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creating a bank account in Paris

I'm studying in Paris for the year and secured a job working at my university. Unfortunately, I have not yet been paid because I have no French or European bank account to receive payment. I can work in Europe because I have European citizenship. I live in the university's housing, thus I have no proof of address. I have read previous threads on this site about receiving a letter from the university confirming my address, and I received one (signed, stamped from my university, with my name and date and address), however N26 and Revolut both denied this letter. I have not yet attempted to open a bank account at a brick and mortar bank, is that my only remaining option? Will they be more lenient about proof of address than online banks? Are there any banks in Paris that are reasonably welcoming to foreign students? I find this situation disheartening. Thanks.
Reply 1
Original post by jarryjackonson
I'm studying in Paris for the year and secured a job working at my university. Unfortunately, I have not yet been paid because I have no French or European bank account to receive payment. I can work in Europe because I have European citizenship. I live in the university's housing, thus I have no proof of address. I have read previous threads on this site about receiving a letter from the university confirming my address, and I received one (signed, stamped from my university, with my name and date and address), however N26 and Revolut both denied this letter. I have not yet attempted to open a bank account at a brick and mortar bank, is that my only remaining option? Will they be more lenient about proof of address than online banks? Are there any banks in Paris that are reasonably welcoming to foreign students? I find this situation disheartening. Thanks.

I would imagine that banks in any EU country would be concerned about money laundering and would want to do appropriate checks on any new customer, particularly one from abroad.

At least in a big city like Paris you shouldn't have any difficulty finding a bricks-and-mortar branch of one or other bank. If you've got a physical signed and stamped letter from your university stating your address, as well as your passport it should be easy enough to satisfy the bank as to your identity and your address, in a way that might be more difficult for an online-only bank where they can't physically validate those things.

It's probably best to make an appointment with a bank to open an account; don't assume there will be someone available to deal with you if you walk in just on the off-chance.

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