French Bank account

hermes_2

I am moving to France when I retire in a couple of years and I would like to open a French Bank account now so that I start saving there. The money being available for holidays etc.
What advise can anyone give me please. Are there any instant access saver accounts and internet accounts I could open, even though I do not have a French address as yet
Thanks in antisipation
Hermes

lon_don

Any non-resident should be able to open an account with most big French retail banks. Usually these accounts are run by their respective Private Banking arm I think. Socgen for instance has a dedicated branch for non-residents (it used to be called SG Clientele Privee Internationale) at their old HQ on boulevard Haussmann. BNP also offers something similar. If you bank with HSBC, you can ask them about opening an account with HSBC France (ex-CCF & ex-Banque Hervet) as well.
Once you have settled in France (and have become a resident) you can easily turn your non-resident account into a normal ordinary account if you wish (but you don't really need to as the non-resident account functions pretty much like an ordinary account anyway).
And yes, all accounts should offer internet banking facilities nowadays.

Baldur

You should find plenty of information on 'ex-pat' websites, etc. - e.g. this one or this one give general overviews about both resident & non-resident accounts.