Your First Weeks in France: Phone, Utilities and Internet

A French phone number comes first

Almost every other registration in France sends a verification code by SMS to a French number, so getting one is the first job of your first week. The fastest route before you have a bank account or a fixed address is a prepaid SIM, from providers such as Free Mobile or Lebara.

Prepaid SIMs are sold in stores, in supermarkets and online, for cash or by card. They only require an ID such as your passport: no RIB (bank details), no proof of address and no bank account.

A postpaid mobile plan (forfait) is a different matter. It works like an internet contract and generally requires a RIB or IBAN for a monthly direct debit, so it is easiest to arrange once you have a French bank account, or a SEPA account the provider accepts.

Electricity and gas can be opened before you have a bank

France’s electricity market is deregulated. EDF is the historic, default supplier, but you can choose an alternative such as Engie, TotalEnergies, Mint Énergie or OHM Énergie. If you take no action, EDF’s regulated tariff applies by default.

Contracts can usually be scheduled in advance, so the power is already on when you move in. To open one you will typically need:

• The address of the home
• The meter’s reference number, the PDL/PRM (Point de Livraison / Point Référence Mesure), which appears on a previous occupant’s bill, is printed on or near the meter, or can be looked up by address on the supplier’s site
• Your ID
• Your desired start date

Gas needs its own contract, and water depends on where you live

If your home has gas heating, gas hot water or a gas hob, you need a separate gas contract. It uses the same open-market suppliers and a similar process, but you give the gas meter’s reference number, the PCE (Point Comptage Estimé), instead of a PDL. You can take electricity and gas from the same supplier for a single bill, but this is not required.

Water works differently: you generally cannot choose a supplier. It is whichever operator serves your commune, often Veolia, Suez, SAUR or a local public utility (régie).

In many apartment buildings, water is included in the co-ownership charges and billed through the landlord or the syndic rather than directly to you, so check your lease before assuming you need your own account. If you do need one, which is common for a standalone house, contact the local water utility with your move-in date and address, and a meter reading if you have it. A RIB is used for billing, but it is generally less of a hard blocker than for internet: many water utilities will still send a bill you can pay manually while you wait on a French bank account.

Internet is the hardest to unlock without a French bank account

The main internet providers are Orange, Free, SFR and Bouygues Telecom. Before choosing, check eligibility at your specific address on the provider’s website: whether fiber or ADSL is available there at all.

Almost all internet providers require a RIB or IBAN at sign-up for the mandatory monthly direct debit, and unlike electricity suppliers, most will not let you start on a pay-manually-for-now basis. You will also need proof of your address or lease, since installation may require access to the building.

One workaround is an online bank or fintech account that issues a SEPA IBAN before or right after arrival. Acceptance of a non-French SEPA IBAN varies by provider, so confirm with the specific provider rather than assuming it will work. Neobank IBANs are not always French: a Wise euro IBAN is typically Belgian (BE), and an N26 IBAN may be German (DE).

What providers ask a newcomer for

Across phone, energy, water and internet providers, the same few documents come up. Have them ready before you contact a provider.

• ID: your passport, and your visa or titre de séjour where relevant
• Proof of address at the new home: a signed lease, or an attestation d’hébergement if you are staying with someone
• A RIB (Relevé d’Identité Bancaire), the document showing your IBAN, used to set up direct debits (prélèvements): required upfront by internet and postpaid mobile providers, and often optional at first for electricity, gas and water
• The relevant meter reference: the PDL/PRM for electricity, the PCE for gas

The order to do things in with no French bank account yet

Because the bank account is what unlocks internet and a postpaid plan, the sequence matters. With no French bank account, this order works around the gaps:

1. 1Buy a prepaid SIM immediately, for a French number to receive verification codes.
2. 2Finalize your lease and address.
3. 3Open your electricity contract, and gas if the home uses it, asking the supplier whether it can bill you manually for the first invoice or invoices until you have a RIB.
4. 4Open a bank account. An online bank or fintech with fast remote onboarding can shortcut the wait for a traditional bank appointment.
5. 5Once you have a RIB, subscribe to internet and, if you want one, a postpaid mobile plan.
6. 6If you live in a standalone house not covered by co-ownership charges, contact the local water utility separately to open an account.

First week, first month, first three months

Unlike some EU countries such as Germany, France has no general population-registration requirement at the mairie: you do not sign up at the town hall simply for living there. Mairie visits are only needed for specific things, such as school enrollment, a PACS, a library card or some local permits.

In the first week: the phone number, electricity (and gas), internet as far as your bank situation allows, and the local essentials, such as a pharmacy, a grocery store and a boulangerie.

In the first month: open a bank account; validate your long-stay visa (VLS-TS) online on the ANEF portal, which must be done within 3 months of your first entry into France (the entry-stamp date, not the date printed on the visa); sort out proof of address in your name; register for an Ameli account online, and apply for your Carte Vitale as soon as that account is active.

In the first three months: start French lessons; register with your local tax office (centre des finances publiques) to get a French tax number; complete social security registration if you are employed; and check whether your US driver’s license can be exchanged, which must be done within 1 year of the date your residence permit becomes valid and only if your state has a current reciprocity agreement with France.

The apps and accounts worth setting up

The apps below cover medical appointments, health insurance, transport, government services, training and taxes. Create a FranceConnect+ account early, since it is the login for government services and may require enhanced verification for sensitive ones. Set up online banking as soon as your account opens, and register for digital tax services once you have a tax number.

Doctolib

booking medical appointments

Ameli

health insurance, and your route to the Carte Vitale

SNCF Connect+

trains and transport

FranceConnect+

the login for government services

Mon Compte Formation

training and language courses

Leboncoin

classified ads and second-hand items

Citymapper or Moovit

public transport

impots.gouv.fr

taxes

France Identité

a digital ID wallet built around France’s biometric national ID card, issued to French citizens; most foreign residents on a titre de séjour cannot yet use it the same way, so treat it as optional rather than a required step