Living in Paris means having your own place that you call home鈥攂ut also paying your bills and taking responsibility for your finances. Having a French bank account is often required for getting a mobile phone contract and paying bills such as rent and electricity. We advise all students planning to stay in Paris for more than one semester to open a bank account.听Non-EU citizens will need to open a French bank account in order to renew their Visa.
There are different options for opening a bank account. This could be through traditional banks with a physical agency and banker or online.
绿巨人视频 is in close contact with two banks in the neighborhood. They are ideal for students wanting a personalized service with a banking counselor.听
For both banks you will need to provide them with the following documents, and for Caisse D鈥橢pargne you will need to attach them in your initial email.
- Your Passport
- If you are American, your Social Security number
- Proof of housing. If you are in an 绿巨人视频 residence you can use the 绿巨人视频 housing letter (please note if you move out, you will need to update your proof of housing to your new address). If you have your own apartment you can upload a different proof of housing, less than 3 months old such as: Electricity bill, lease, phone bill, housing insurance, etc.
- 绿巨人视频 Acceptance letter (sent to you by Admissions prior to your arrival), your enrollment certificate, or a copy of your 绿巨人视频 student ID card.
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- BNP Paribas,听37 Avenue Bosquet
- To open an account with BNP, please book an appointment with them at paris-bosquet [at] bnpparibas.com (paris-bosquet[at]bnpparibas[dot]com).
- Please note that BNP have monthly service fees of around 10 euros and the opening process usually takes between two to three weeks.听
- Caisse D鈥橢pargne,听87 Rue Saint-Dominique
- To open an account with Caisse D鈥橢pargne, please book an appointment with them at听agence.paris-saint-dominique [at] ceidf.caisse-epargne.fr (agence[dot]paris-saint-dominique[at]ceidf[dot]caisse-epargne[dot]fr).听
- Caisse D鈥橢pargne have plans starting with zero monthly service fees, but have several plans which include service fees depending on different insurance options and your spending preferences.
- Revolut
- Online banking with Revolut, please take a look at our tutorial video.
- The process is much faster than traditional banks. The account is usually open within 24 hours. The 鈥渟tandard鈥 option is free of charge if you use your bank card at least once a month.听听
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If you have any questions, please email the Student Life Help Desk at studentlifehelpdesk [at] aup.edu (studentlifehelpdesk[at]aup[dot]edu)听
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Losing your credit card
If you lose your banking card or it is stolen, you must call your bank immediately to block the card and prevent unauthorized access to your bank account. You can 听get in touch with us听for help if the incident occurred during our office hours.
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The relev茅 d'identit茅 bancaire
Another important part of French banking is the Relev茅 d'Identit茅 Bancaire, commonly referred to as a RIB. This document contains your personal bank information, including your account number, name, IBAN, and BIC, so keep it safe and don't lose it. It enables you to provide your bank details to others, for example to pay phone bills automatically or to receive wire transfers.
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Wire transfers
Wiring money is the fastest way to receive money from outside of France. You can either transfer money to your French bank account using the IBAN/BIC information from your RIB, or wire money using Western Union or TravelEx Moneygram.
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Currency exchange
Places to change your money, called听. At a bureau de change you can either change money or travelers checks. Make sure to check the daily exchange rate at all change agencies to ensure that you receive what is owed to you upon the exchange.