What French Business Banking Actually Demands
French banks are not unfriendly. They are procedural. Every application, whether at a branch in Bordeaux or through an app, runs into the same four walls.
The first wall is proof of a registered office. A bank wants an address it can verify, and a founder living abroad often has none in France. The usual fix is a domiciliation contract from a legal or accounting firm, which costs a modest monthly amount and satisfies both the registry and the bank.
The second wall is the file itself. Expect to hand over the Kbis extract, company statutes, identification for directors and beneficial owners, and a business plan for anything with real turnover. A sole trader registering as a micro-entrepreneur faces a lighter version of the same checklist.
The third wall is time and cost at traditional banks. Branch openings typically take one to two weeks, sometimes longer, and monthly account packages start around €22 to €25 at the large institutions. You also need an appointment, which is awkward if you are in London, Lisbon or Casablanca.
The fourth wall is new. Since September 2026, every VAT-registered business in France must be able to receive electronic invoices, with large and mid-sized companies issuing them from the same point and smaller firms following in September 2027. That turns your bank choice into an accounting question, because only platforms approved as a Plateforme Agréée can create and transmit compliant invoices.
Comparing the Main Online Options
Prices below come from published rate cards and shift with promotions, so treat them as a starting point rather than a quote.
| Provider | Typical monthly price | French IBAN | Fits best | Worth knowing |
|---|
| Qonto | €9 to €39 | Yes | Companies with staff and shared spending | Strong team permissions and expense tracking; no cash deposits, and the entry plan caps withdrawals |
| Shine | €0 to €80 | Yes | Freelancers and micro-entrepreneurs | Approved e-invoicing platform, unlimited quotes and invoices on most tiers |
| Revolut Business | Roughly €10 to €100+ | Yes, for French-registered companies | Exporters and multi-currency work | Over 30 currencies and virtual cards; not yet approved as an e-invoicing platform |
| Wise Business | No subscription, conversion around 0.4% to 0.6% | Check before applying | Holding and paying in several currencies | Excellent for cross-border payouts; euro details are not a French IBAN |
| BNP Paribas | From about €25 | Yes | Firms wanting credit lines and a local adviser | Wide product range, slower onboarding, branch appointments |
| Société Générale | From about €22 | Yes | Small firms needing overdraft facilities | Reliable relationship banking; digital tools feel dated |
A branch account buys you credibility with landlords and lenders. An online account buys you speed and, usually, a lower bill. Many established companies end up holding both, using the branch for financing and the app for daily operations.
Three Founders, Three Routes
Sarah, a consultant who kept her home in the UK and registered a SASU in Lyon, was turned away twice because she had no address in France. She signed a domiciliation contract with an accounting firm, uploaded the Kbis and the contract to an online provider, and had a working French IBAN within three days. Her invoicing now runs from the same dashboard, which matters under the new e-invoicing rules.
Mehdi runs a bicycle parts shop in Marseille and needed to deposit cash. Online banks could not help with that, so he kept a branch account for deposits and opened a second online account for supplier payments in euros and dollars. The split costs him less than the single premium branch package he was originally offered.
Regional differences show up in smaller ways. Founders in the Paris region tend to be pushed toward premium tiers by their accountants, while tech teams in Toulouse and Nantes often run fine on entry plans until headcount grows. In cross-border hubs like Lille and Strasbourg, multi-currency support is usually the deciding factor.
If a bank refuses you outright, French law offers a route: you can ask the Banque de France to designate an institution that must open an account for you. It is slow and unglamorous, but it exists.
The Sequence That Works
Assemble the file before you compare providers, not after. You need identification, the Kbis or registration notice, statutes, a beneficial ownership declaration, and an address document no older than three months.
Match the account to your money flows. If clients pay in euros only, a French IBAN from Qonto or Shine keeps transfers cheap. If you invoice in three currencies, Revolut Business or Wise Business will save more than a small monthly fee is worth.
Then check the invoice side. Ask directly whether the provider is recognised as a Plateforme Agréée, because switching banks mid-reform is more painful than choosing correctly now.
Finally, test the edges. Cash deposits, cheque books, overdraft limits, withdrawal caps and the cost of a SEPA transfer all vary, and none of them appear in the headline price.
What to Check Before You Apply
Read the rate card for the plan you will actually use after the introductory period, and read the fair-use limits attached to transfers and withdrawals. Print the document checklist and match each item to what you can produce this week.
Keep your business and personal spending separate even when the law does not force it. A micro-entrepreneur only needs a dedicated account once turnover passes €10,000 for two consecutive years, but clean records make VAT filings, financing applications and the shift to a larger structure far less stressful.
Ask two questions of any provider before signing up: which address documents you accept, and whether you are an approved e-invoicing platform. A short email reply settles both.
Then open one account, send a small test payment to a client, and confirm the invoice arrives with the format they expect. The first transaction tells you more about a bank than any comparison table. Take the ten minutes to start the application today, and let the paperwork run while you get on with the work that actually pays.
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