Savings accounts and savings plans: residency requirements in France

Regulated savings products do not all have the same residency requirement. According to the official information sheets consulted, the LDDS and LEP accounts require tax residency in France, while the Livret Jeune (Youth Savings Account) requires habitual residence in France. The service-public.gouv.fr information sheet on social security contributions further states that these three accounts cannot be held if the tax residence is outside of France. The Livret A and PEL accounts do not have a written residency requirement for opening. For the LEP, the information sheet also stipulates automatic closure by the bank when the account holder no longer meets the tax residency requirement.

What this page does not cover

• The closing procedure after leaving France (procedures, deadlines, treatment of interest). For the LDDS (Sustainable Development Savings Account), the information sheets consulted do not provide details. You must request this information from your bank before leaving.
• The Livret A, the PEL and the CEL after leaving France. The consulted fact sheets do not address this case. This page does not derive any rules from it.
• Income tax on interest received by a non-resident. None of the records consulted address this.
• The income limits for the LEP. They are the subject of the page dedicated to the LEP.

What the information sheet says about non-residents

The service-public.gouv.fr information sheet on social security contributions (verified on 06/30/2026) contains a section on "Non-resident for French tax purposes." It states: "If your tax residence is outside of France, you cannot hold the following products:" It then lists the "Sustainable Development Savings Account" (LDD), the "Youth Savings Account," and the "People's Savings Account" (LEP).

The title of the document is "Sustainable Development Booklet". We link it to the LDDS discussed on this page: reread the document to verify this.

The rule is based on tax residence, not nationality. The Livret A, PEL, CEL, savings account, and PEAC are not included in this list.

Product by product: what the product sheets say

A fact sheet that doesn't mention any residency requirements doesn't necessarily mean the requirement doesn't exist, nor does it mean it does. For the CEL (Housing Savings Account), this is the case: the fact sheets consulted are silent on the matter.

The Savings Account A

The service-public.gouv.fr website states that there are no age, nationality, or tax residency requirements in France. The economie.gouv.fr website, however, makes no mention of any residency requirements.

Neither document addresses the case of a savings account holder leaving France. The information sheet on social security contributions classifies interest earned on a Livret A savings account among income not subject to social security contributions for non-residents and does not include the Livret A in its list of products that cannot be held outside of France. This page therefore makes no provision for keeping the account after departure.

The LDDS

According to economie.gouv.fr, the LDDS (Sustainable Development Savings Account) is available to "any adult whose tax residence is in France." The same website also addresses the case of minors who have their own income and are no longer claimed as dependents on their parents' tax return. The service-public.gouv.fr website adds that there are no income or nationality requirements. One LDDS is permitted per taxpayer, and one per spouse or civil partner filing jointly.

For account holders whose tax residence is outside France, the information sheet on social security contributions states that they cannot hold a sustainable development savings account (see above). The bank's actual actions regarding the account (closure, time frame) are not detailed in the service-public.gouv.fr information sheet on the LDDS (Sustainable Development Savings Account) nor on the economie.gouv.fr page. Ask your bank for this information before you leave.

The LEP

For the LEP (Livret d'Épargne Populaire - Popular Savings Account), two texts converge. The service-public.gouv.fr information sheet on the LEP requires tax residency in France "to open and hold" the account, and stipulates that the bank is obligated to automatically close an LEP in several cases. One of these is: "The account holder no longer meets the income or tax residency requirements to benefit from the LEP." The information sheet on social security contributions, for its part, classifies the LEP among the products that cannot be held if the tax resident is outside of France.

The economie.gouv.fr website mentions an opening "reserved for tax households residing in France".

These fact sheets are based on tax residence. None of them specifically address French citizens living abroad.

The youth booklet

The youth savings account is for those aged 12-25. Holders must be habitually resident in France. It is automatically closed in the year the holder turns 25.

The information sheet on service-public.gouv.fr contains a general rule: "If the conditions set for opening the savings account are no longer met, the bank is prohibited from keeping the account." The following sentence specifies that the bank will close the youth savings account. This information sheet itself does not mention the case of leaving France.

The information sheet on social security contributions states that if your tax residence is outside of France, you cannot hold a youth savings account. The specific procedure (timeframe, steps) should be inquired with your bank.

The PEL and the CEL

For the PEL (Home Savings Plan), both sources state the same thing: there are no age, residency, or nationality requirements. It is not possible to hold multiple PELs.

For the CEL (Housing Savings Account), the information sheets do not mention any residency requirements. They also do not address the case of a non-resident or that of leaving France.

The PEL (Home Savings Plan) is established for a minimum term of 4 years. After 4 years, it can be extended annually up to a maximum term of 10 years from its opening (service-public.gouv.fr, verified on 09/10/2026). The information sheets consulted do not address the case of a change of residence during the plan term.

The PEAC

The climate savings plan (PEAC) has an explicit residency requirement: the account holder must reside in France and be under 21 years old at the time of opening. This requirement is imposed at the time of opening. The pages consulted do not explain what happens to it afterward.

Social security contributions for a non-resident

The service-public.gouv.fr fact sheet on social security contributions, verified on 30/06/2026, contains a section for people who are tax residents outside of France. It includes, among the income not subject to social security contributions, interest from a Livret A savings account, interest from a company savings account, and income from home savings plans (CEL and PEL).

This page does not provide any social security contribution rates. Nor does it provide the income tax on interest earned by a non-resident: please refer to the cited information sheet, dated [date missing].

Numerical example (fictitious profile)

Situation. A single professional, a tax resident of France, is planning to move abroad in twelve months. He holds a Livret A savings account with €22,950, a LDDS savings account with €12,000, and a LEP savings account with €10,000. These amounts represent the maximum deposit limits, excluding accrued interest. It is assumed that his reference tax income is below the LEP limit, that his tax residence remains in France until his departure, and that the interest rates in effect on August 1, 2026, remain constant over twelve months.

Issue. What proportion of his savings is based on products that the fact sheet on non-residents lists among those that cannot be held if his tax residence is outside France?

Strategy. Classify each product according to this sheet (LDDS and LEP mentioned, Livret A not mentioned). Calculate the outstanding balance concerned and the corresponding annual interest, with the rates of 1.7 % for the Livret A and the LDDS and 2.5 % for the LEP (press release from the Ministry of the Economy dated 15/07/2026, effective 01/08/2026).

Result.

Of the €44,950, €22,000 (€48.90 %) is tied to products listed in the information sheet as those that cannot be held if one's tax residence is outside France. These products accrue €454.00 in annual interest on €844.15. The information sheets do not detail the account closure procedure or the timeframes: this is a question to ask the bank before leaving.

This profile is fictitious. The rates are assumed to be constant, which is not guaranteed: the press release of July 15, 2026, indicates that the Livret A savings account rate is reassessed every six months. The figures illustrate a mechanism and do not predict any outcome.

What changes depending on your situation

• The product held : the residency requirement is not the same for each savings account.
• Your departure date, and the date on which your tax residence leaves France.
• Your bank, who is the point of contact for the closing procedure and deadlines.
• The age of the holder, for the youth booklet and the PEAC.
• Your reference tax income, for the LEP.

The rule depends on your situation; check before deciding. No results are guaranteed.