What the French market expects
France runs on paperwork, and business banking is no exception. A consultant in Paris, a software studio in Lyon, a wine exporter in Bordeaux and a tradesperson in Marseille all face the same first hurdle: proving the company exists before a bank will hold its money.
Most French clients expect a French IBAN on your invoice. Some will accept an account held with a licensed payment institution, but procurement teams often ask for an official RIB document before they release a payment. Public bodies and larger companies tend to be stricter. That single document shapes which provider you can realistically use.
The second expectation is proof of address. A lease, a utility bill or an attestation de domiciliation from your accountant is usually requested, and the document should be recent. Banks also want to see the legal representative's ID, the company statutes and a description of what the business actually does. None of this is unusual. The problem is that each provider asks for it in a different order, and a missing file can stall an application for a week.
A third pressure point is cash. Online accounts rarely accept cash deposits, while a bakery, market stall or repair shop may handle notes every day. Founders in that position often keep a branch account for deposits and run day-to-day payments through an online account. It costs a little more but avoids a awkward workaround at the counter.
The rules that decide your account type
Companies with share capital, including SARL, SAS, EURL and SA structures, must deposit their share capital into an account and obtain a certificate before registration is complete. That certificate has to come from a recognised provider, so check first whether the platform you like can issue one.
Self-employed people under the micro-entrepreneur regime are not automatically forced into a paid professional package. A dedicated account becomes compulsory once turnover exceeds €10,000 in each of two consecutive calendar years. The account can be a separate personal current account where the provider allows professional use, though many banks restrict that. A commercial activity may trigger a separate account obligation regardless of the turnover threshold, which is why it pays to confirm your own situation rather than rely on a forum post.
Foreign directors should plan for extra checks. Video identification and electronic signatures are common, but a director living outside France may need a notarised power of attorney before a branch will act. Online providers vary here, so ask the question before you upload twenty documents.
Comparing the main routes
| Provider type | Example | Published starting price | Best suited to | Points to watch |
|---|
| Online business account with French IBAN | Qonto | From €9 excl. VAT per month | Small companies, teams, founders who invoice and want accounting links | Higher tiers and extra cards add cost; cash deposits are limited |
| Freelancer-focused account | Shine | From €7 per month | Micro-entrepreneurs, consultants, single-person businesses | Lighter international features; fewer options for complex company structures |
| Traditional branch bank | BNP Paribas, Société Générale, Crédit Agricole | Account-keeping fees commonly around €20–€80 a year, plus card fees | Businesses needing cash deposits, credit, or a local adviser | Slower onboarding; appointments and paper files |
| Multi-currency platform | Wise Business | Pay-per-use pricing; conversion typically 0.4%–0.6% | Exporters, contractors paid in dollars or pounds | Not a full banking relationship; confirm the RIB is accepted for a capital deposit |
| Cross-border fintech | Revolut Business | Paid plans from about €7 per month | International teams with clients in several currencies | Chat-based support; complicated cases can take longer |
Prices move, so treat the figures above as starting points and request the brochure tarifaire from each provider. French banks publish one, and it lists every fee, including card replacement, extra transfers and account closure. Reading that document takes fifteen minutes and often reveals a charge that the marketing page leaves out.
The gap between online and branch pricing is real but narrower than headlines suggest. Traditional banks have reduced some entry offers, while online providers charge for extras such as additional users, cash withdrawals abroad or instant transfers beyond a set quota. For a one-person consultancy with twenty transactions a month, an online account is usually the cheaper route. For a company that deposits cash daily and needs an overdraft facility, a branch relationship still earns its keep.
International work deserves separate attention. A French IBAN solves collection for domestic clients, but if you invoice in dollars, the conversion spread matters more than the monthly fee. Compare the total cost of receiving €5,000 from a US client across two providers, not just the subscription line.
Preparing your file and matching it to your work
The application itself is short. The preparation is not. Gather the SIRET number, the K-bis or avis de situation, the statutes, the representative's ID, a recent proof of address and a short description of expected turnover and transaction flows. New companies should have a business plan ready, since a bank may ask how the first year will be funded.
Then match the account to your actual pattern of work. A Paris consultant billing French clients needs reliable SEPA transfers, invoice tools and a clean export to their accountant. A Lyon e-commerce seller receiving payments from several countries needs multi-currency collection and a clear FX policy. An investor-backed SAS needs a provider that can handle a capital deposit and multiple users with separate permissions. A Marseille artisan handling cash needs a deposit route, even if the main account stays online.
A useful test is support. Send one question about RIB acceptance to two shortlisted providers and note how long a real answer takes. If the reply is a generic article link, that tells you something about the next twelve months.
A simple opening sequence
- Confirm your legal structure and whether a capital deposit certificate is needed.
- Collect the registration documents and a proof of address dated within the last three months.
- Shortlist two providers and check that both issue a French RIB your main client will accept.
- Complete video verification, sign the contract and transfer the opening balance.
- Connect the account to your invoicing tool and accountant before the first invoice goes out.
- Keep the login and recovery codes somewhere separate from the phone you use for payments.
Allow more time than the website promise suggests. Online onboarding can finish in a few days when the file is complete, while a branch application often runs several weeks. A two-month buffer before you need to pay staff or receive a large client payment is sensible.
A practical next step
The account is infrastructure, not a strategy decision. What matters is that it produces a RIB your clients accept, exports clean data to your accountant, and does not quietly consume margin through fees you never compared.
Start with the paperwork rather than the logo. Confirm your SIRET details, download a recent proof of address, and write one paragraph describing your expected monthly inflows and outflows. With that in hand, request the published fee schedule from one online provider and one branch bank. Put both next to your real transaction pattern, including international receipts if you have them.
If the numbers are close, choose the provider that answers a support question within a day. A bank account you can reach when a payment fails is worth more than a slightly lower subscription. Open the account, test a small transfer in and out, then move your recurring clients across at the start of a billing cycle rather than mid-month. Keep the old account open for one quarter as a fallback, and review the fee schedule again before the next renewal. That routine keeps an online business bank account in France useful instead of merely cheap.
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