French traditional banks open in-branch; Revolut and Boursorama are online. Non-resident paths, documents, fees compared, plus Qonto for business.
BNP Paribas and Société Générale are conditionally open to non-residents and require a branch visit, typically with passport, French residency and proof of address. Basic accounts run about EUR 0-15 a month including card fees, with student and youth discounts.
The value of traditional banks is full service: chequebook, debit card, loans, insurance and savings. Worth opening first if you plan to live in France long term.
Revolut France accepts some non-EU residents, opening in-app with a fee-free basic tier; Boursorama Bank and Fortuneo charge nothing but usually require French residency and an address.
Without a French address, multi-currency options like Revolut are the usual compromise: euro payments and local wallets work, but loans and chequebooks do not.
Qonto is an online business account with no minimum deposit and subscription plans, opened in-app. Suited to SMEs and freelancers doing business in or with France.
Standard documents: passport, residency permit or visa, proof of address (bill from the last three months), and sometimes a tax number or income proof. Online banks take everything as uploads.
The most common failures: proof of address in the wrong language, residencies with too little validity left, and overlooking card fees and plan renewals — confirm the 'card included' and 'fee-free' conditions when opening.
Yes — the path is narrow but document-driven. Traditional banks (BNP, Société Générale) are conditionally open; Revolut France accepts some non-EU residents and is the more common remote option.
Traditional banks run about EUR 0-15 a month including card fees, often free for young or student accounts; online banks like Boursorama and Fortuneo charge nothing; Qonto business plans are subscription-based.
Traditional banks usually want French proof of address and residency documents; without a French address, multi-currency options like Revolut are more realistic, though they fall short of a local account.