cedex 01 – or ask the refusing bank to forward your file.

StepWhat happensTime limit
1You ask a bank to open an accountNo answer within 15 days counts as a refusal
2You send the form, ID, proof of address under 3 months old, the refusal letter and a sworn statement that you have no other deposit accountOnce refused
3The Banque de France designates a bank1 working day (it says 24 hours); the designation is valid six months
4The designated bank sends its list of documents3 working days
5The bank opens the account3 working days after receiving your documents

Source: Service-Public and the Banque de France, read 23 September 2026.

The account is free and includes the services bancaires de base (basic banking services): RIBs on request, deposits and withdrawals, direct debits and transfers, monthly statements, a payment card with systematic authorisation and 2 bank cheques a month. The Banque de France's number for individuals is 34 14, from 8:00 to 18:00.

What is a RIB, and which rules protect your money?

When you make a transfer, your bank must check that the payee's name matches the IBAN – the Vérification du bénéficiaire (Verification of Payee). A creditor cannot insist on payment into an account held in France. Direct debits need a signed SEPA mandate, usually sent with your RIB, and you can reclaim an authorised debit within 8 weeks.

Switching banks later is free: under the mobilité bancaire service, the new bank moves your direct debits and standing transfers, and both banks have 22 working days from your written consent. For savings, the regulated Livret A pays 1.7 per cent since 1 August 2026, up from 1.5 per cent.

Keeping accounts at home? French tax residents must declare every account held abroad with their annual tax return – any IBAN not starting with FR counts as foreign. The fine is €1,500 per undeclared account, or €10,000 in a state without a tax-fraud agreement with France.

Lost card, scams and sales calls: what should you do?

ProblemWhat to doKey rule
Card lost, stolen or misusedBlock it through your bank or the interbank line 0 892 705 705 (24/7, premium rate)Unauthorised payments refunded by the end of the next working day after your claim
Fraud spotted lateReport it online through PercevalNo refund after 13 months (70 days for payments made outside the EEA)
Suspicious text or callReport it to 33 700Authorities never ask for sensitive details by message or phone
Possible scamCall Info Escroqueries, 0 805 805 817, Monday to Friday 9:00–18:30Free from France
Sales callReport it on SignalConsoBanned in principle since 11 August 2026

Source: Service-Public, read 23 September 2026.

Firms may now call only existing customers about their contract, or people who gave prior consent, on weekdays from 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 20:00, and a contract from a non-compliant call is not valid. Consumer credit gives you 14 calendar days to withdraw, and from 20 November 2026 the rules also cover buy now, pay later and mini-loans under €200.

How does FranceConnect work if you are new to France?

FranceConnect is the State's single sign-on: one login opens more than 1,500 online public services. You log in with an account you already hold with the tax office, ameli (the Assurance Maladie health insurance account), L'Identité Numérique La Poste, MSA, France Identité or TrustMe.

The catch: you must be registered in the RNIPP, the national identification register – in practice, hold a definitive French social security number, not a temporary one – and be over 15. People born abroad first get a provisional number, the NIA, which opens no ameli account and no carte Vitale (health card), and ameli states a processing time of 9 months for the definitive number. Part 3 explains.

Way inOpen to newcomers?What you need
ameli accountYesA definitive social security number
Tax office accountYes, after your first returnFirst-time filers send a paper return, then create the account
TrustMeYes – the only one accepting foreign IDEU/EEA/Swiss documents or a passport from a visa-exempt country, plus RNIPP registration
France IdentitéNoThe new French ID card and age 18 or over
YRISNoStopped on 1 July 2026

Source: FranceConnect, Service-Public and the Assurance Maladie, read 23 September 2026.

For most newcomers the route is: definitive number, then an ameli account, then FranceConnect. The France Identité app needs the new French ID card, so it is closed to foreign nationals.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Gather photo ID and proof of address, or an attestation d'hébergementBefore your first bank appointment
2Apply to a bank and keep proof of the dateAs soon as you have an address
3Get the refusal letter and apply to the Banque de FranceAfter a refusal, or 15 days without an answer
4Hand over your RIB for direct debits and contractsOnce the account is open
5Declare any accounts held abroadEvery year, with your tax return
6Open an ameli account and log in with FranceConnectOnce you have a definitive social security number

Source: Service-Public, the Banque de France and FranceConnect, read 23 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.