Help me! Bank Account Question.
Aug 26th 2009, 11:36 am
#1
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2009
Location: Bonny Scotland
Posts: 1
Help me! Bank Account Question.
Hi guys,
I'm going off to France to work for four months in December, and I need some advice as to what I should do bank-wise. Do I need to have a French bank account myself in order to receive money from a French bank account, or will my bank in the UK offer me some kind of package to help me set up something here before I go?
Thanks,
ExpatInTraining
I'm going off to France to work for four months in December, and I need some advice as to what I should do bank-wise. Do I need to have a French bank account myself in order to receive money from a French bank account, or will my bank in the UK offer me some kind of package to help me set up something here before I go?
Thanks,
ExpatInTraining
Aug 26th 2009, 12:16 pm
#2
BE Co-Founder
Joined: Feb 2000
Location: Florida
Posts: 25,928
Re: Help me!
Hi,
Welcome to BE. I hope you enjoy using the site. We have some fantastic members here.
I am not in France myself but here are some threads related to banking in France to read to start you off.
French Banking - Information Please
Opening bank account in France
Best UK Sterling Currenty Account?
Anyone else started as an autoentrepreneur?
Welcome to BE. I hope you enjoy using the site. We have some fantastic members here.
I am not in France myself but here are some threads related to banking in France to read to start you off.
French Banking - Information Please
Opening bank account in France
Best UK Sterling Currenty Account?
Anyone else started as an autoentrepreneur?
Aug 26th 2009, 1:34 pm
#3
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2005
Location: Normandy, France and occassionally Nova Scotia!
Posts: 3,373
Re: Help me! Bank Account Question.
Hi guys,
I'm going off to France to work for four months in December, and I need some advice as to what I should do bank-wise. Do I need to have a French bank account myself in order to receive money from a French bank account, or will my bank in the UK offer me some kind of package to help me set up something here before I go?
Thanks,
ExpatInTraining
I'm going off to France to work for four months in December, and I need some advice as to what I should do bank-wise. Do I need to have a French bank account myself in order to receive money from a French bank account, or will my bank in the UK offer me some kind of package to help me set up something here before I go?
Thanks,
ExpatInTraining
You don't mention who your bank is in UK, but if it's HSBC they might be able to help you open an account in France.
http://www.hsbc.fr/1/2/hsbc-france/p...king-in-france
or look at CA brit line (although I haven't heard too many good stories from people using them)
http://www.britline.com/
you might find your branch in UK will accept euro cheques, I know Lloyds TSB do, but the cost to deposit and process will probably be high. I know here in France, even if we have a cheque in euros from another EU country, it costs a fortune for us to deposit it.
more details here on how to open a french bank account
http://www.frenchentree.com/fe-finan...cle.asp?id=623
you might also want to consider opening a bank account at the post office
https://www.labanquepostale.fr/index...p_english.html
Aug 28th 2009, 3:34 pm
#4
New ember - smoulderin'
Joined: Aug 2009
Location: I'll tell ya . . . . . . when I get there
Posts: 143
Re: Help me! Bank Account Question.
Just adding to the melting pot here.
Problem with French bank accounts is . . . you can't open one unless you have a residential address . . . erm, . . . and you can't get a residential address unless you have a bank account in France.
We did manage to get around this little snaglet, but be prepared to smile and be persuasive.
One thing I did a few years back when my daughter was studying at Univ of Bordeaux for a year.
I set up a joint account (Dad and Dau) with Nationwide B Soc - their 'Flexaccount'. Why Nationwide particularly? They don't charge any foreign transaction loading and no cash withdrawal fee when used abroad.
So, I could stuff money into the account in UK and she could instantly withdraw it from a 'hole-in-the-wall' in Bordeaux, all free of any charges or commissions etc.
I guess I got the raw end of that deal huh?
Problem with French bank accounts is . . . you can't open one unless you have a residential address . . . erm, . . . and you can't get a residential address unless you have a bank account in France.
