Living in Paris means having your own place that you call home—but also paying your bills and taking responsibility for your finances. Having a French bank account is often required for getting a mobile phone contract and paying bills such as rent and electricity. We advise all students planning to stay in Paris for more than one semester to open a bank account. Non-EU citizens will need to open a French bank account in order to renew their Visa.

There are different options for opening a bank account. This could be through traditional banks with a physical agency and banker or online.  

There are two traditional banks close to campus, with whom AUP has close contact with: Société Générale and BNP.  

  • BNP at 37 avenue Bosquet, is another agency with whom AUP works very closely with, they are ideal for students wanting a personalized service with a banking counselor. 
  • Please note that both these agencies have similar offers with service fees of around 10 euros per month. The opening process usually takes between two to three weeks. 

Online banking with Revolut, please take a look at our tutorial video. 

  • The process is much faster than traditional banks. The account is usually open within 24 hours. The “standard” option is free of charge as long as you use your bank card at least once a month.  

 

If you have any questions, please email the Student Life Help Desk at studentlifehelpdesk@aup.edu 

 

Losing your credit card

If you lose your banking card or it is stolen, you must call your bank immediately to block the card and prevent unauthorized access to your bank account. You can  get in touch with us for help if the incident occurred during our office hours.

 

The relevé d'identité bancaire

Another important part of French banking is the Relevé d'Identité Bancaire, commonly referred to as a RIB. This document contains your personal bank information, including your account number, name, IBAN, and BIC, so keep it safe and don't lose it. It enables you to provide your bank details to others, for example to pay phone bills automatically or to receive wire transfers.

 

Wire transfers

Wiring money is the fastest way to receive money from outside of France. You can either transfer money to your French bank account using the IBAN/BIC information from your RIB, or wire money using Western Union or TravelEx Moneygram.

 

Currency exchange

Places to change your money, called bureaux de change are located all throughout the city. At a bureau de change you can either change money or travelers checks. Make sure to check the daily exchange rate at all change agencies to ensure that you receive what is owed to you upon the exchange.