4th December 2008
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Personal Finance in France

Welcome to the FrenchEntrée's Personal Finance zone, your financial resource for French property and living in France. This zone has advice and guidance on topics such as opening a bank account in France, the credit and debit card system and savings and investments.
For information on buying euros and handling currency exchange for your property purchase see our Currency Zone

Financial Health Poll

Has the global financial crisis affected you in France? Please let us know by taking our Financial Health Poll. Thank-you... Take poll...

Insurance in France

house parachute insurance
For everything you need to know about French insurance - whether it be house, holiday home car, health or life - go to Insurance in France

Bank RIBs

Bemused by requests for a RIB?

RIB stands for RELEVE D’IDENTITE BANCAIRE, meaning ‘statement of banking identity’, and these very useful documents. It is always a good idea to... more...

How to use chèques d'emplois

cleaning washing machine
If you want to legally employ someone on a temporary basis, whether personally or professionally, you will need to use the chéque d'emploi system. Here's how it works More...

VOCABULARY: What to say when in the bank

writing a cheque
Everyday phrases for when you're at the bank - à la banque more...

Abbreviation Dictionary

question marks
Many French admistrative organisations are known by their abbreviations. Here's a translated list of the most common ones more...

Currency Exchange

Who, what, where, when, how & how much!

Get the best euro exchange rate
Planning to buy a French property? Read the complete guide to buying euros in our Currency Zone
Looking for advice or a quote from a dealer? Details here

What happened to the French Franc?

Gone but not forgotten
France converted from French Francs to Euros on 1st January 2002 having run with both currencies since the introduction of the Euro three years earlier. You can no longer pay for anything in Francs - in spite of this many prices are still quoted in Francs and many French people still do mental arithmetic comparisons in Francs before making the conversion! If you find yourself needing to convert a price from Francs to Euros the fixed exchange rate is 6.55957 Francs = 1 Euro.
If you have some old Francs left over from a vacation you can still convert them to Euros whilst in France at a central Banque de France (coins until 1st Jan 2005, notes until 2012) .

Find them for me!

Click the links to find your suppliers

Searching for French property services? Elementary my dear Watson...

Foreign Currency Traders
Banks in France
Tax Advisers in France

Finance

Personal Finance in France

Zone Promo ButtonWhether you're buying a house or planning to live in France, you'll need a French bank account. Find out how the system works from opening an account to using debit cards. For information about buying euros and currency exchange see our Currency Zone.

Online banking in France

Online banking in France More expats than ever before are turning to the web to manage their finances. The web is popular for banking because it is secure, convenient, easy to use, and puts you in control of your finances. This article outlines the benefits and options of online banking... more...

How to reduce your living costs in France

French fuel pricesThe cost of petrol, diesel, heating oil and food are all soaring in France, as are the prices of many other goods. FrenchEntrée brings you an overall guide on how to make your pounds and euros go further... more...

The euro versus sterling - how does it affect you?

sterling euro FranceBill Blevins, Managing Director, Blevins Franks, looks at the impact of the slump in the pound’s fortunes on British residents and homeowners in France more...

Savings options when living in France

Savings options FranceSimon Verity of financial experts Siddalls looks at some of the different options for people looking to save and invest money when living in France more...

Making the most of your UK pension if you retire to France

Blevins pensions advice It is now possible for expatriate Britons to export their pension funds out of the UK. Jane Goodall, Director, International Pensions, at Blevins Franks, explains how it works more...

Personal pensions – tax charge on death in drawdown

French pension drawdownDavid Anderson and Graeme Perry of solicitors and chartered tax advisors Sykes Anderson highlight a hidden ‘stealth tax’ on UK personal pension schemes, and examine the implications for people resident in France more...

How to protect your finances when retiring to France

French money protection France is a popular place for people to move to when they retire. David Franks, chief executive of Blevins Franks, examines ways to look after your savings more...

How to bank safely when you move to France

Abbey International - Jane Matthews Jane Matthews of Abbey International offers some tips on safe banking in France, including how to protect against the danger of identity theft on and offline more...

Claiming winter fuel allowance and living in France

gas fireIt’s one of the quirks of the system that Britons living in France can still claim their winter fuel allowance from back ‘home’, though there are certain conditions attached. We explain the rules more...

What happens to your UK investments if you move to France?

money red ribbonMany people who move to France have investments in the UK. Here David Franks of Blevins Franks looks at what the tax implications are for such investments and explains what happens with Premium Bonds winnings if you are tax resident in France. more...

Have a financial health check up when moving to France

financial check-up smallYou’ve made the decision to move to France, but have you thought everything through financially? Tony Wilcox, Managing Director of Bank of Scotland International, argues that it pays to get money matters sorted out before you go more...

Opening a French bank account

.Resident and non-resident account? Current or Deposit? These questions answered, plus information on everything else you need to know about opening a bank account in France.
more...

Why you need a French bank account

Barclays

Barclays Ian McDonald offers some advice on opening a bank account in France more...

Cheques, credit and debit cards in France

Credit cards in FranceCredit cards are rarely used and therefore not always accepted in France - an issue for residents or those here just on holiday. If you plan to spend a lot of time in here, think about getting a Carte Bleue more...

Paying bills in France

You'll need to Euros to buy a French propertyEscaping to your dream home in France unfortunately doesn't mean escaping from paying the bills. The system, however, is not to dissimilar to that in the UK more...

French Cheques

How to write a cheque in France

cheque French cheques are set out slighlty differently to English ones. Here's a guide on where to put what...
writing French cheques...

When you have a problem with your bank

problemThere is no banking Ombudsman as such in France. However, a free médiateur service can be used to try and find a satisfactory solution to a customer complaint... more...

Euro-wise, pound foolish

euros pocketFrance offers a wide range of sophisticated savings and investment options for both tax residents and non-tax-residents... more...

The Assurance Vie in France

Tax and Financial Planning in One Exercise

You might already have investment planning arrangements (ISA, PEP, TESSAs etc) in place which are working well for you and which you are happy with, but if you are planning to move to France and become tax resident you may want to take another look at your investments...from the Blevins Franks Tax Advisory Service

Currency Exchange

Where, when, how and how much?

€€€For people outside the EuroZone purchasing a property in France or starting to live in France there are a number of currency issues to consider. Check out our Currency Zone for all the details you need...
Financial advice & solutions for people relocating to France
Siddalls Download Siddalls help sheets for "your new life in France" by clicking here.
Apply for your mortgage
loanApply online for your French mortgage today and fast track your quotation. Euros and Sterling mortgages available. Apply now.
Avoid unnecessary taxation in France
Euro Notes and CoinsTax planning is essential if you are to avoid paying on to Caesar more than is due to him. Blevins Franks mini-site Explains more

Is your house insured?
French Holiday HomesPeace of mind when your French holiday home is left unoccupied or holiday let. Comprehensive French house insurance policies in English. - Get a quote
Save a fortune on Euros
Moneycorp Financial TradersIf you need advice or a Euro currency exchange quote, make a no obligation enquiry to Moneycorp, FrenchEntrée's Currency Partner


Unique business opportunity in Normandy
NormandyDo you dream of living in Normandy and running your own business? Do you like meeting people and promoting the French way of life? Would you like to operate your own online media business and earn a good living? More information...
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