We did manage to get around this little snaglet, but be prepared to smile and be persuasive.
One thing I did a few years back when my daughter was studying at Univ of Bordeaux for a year.
I set up a joint account (Dad and Dau) with Nationwide B Soc - their 'Flexaccount'. Why Nationwide particularly? They don't charge any foreign transaction loading and no cash withdrawal fee when used abroad.
So, I could stuff money into the account in UK and she could instantly withdraw it from a 'hole-in-the-wall' in Bordeaux, all free of any charges or commissions etc.
I guess I got the raw end of that deal huh?
Aug 28th 2009, 5:36 pm
#5
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2007
Location: North Kessock, Ross-shire Scotland and Treignac France
Posts: 443
Re: Help me! Bank Account Question.
[QUOTE=analyst;7883773]Just adding to the melting pot here.
Problem with French bank accounts is . . . you can't open one unless you have a residential address . . . erm, . . . and you can't get a residential address unless you have a bank account in France.
I don't think there should be a problem. I did open a bank account at the same time as I was buying my house in France, but my bank isn't interested in my French address. Everything gets sent to Scotland- even when I asked for it to be sent to my French house.
Why not ask your French employer if they can organise the opening of an account
Problem with French bank accounts is . . . you can't open one unless you have a residential address . . . erm, . . . and you can't get a residential address unless you have a bank account in France.
I don't think there should be a problem. I did open a bank account at the same time as I was buying my house in France, but my bank isn't interested in my French address. Everything gets sent to Scotland- even when I asked for it to be sent to my French house.
Why not ask your French employer if they can organise the opening of an account
Aug 29th 2009, 8:14 am
#6
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2009
Location: Scotland & Touraine [37]
Posts: 3,019
Re: Help me! Bank Account Question.
I agree - you dont need to be resident.
There are accounts for residents(in France) and accounts for non-residents.
You need to provide a number of documents.
Check out bank websites online.
When we asked for documents to be addressed to french address it was not a problem.
We chose Credit Agricole because they offered this service and had full details of what was required and an english site option.
We chose Tours because of the transport options - flights; TGV; autoroute.
Good luck
There are accounts for residents(in France) and accounts for non-residents.
You need to provide a number of documents.
Check out bank websites online.
When we asked for documents to be addressed to french address it was not a problem.
We chose Credit Agricole because they offered this service and had full details of what was required and an english site option.
We chose Tours because of the transport options - flights; TGV; autoroute.
Good luck
Aug 29th 2009, 9:08 pm
#7
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Joined: Sep 2007
Location: North Kessock, Ross-shire Scotland and Treignac France
Posts: 443
Re: Help me! Bank Account Question.
Did you have to chose whether Credit Agricole sends the mail to France or Scotland, or are they happy to use whichever address you are at?
Aug 30th 2009, 7:24 am
#8
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2009
Location: Scotland & Touraine [37]
Posts: 3,019
Re: Help me! Bank Account Question.
I chose to have the address in France.
There was no problem in changing it.
The address appears on your RIB [ releve indentite bancaire ] which you need to set up standing orders like water etc.
The address appears on my chequebook which can be helpful as proof of identity/address.
I manage the account online so it doesn't matter where I am.
I just receive statements etc in mailbox when I arrive in France.
regards
C
There was no problem in changing it.
The address appears on your RIB [ releve indentite bancaire ] which you need to set up standing orders like water etc.
The address appears on my chequebook which can be helpful as proof of identity/address.
I manage the account online so it doesn't matter where I am.
I just receive statements etc in mailbox when I arrive in France.
regards
C
Sep 5th 2009, 2:40 pm
#9
Just Joined
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 22
Re: Help me! Bank Account Question.
Well if your with Barclays im sure that they can sort something out for you as they have quite a few branches in Paris, thats if your in Paris... so try them out, Barclays is a normal high street bank in the UK but in Paris they think they are the federal gold reserve only dealing with very high salary accounts, bloody snobs! 
