hi sue, i think you'll find the banks will not allow your usb stick in any of their machines for security reasons.. virus or other risks?..best print all your docs.
just a little heads up, we have to pay for debit cards, unlike uk where they're given like confetti.. my Credit ag card doubles as a debit and Amex type card for about 38€ pa.. for many years i would see a debit of 3€98 to cred ag each month.. when i queried this, i had been signed up to a PPI type thing from day one.. back then i was a bit green and didn't really know what the papers were that i signed, i just thought they know what they're doing.. i have 2 cred ag accounts, Britline, which ii opened from UK, and my local account here in 24, plus a defunct Banque populaire account.. they were pretty hopeless and the local branch would not help close my Paris account.. "you have to write to them, we can't do it from here".. so there's 1cent left in the account for them to invest now :)
Cred ag are probably no better nor worse than others.. just look out for charges for operating the accounts here..
just a little point, ask about savings here, Livret A and LDD, i understand they're available to residents and non-residents, not a wonderful interest rate, but tax free.. good luck.
Depends on the bank and the time of year I think Sue, the chequebook from tarneaud a couple of years back was very well decorated but the present one is bland, same with the CA.
Civray & Ruffec are nice enough areas and really handy for the N10 which was a big bonus I found when I lived over that way.
Sue, why don't you contact my frineds Mike and Cathie Storey who live very close to Civray and can give you the low-down on the area? [emalecat@btinternet.com ]
Thank you Peter, that's very kind. We're looking for a 2/3 bed rennovated traditional property with outbuildings for cars, bikes, hobbies. We'd like to be in Civray/Ruffec area.
We found that it was easy to open a bank account with La Poste. Our reasons for choosing La Poste was that you will have a branch in nearly every village and town in France. They are extremely organised and we receive a monthly statement to our English address without fail. We also find that their insurances are very good value. Ask at your local Poste and they will help you through the process.
Another reason for opening a French band account is that we wanted to open a 'Vinci ' account for use on the motorways, (easier and quicker than queueing at the Peages) but had to have a French account to open this.
I've had a CA account for about thirty years and the bank has always been excellent. I've moved regions and never had a problem with the changes etc. I also opened an account (for business reasons) with the Banque Tarneaud about twenty years ago and have found the service very good also. The required documentation used to be a passport or carte d'identité, birth certificate and an address of your permanent domicile (uk or france etc).
What kind of property are you after ? The Haute Vienne too is a nice area and well worth a visit. Send me a pm if you are near St Junien and have a cuppa.
On our arrival 7 years ago (may be different now, of course) we attempted to open a french bank account. Whilst we were able to produce 'current' UK utility bills, these were not deemed acceptable and it was not until our arrival in the Charente when (at long last, glory be!) we were presented with a hand written bill for turning on the water supply that we were able at long last to open an account with Banque Populaire.
I have had a French Bank account for 12 years now with Barclays in France. I have had no problems, they are fast and responsive, plus you can work with them in English or French http://www.barclays.fr/homepage-en-@/248-index.html
From experience, you should ask about all the restrictions on your account, particularly ebanking and ATM withdrawls and discuss/get them increased. If not you may find at an inconvenient time that you are limited in what sort of withdrawls you can make from your account.
We opened a Credit Agricoile Britline account which has been very useful - and if you have a query there is always an English speaking member of staff to help.
If you need to have your new house surveyed I would be happy to help.You can find me on Google.