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 in your first week
Revolut, N26, Wise and the French online banks open accounts in days and give you a usable IBAN, which covers the deposit and first rent while a traditional account is arranged. Several are accepted for salary without difficulty.
Mobile appWho: YouWeek 1
2
Download your RIB and keep it where you can send it in thirty seconds
Your employer, landlord, electricity supplier, tax office, health insurance fund and the CAF will each ask for it separately, and several will ask twice. Save it as a PDF on your phone rather than logging in each time.
Mobile appWho: You
3
Open a traditional account for the things that still want one
Some landlords, some employers and certain administrative procedures prefer a French high-street bank. Book an appointment with the passport, residence permit, proof of address and employment contract. It takes a week or two.
In personWho: You
4
Invoke the droit au compte if you are refused
Get the refusal in writing and take it to the Banque de France, which will designate a bank obliged 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.
In personWho: You
5
Ask about the regulated savings accounts, because the bank may not
The Livret A and the LDDS are tax-free, capped, instantly accessible savings accounts with a rate set by the state. The LEP pays a materially higher rate but is means-tested on your tax assessment, which is why banks rarely raise it with new customers. If your income is modest, ask specifically whether you qualify.
In personWho: You
6
Arrange assurance habitation before the key handover
Home insurance is legally required for tenants and the agent will ask for the attestation on the day you collect the keys. Most banks and insurers issue one online within an hour — but do it the week before, not the morning of.
OnlineWho: YouBefore key handover

Documents you’ll need

Passport
Residence permit or validated visa
Justificatif de domicile
Employment contract or proof of resources
French mobile number
Tax assessment, for the means-tested savings account

Things most newcomers don’t know

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

If banks refuse you — which happens to people with unusual documentation, no French credit history, or a foreign address still on file — obtain the refusal in writing and apply to the Banque de France. It designates a bank required to open a basic account with standard services free of charge. It is a statutory right, it is routinely used, and it converts an apparently closed door into a two-week administrative procedure.

Source: Banque de France

The LEP pays a much better rate than the Livret A and banks do not volunteer it.

France's regulated savings accounts have rates set by the state, and the livret d'épargne populaire pays materially more than the Livret A. It is means-tested against your tax assessment, so eligibility is checked rather than assumed, and a bank has little commercial incentive to move a customer's money into a higher-paying regulated product. If your income is modest — which describes many people in their first French years — ask for it by name.

Source: service-public.fr

The RIB is the most-requested document in French life, and the requests never stop.

Salary, rent, utilities, insurance, tax refunds, health reimbursements and benefits all move by transfer against your RIB, and each organisation asks separately. Having it saved as a PDF you can send from your phone removes a small recurring friction that otherwise costs several afternoons in your first six months.

Source: community-reported

French direct debits are much easier to start than to stop.

Rent, utilities, insurance and phone all run on prélèvement. Authorising one takes a signature; stopping one usually requires terminating the underlying contract properly, and simply blocking the debit at the bank leaves the contract alive and the debt accruing. Keep your own list of what you have authorised, because nothing shows it to you in one place.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Accepting a bank's refusal instead of invoking the droit au compte.
Leaving cash in a current account without asking which regulated savings accounts you qualify for.
Arriving at a key handover without an assurance habitation attestation.
Setting up direct debits without keeping your own record of what is authorised.
Expecting to open a traditional account before you have any proof of address.

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