Banking in France as an American: FATCA and RIBs

You need a French bank account for almost everything in Paris, and your US passport is the one thing that can make getting one awkward. The good news: if you live in France, the law gives you a way in even when every bank says no.

The short version

Your landlord, employer, phone company and the tax office all want a RIB (relevé d'identité bancaire), a slip with your French IBAN. Without one, life in Paris stalls.
Because of FATCA, French banks must identify US account holders and report them to the IRS every year [1]. Some banks decide Americans aren't worth the paperwork and say no, or say nothing.
If you live in France and a bank refuses you, you can use the droit au compte: the Banque de France designates a bank that must open a basic account for you, free [2][3].
Deposits are protected by the FGDR up to €100,000 (about USD 112,000) per person per bank [4].
Your French accounts still count for the FBAR back home once your foreign balances top USD 10,000 combined at any point in the year [5].

USD conversions use the Federal Reserve H.10 rate of October 30, 2026 (EUR 1 = USD 1.1163) [6].

Why your US passport makes banks nervous

Back home, opening a checking account takes ten minutes and a driver's license. In France, expect an appointment, a stack of documents and a form asking about your tax residence.

That form is where FATCA comes in. Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, foreign banks have to verify who their account holders are and file yearly reports with the IRS on accounts held by US persons [1]. French banks do this through France's agreement with the US, so the reporting is routine. But it costs them compliance time, and an American customer who doesn't hand over a US tax ID creates a problem for the bank, not just for you.

The result, in practice:

Most large retail banks do open accounts for Americans who live in France, especially with a work contract, a residence permit and a Paris address.
Some branches or advisers turn Americans away, or quietly stop replying.
Investment products are where you hear "no" most often, even at banks happy to give you a checking account.

None of that is personal. Show up ready, and you remove most of the friction.

What to bring

Passport and your French visa or residence permit (titre de séjour).
Proof of address in France, usually less than three months old: a lease, an electricity bill or an attestation d'hébergement from whoever houses you.
Proof of income: a work contract, recent pay slips, or proof of pension or savings.
Your US Social Security number, because it's your US tax ID. The bank will ask you to certify your tax residence and US citizenship. Some banks use a US Form W-9 for this; others use their own self-certification form.
Your French tax number (numéro fiscal), if you've filed a French return yet.

Tip: if you're still in a short-term rental, an attestation d'hébergement plus a copy of your host's ID and bill usually works as proof of address.

Which kind of bank

Type	Examples	Good for	Watch for
Traditional network banks	BNP Paribas, Société Générale, Crédit Agricole, LCL, Crédit Mutuel, CIC, La Banque Postale	A branch, an adviser, chèques, mortgages	Monthly account fees, appointments, adviser-by-adviser attitudes toward Americans
Online banks	BoursoBank, Fortuneo, Hello bank!	Low or no fees, app-first	Income or deposit conditions, fewer branch services
Payment-app accounts	Various neobanks	A quick card and IBAN	Some refuse US persons; some issue a non-French IBAN that French billers may resist

We name these because they're big, well-known French or French-licensed banks, not because any one of them is guaranteed to say yes. Policies toward US citizens change, and they can vary branch to branch. Ask directly before you book a slot: "Ouvrez-vous des comptes aux citoyens américains résidant en France?" It saves a wasted morning.

An online bank such as BoursoBank is covered by the same French deposit guarantee as the big networks [7]. The trade-off is that online banks often set conditions on income or opening deposits, and some want you to already have an account in your name elsewhere.

The RIB, chèques and how French payments work

The RIB

Your RIB is the one-page document with your name, IBAN and BIC. You download it from your banking app and hand it out constantly: to your landlord for rent, to your employer for your paycheck, to EDF for the electric bill, and to the CPAM so health reimbursements land in your account. It's France's version of a voided check, minus the check.

