Before you start

Passport and residence permit or validated visa
Justificatif de domicile — a proof of address 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. This covers the deposit and first rent while a traditional account is arranged, and several are accepted for salary payment without difficulty.
Mobile appWho: YouWeek 1
2
Get your RIB and understand how central it is
The relevé d'identité bancaire is the document carrying your account details, and you will be asked for it constantly — by your employer, your landlord, the utility company, the tax office and the health insurance fund. Download it as a PDF and keep it somewhere you can send it from in thirty seconds.
Mobile appWho: You
3
Open a traditional account for the things that need one
Some landlords, some employers and certain administrative procedures still prefer or require a French high-street bank. Book an appointment and bring the passport, residence permit, proof of address and employment contract. It generally takes a week or two.
In personWho: You
4
Know about the droit au compte if you are refused
If a bank refuses to open an account, ask for the refusal in writing and take it to the Banque de France, which will designate a bank obliged to provide you with a basic account and standard services. It is a real, used procedure rather than a theoretical right, and very few newcomers know it exists.
In personWho: You
5
Set up prélèvements for the recurring bills
Rent, utilities, insurance and phone all run on direct debit here. Note that French direct debits are easier to set up than to stop, so keep a record of what you have authorised.
Mobile appWho: You
6
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. Most banks and insurers issue one within a day online. Do it before the handover date, not on it.
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

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, it is 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 insurance reimbursements and social benefits all move by transfer against your RIB. Every one of those organisations will ask for it separately. Having it saved as a PDF on your phone, ready to send, removes a recurring small friction that otherwise costs you an afternoon several times over.

Source: community-reported

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

French law obliges tenants to insure the property against the standard risks and to produce the attestation at handover and annually thereafter. Agents enforce this strictly because the landlord's own position depends on it. It is cheap and can be arranged online in an hour, but arranging it 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 or a Spanish one paying utilities and IBI in some contracts, you owe nothing to the commune 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 should be 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 five separate 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.