Before you start

Passport and residence permit or validated visa
Justificatif de domicile in your name
Proof of income or employment, commonly requested
A French mobile number

Step-by-step

1
Open a digital account immediately
Revolut, N26, Wise and the French online banks open accounts quickly and give you a usable IBAN in days, covering the deposit and first rent while a traditional account is arranged.
Mobile appWho: YouWeek 1
2
Get your RIB and keep it to hand
You will be asked for it constantly — employer, landlord, utility company, tax office, health insurance fund. Save it as a PDF somewhere you can send from in thirty seconds.
Mobile appWho: You
3
Open a traditional account for the things that need one
Some landlords, employers and administrative procedures still prefer a French high-street bank. Book an appointment with the passport, residence permit, proof of address and employment contract. It generally takes a week or two.
In personWho: You
4
Invoke the droit au compte if you are refused
Get any refusal in writing and take it to the Banque de France, which designates a bank obliged to provide a basic account and standard services free of charge. It is a statutory right and it is routinely used.
In personWho: You
5
Arrange assurance habitation before the key handover
Home insurance is legally required for tenants and the agent will demand the attestation on the day you collect the keys. Cheap and arrangeable online in an hour — but not on the morning itself.
OnlineWho: YouBefore key handover
6
Set up prélèvements and record what you authorised
Rent, utilities, insurance and phone all run on direct debit here. French direct debits are easier to set up than to stop, so keep your own record of what is active.
Mobile appWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport
Residence permit or validated visa
Justificatif de domicile
Employment contract or proof of resources
French mobile number

Things most newcomers don’t know

The droit au compte exists and almost no newcomer knows about it.

If banks refuse you an account — which happens to people with unusual documentation or no French credit history — you can obtain the refusal in writing and apply to the Banque de France, which designates a bank required to open a basic account with standard services free of charge. It is a statutory right, routinely used, and it turns a dead end into a two-week procedure.

Source: Banque de France

The RIB is the single most-requested document in French life.

Salary, rent, utilities, insurance, tax refunds, health reimbursements and social benefits all move by transfer against your RIB, and every one of those organisations asks separately. Having it saved as a PDF ready to send removes a recurring friction that otherwise costs you several afternoons.

Source: community-reported

Assurance habitation is compulsory, and the agent will stop the handover without it.

French law obliges tenants to insure against the standard risks and to produce the attestation at handover and annually. Agents enforce this strictly because the landlord's position depends on it. It is cheap and takes an hour online — but arranging it on the morning of the handover is a well-known way to lose a day.

Source: service-public.fr

There is no taxe d'habitation on your main home any more.

France abolished the residence tax on principal residences, so unlike a British tenant paying Council Tax you owe the commune nothing for living in your own home. Second homes still attract it and owners still pay taxe foncière. Against a UK move this is a real recurring saving that belongs in any cost comparison.

Source: service-public.fr

Common mistakes to avoid

Accepting a bank's refusal instead of invoking the droit au compte.
Arriving at a key handover without an assurance habitation attestation.
Not having a RIB saved and ready when several organisations ask for it.
Assuming a proof of address is easy to obtain before you have any French utility account.
Setting up direct debits without recording what you have authorised.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.