Bank account
Mar 30th 2018, 8:31 am
#31
Just Joined
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 4
Re: Bank account
The only trouble with the online banks is that most (if not all) of them won't let you open an account if you're not already resident in France. If OP wants to get a bank account set up before arriving in France then, to my knowledge, the two main options currently seem to be CA Britline and La Banque Postale.
La Banque Postale has less onerous financial requirements in terms of minimum deposit etc, but you are going to need to make a trip to France, and might be advised to practice deep breaths and counting to ten. The post office employees we spoke to, whilst very friendly, had no idea that EU citizens could open a "non-resident" accounts. (Next time I'd take a print-out from their website to show them.) After a lot of collective head scratching they took our numbers and promised to call us back to make an appointment, but we never heard from them. A couple of French people we spoke to said La Banque Postale has a reputation for being rather slow.
Britline is different. The minimum opening balance is annoying but they are definitely geared up for people from the UK who are moving to France. They need oodles of documents to open an account, but (unlike some French banks) they are not after anything bizarre. It's all paperwork you have already or can easily get (passport, driving licence, pay slips, utility bills, etc). And, unlike with La Banque Postale, you can upload all your documents via the Britline website.
La Banque Postale has less onerous financial requirements in terms of minimum deposit etc, but you are going to need to make a trip to France, and might be advised to practice deep breaths and counting to ten. The post office employees we spoke to, whilst very friendly, had no idea that EU citizens could open a "non-resident" accounts. (Next time I'd take a print-out from their website to show them.) After a lot of collective head scratching they took our numbers and promised to call us back to make an appointment, but we never heard from them. A couple of French people we spoke to said La Banque Postale has a reputation for being rather slow.
Britline is different. The minimum opening balance is annoying but they are definitely geared up for people from the UK who are moving to France. They need oodles of documents to open an account, but (unlike some French banks) they are not after anything bizarre. It's all paperwork you have already or can easily get (passport, driving licence, pay slips, utility bills, etc). And, unlike with La Banque Postale, you can upload all your documents via the Britline website.
Mar 30th 2018, 9:09 am
#32
Account Closed
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 0
Re: Bank account
Actually the minimum opening balance for Britline is 250 Euros. This slightly limits the debit card, not allowing self-service petrol stations or toll roads, but when you have more money in there they can issue full use debit cards.
