What a French business account actually requires
France has a specific rulebook, and it catches newcomers off guard. If you run a commercial activity, a dedicated account is required from day one. If you sell services or work as an artisan, the requirement kicks in once revenue passes €10,000 for two consecutive years. Below that threshold many micro-entrepreneurs still open a separate account, simply because mixing grocery runs with client payments makes an URSSAF declaration painful to reconstruct.
The second surprise is documentation. Opening an online account usually means uploading an ID, proof of company registration (the KBIS extract for companies, or your SIREN/SIRET for sole traders), and proof of address. Some providers ask for a domiciliation certificate if your registered office is held by a third party. Verification can take anywhere from a few hours to a week, depending on whether your file matches the national business register cleanly.
A third factor is the e-invoicing reform. Receiving electronic invoices becomes a general obligation for businesses established in France from September 2026, with issuing following for smaller companies later. Providers that embed a certified e-invoicing platform are now more useful than providers that merely store PDFs.
Three profiles, three different answers
The solo consultant. Camille, a Lyon-based UX consultant, started with a free plan and moved once she began invoicing international clients. Her core pain was reconciliation: every transfer needed a matching invoice. An account with built-in invoicing and automatic receipt matching cut her monthly bookkeeping to under an hour.
The small product team. A four-person e-commerce studio in Bordeaux needed multiple cards, spending limits per person, and SEPA transfers to suppliers in Spain and Germany. They picked a paid plan with sub-accounts and team permissions rather than a free tier, since a single overspend on a shared card was costing more than the subscription.
The new SARL. A company being registered needs an account to deposit share capital, which means the account must be opened before the company legally exists. Some online providers handle this with a capital deposit flow; traditional branches do too, but with an appointment.
Comparing the main options
| Provider | Entry price | Best suited to | Strengths | Watch out for |
|---|
| Shine | Free tier, paid plans above | Micro-entrepreneurs, sole traders | French IBAN, built-in invoicing, URSSAF charge estimator | Not a bank; no overdraft facility |
| Qonto | From about €9 excl. VAT per month, annual billing | SMEs, startups, multi-user teams | Wide plan range, team cards, e-invoicing module | Costs scale with seats |
| Indy | Free account | Independent professionals | Unlimited transfers, invoicing included | Narrower fit for companies with staff |
| Wise Business | No monthly fee, per-transaction pricing | Businesses paying international suppliers | Multi-currency balances, mid-market conversion | Not a French IBAN for all currencies |
| Revolut Business | Tiered monthly plans | Export-heavy and remote teams | Multi-currency, API access | Support depth varies by plan |
| Traditional bank | Account fees plus transaction costs | Larger firms needing credit lines | Overdraft, financing, local adviser | Slower onboarding, branch visits |
Prices shift with billing cycle and options, so treat the figures as orientation, not quotation. A free plan that charges €0.40 per transfer beyond five included ones is not free once you send forty transfers a month.
One thing worth understanding clearly: neobanks like Shine and Qonto operate as payment institutions or credit institutions with specific licences, and client funds are held in segregated accounts at partner banks. Deposit protection applies within the applicable limits. Ask any provider where your money sits before you wire a large sum.
How to open an account without losing a week
- Check your legal form first. A sole trader with a SIRET has a simpler file than a company awaiting its KBIS. Confirm which document the provider accepts.
- Prepare a clean address file. A utility bill or domiciliation certificate in the company name avoids the most common rejection reason.
- Decide on currency needs. If you invoice clients in dollars or pounds, multi-currency support matters more than a monthly fee of €9.
- Test support before committing. Send a question during onboarding. Response speed at that stage tells you a lot about response speed when a transfer is stuck.
- Wire a small amount first. A €50 inbound SEPA transfer confirms your IBAN and reference format work before a client pays a €5,000 invoice.
For a company, deposit the share capital through the notary or the provider's dedicated flow and keep the certificate — you will need it for the registration file. For a sole trader, the practical test is simpler: can you export a clean transaction list your accountant accepts without manual editing?
Choosing well matters more than choosing cheap
The French market gives you real choice now, and the differences are mostly about fit rather than quality. A free account suits a consultant with ten invoices a month. A team of eight sharing cards and approving expenses needs permissions, exports, and a spending policy that the platform enforces. Companies anticipating the 2026 e-invoicing requirement should weight that capability heavily, since retrofitting it later means migration work.
Start by mapping your monthly transaction count and how many people need cards. Then compare two providers on that basis, run a trial with a small transfer, and keep your accountant in the loop from the first month. A business account is boring infrastructure, and boring infrastructure that reconciles itself is worth a small monthly fee.
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