Chèques: yes, still

France still uses checks more than you'd expect. Most banks issue a chéquier on request. You might write one for a security deposit, a sports club or a school activity. Don't write a check you can't cover: bouncing one is taken seriously in France and can get you reported to the Banque de France. Deposits by check take a few days to clear, just like back home.

Cards and direct debits

French debit cards are often "deferred" (débit différé), meaning purchases come out at the end of the month, or "immediate." Ask which one you're getting. Recurring bills are paid by SEPA direct debit (prélèvement), which you authorize with your RIB.

When every bank says no: the droit au compte

This is the part most Americans don't know about, and it's the strongest card in your hand. French law gives anyone domiciled in France, regardless of nationality, the right to a basic bank account [2]. If a bank refuses, the Banque de France will pick one for you.

Here's how it works [2][3]:

Ask a bank in writing to open an account. If you get no answer within 15 days, that counts as a refusal.
Get the refusal letter. The bank must give you a letter stating its refusal and tell you about the Banque de France procedure.
Fill in the Banque de France form and attach: your ID, proof of address under three months old, the refusal letter (or proof of your request filed more than 15 days earlier), and a sworn statement that you don't hold another French deposit account.
Send it by mail, file it at a Banque de France branch (you may need an appointment), or file online where offered.
The Banque de France designates a bank, within one business day of receiving a complete file, according to Service-Public. The designation is valid for six months.
The designated bank contacts you with its document list within three business days, and once your file is complete, it must open the account within three business days.

You can't use the procedure if you already have a French deposit account, so it's a fallback, not a shortcut.

What you get, free of charge, are the "services bancaires de base": the account itself, RIBs on request, transfers and SEPA direct debits, monthly statements, online balance checks, cash deposits and withdrawals at the counter, a debit card that checks your balance before each use, and two chèques de banque (or equivalent payment methods) a month [2]. Overdraft intervention fees are capped at €4 per transaction and €20 a month (about USD 4.50 and USD 22) [2].

It's not a premium account, but it gets you a RIB, and a RIB gets you a lease, a paycheck and health reimbursements. Once you have a payment history, other banks tend to get friendlier.

How safe is your money?

The Fonds de Garantie des Dépôts et de Résolution (FGDR) covers deposits up to €100,000 per client per bank (about USD 112,000) [4]. Joint accounts are split equally between holders unless the contract says otherwise. Regulated savings accounts (Livret A, LDDS and LEP) get their own separate €100,000 ceiling, combined across the three [4]. Securities held at a bank or broker are covered separately up to €70,000 (about USD 78,000) [7].

Selling a house? Exceptional sums received less than three months before a bank failure, such as home sale proceeds, are covered up to an extra €500,000 (about USD 558,000) [4]. The FGDR says payouts are made within seven business days in most cases [4]. That's not as famous as the FDIC sticker on a US teller window, but it does the same job.

Moving money and the US paperwork

Moving money from the US: a wire from your US bank works but can be pricey. Many Americans use a specialist money-transfer service to send dollars to their French IBAN. Compare the exchange rate, not just the fee. Our guide to sending money between the US and abroad compares the options.
Keep a US account open. Your US credit card, Social Security deposits and US bills are far easier with a stateside account, ideally at a bank that's fine with a foreign address.
FBAR: if your French accounts (plus any other foreign accounts) exceed USD 10,000 combined at any time during the year, you file FinCEN Form 114 through the BSA E-Filing system [5].
Form 8938: separately, FATCA may require you to list the accounts on your US tax return above higher thresholds. Our FATCA guide has the numbers.
France wants to know too. French residents declare foreign accounts, including US ones, on their French return.

A US expat tax preparer can check your situation, especially if you're juggling accounts on both sides of the Atlantic. And if a bank gives you the runaround, others in our community group for Americans in France can usually tell you which branches have opened accounts for them recently.

Banking in France as an American: getting past the FATCA no, and what to do if a bank won't budge